Document of Australia Scouting

 

 Australia Scouting

Australia Scouts is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia which is the largest Scouting organisation in Australia. It is a member organisation of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age in Australia and Australian territories. It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967. Scouts Australia's programs were opened to girls after 1971.[citation needed]

The current stated purpose of Scouts Australia is to "contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities".

Despite opening participation to girls and ever younger children and Australia having a high population growth rate, well above the world average, participation in the organisation's programs declined in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. According to a 2014 media article, "Scouts Australia is hoping [to] arrest a steady decline in membership. In 1979 the organisation had 114,500 youth members, today there are 52,000." According to its own annual reports participation decreased from 84,502 in 2,126 groups in 2001 to 63,200 in 1,836 groups in 2005, and in 2012 there were 49,181 youth, 2,587 young adult Rovers and 14,113 adult leaders and support roles in 1,486 groups. This means the organisation has an exceptionally high number of adults compared to its number of youth participants with a ratio of more than one adult for every three youths.

Scouts Australia Program Resources

Structure 

Australia Scouts is a council consisting of a majority of members elected by the council itself, office bearers appointed by the council or its executive committee, state and territory office bearers appointed by the national executive committee and a smaller number of representatives from state and territory branch councils which are similarly not elected by or representative of the Scouts, the adults in Scouting or Scout groups. The national council usually meets just once a year. Its national executive committee seeks to achieve co-operation and coordination of the state and territory branches. The New South Wales, Victorian and Tasmanian state branches are incorporated under special Acts of the state parliaments. while the Western Australian, South Australian, Queensland, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory branches are incorporated by registration under the ordinary Associations Incorporation Acts. Each state or territory branch maintains its own structure and operational methodologies and rules. However, all branches operate programs for children and young adults under a common uniform and common award scheme structure.

The organisation's current Chief Scout is David Hurley, the Governor-General of Australia. The Chief Scout of each state branch had usually been the governor of the state. In 2015, the actor Shane Jacobson was appointed as the Chief Scout of the Victorian branch. In 1942, Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, the Governor of Queensland, resigned as the Boy Scouts Association's Chief Scout of Queensland because of the failure of the Queensland branch to respond to his call for reforms to its centralisation effort that led to the severance of the Mount Morgan Blue Boy Scouts.

New Logo and Identity for Scouts Australia by Cato Brand Partners

History
For the history of Boy Scouts and the Scout Movement in Australia generally, see Scouting and Guiding in Australia. The organisation was formed in 1958, under the name Australian Boy Scouts Association, as a branch of the Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom. Prior to its formation, branches of the Boy Scouts Association had been formed in each of the Australian states. Initially each Australian state branch was directly responsible to Imperial Headquarters of the Boy Scouts Association in London. In 1922, the Boy Scouts Association formed its Australian Federal Council, consisting of nominees of its Australian state branches, to achieve co-operation and co-ordination at a national level. The Boy Scouts Association later appointed an Australian commissioner. The Australian Federal Council functioned as a branch of the Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom and the Australian commissioner was appointed by the Imperial Headquarters in London. The Australian Federal Council of the Boy Scouts Association became a member of the International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement in 1953, rather than being represented through the Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom. In 1958, when the Australian Boy Scouts Association was formed, it succeeded the Australian Federal Council of the Boy Scouts Association.

Boy Scouts being reviewed in Canberra in 1927

 

 

In 1967, the organisation was incorporated by royal charter as a branch of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. Each of the Australian state branches and the Papua New Guinea branch of the Scout Association became branches of the Australian Boy Scouts Association. In 1975, the organisation's Papua New Guinea branch became an independent organisation. in 1971, the organisation dropped the word "boy" from its name when it changed its name from the Australian Boy Scouts Association to the Scout Association of Australia. Until 1976, it admitted only British subjects to membership and programs and other nationalities only on special conditions and approval. After 1976, British subjects continued to be automatically admitted to membership while others, including residents, were still subject to special conditions and approval. In 1997, the organisation adopted the trading name Scouts Australia.

 

Program reviews
In 1969 the organisation began a review of its youth programs under its Design for Tomorrow Committee and implemented its New Design program from 1971. The program involved a new name, new branding, new uniforms and new award schemes. It failed to attract an increase in participants and led to considerable disaffection and loss of long-term leaders and supporters and the formation of Australian affiliates of the traditionalist Baden-Powell Scouts' 

Baden-Powell Scouts' Association

 

Association while its decline in participation continued. In 1997, the organisation adopted the new trading name Scouts Australia, new logo, uniforms and branding to be more appealing, but participation rates and numbers continued to decline. In 2001, the organisation formed its National Youth Council to engage youth in its national operations and provide opportunities for youth leadership at a national level. It is composed of 25 Scouts, Venturers and Rovers. The council meets face to face twice a year and online throughout the rest of the year. Despite this, youth participation rates and numbers continued to decline.

A further program review commenced in 2013. In 2019, a new program, along with new logo and branding, was launched, again hoping to appeal to a larger audience. Elements of this program include the catchphrases "youth leading, adults supporting", "plan, do, review", another overhaul of its award scheme and a return to a focus on outdoor adventure.

The Scouts Australia emblem from 1997 to 2019 incorporated the national green-and-gold as well as the Southern Cross motif

Religion
Scouts Australia is a non-religious organisation. To enrol with Scouts Australia you are required to make the Scout Promise. The unique wording in the Australian Scout Promise of “do my best to do my duty to my God" allows some flexibility and Scouts Australia is open to people of all religious faiths that can make this promise. In 2017, with the launch of "The Adventure Begins", a new promise option allows Scouts to "do my best to be true to my spiritual beliefs", to further open the promise to all religious faiths.

Historically, Scouting in Australia was rooted in Christianity as that was the world view of Scouts founder, Lord Baden-Powell. Although Britain is now a majority non-religious nation Christianity was the dominant faith in both Britain and Australia in Scouting's early days.

More recently, [clarification needed] participants have come from many faiths and although the majority of Scout groups promote an interfaith approach to religion. Many Scout groups have been formed within existing communities and specific religious traditions as "sponsored groups", such as Coptic Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Islamic and Jewish.

Youth participants at a Scouts' Own, an informal act of worship, at a Scout campsite

Children & Youth Programs

Age sections
Youth development in the organisation's programs is divided into several age group stages. The age groups encourage movement through the sections as the youth matures. The sections are:

1. Joey Scouts (5–7 years): helping to develop a child's sense of personal identity
2. Cub Scouts (8–10 years): aims to develop a sense of adventure and achievement and a chance to grow their character
3. Scouts (11–14 years): promotes leadership and teamwork, as well as an appreciation of the outdoors
4. Venturer Scouts (15–17 years): develops leadership and management skills, as well as an understanding of camping and the environment
5. Rover Scouts (18–25 years): continues to develop leadership skills, as well as placing a strong emphasis on service to the community and other parts of the organisation

Uniform
The core uniform is a navy blue shirt with the relevant youth section colour across the sleeves and collar, a scarf and woggle. The leaders' shirt is only dark blue.

The section colours are:

1. Tan for Joeys
2. Yellow for Cubs
3. Green for Scouts
4. Maroon for Venturers
5. Red for Rovers

Award Scheme
The youth award scheme in Australian Scouting consists of awards for proficiency in an adventurous activity, participation in major events, recognition of service, gallantry and meritorious service, and for the practice of Scouting (Queen's Scout, Baden-Powell Award, etc.).

Queen's Scout

The highest award for each section is Promise Challenge, Grey Wolf Award, Australian Scout Medallion, Queen's Scout Award, and Baden-Powell Award respectively.

 Baden-Powell Award

 

 

Australian Scout Medallion

Grey Wolf Award 

Lone Scouts
The Lone Scout Group is for youth unable to attend or find a local Scout group. Lones include people with disabilities and are therefore unable to attend regular group meetings, people who are constant travellers or go to places at which they are unable to attend a group i.e. boarding school or isolated communities. They hold annual week-long camps for members and their families. Lone scouts have meetings over the radio.

Lone Scouts Australia

International connections
The organisation operates in the non-sovereign Australian Indian Ocean Territories of:

Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Two Scout troops in Singapore are affiliated with the organisation. The organisation is a founder member of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. In the field of support and co-operation with other national member organisations of the Asia Pacific region, the organisation has contributed to a number of international friendship and community development oriented projects. Over the years, Australian Scouts have supported emerging Scout organisations in the South Pacific. A twinning project with the Bangladesh Scouts, known as the "Bangladesh-Australia Child Health" (BACH) project, made a dramatic impact on child health in project villages during its operation from 1986 to 1992. The organisation has a twinning project with the Nepal Scouts known as NATURE Project and involves the reforestation of the Kristi Landslide.

In 1988 the organisation hosted the 16th World Scout Jamboree and the 31st World Scout Conference. Some 15,000 Scouts from 94 countries attended the jamboree at Cataract Scout Park near Sydney. An Australian Scout Jamboree has been held every three years since 1934 except for the years of the Second World War. The Scout jamboree is the organisation's largest event but an Australian Rover Moot and an Australian Venture are also held every three years.

Document of United States America (USA) Scouting

United States America (USA) Scouting

The United States America Scouting is dominated by the 1.2 million-member Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA and other associations that are recognized by one of the international Scouting organizations. There are also a few smaller, independent groups that are considered to be "Scout-like" or otherwise Scouting related.

Founder Of Scouting Sir Baden Powell

Origins
The progressive movement in the United States was at its height during the early twentieth century. With the migration of families from rural to urban centers, there were concerns among some people that young men were no longer learning patriotism and individualism. Starting in the 1870s, the YMCA was an early promoter of social welfare and other reforms involving young men around a program of mental, physical, social and religious development. Early corn clubs for farm boys began to develop into the 4-H around 1902. In 1896, years before the Scouting movement was founded by Baden-Powell he met the American born Chief of Scouts in British Africa, Frederick Russell Burnham, and learned from him the fundamentals of scouting, inspiring him and giving him the plan for the program and the code of honor of Scouting for Boys, and thus restoring the old traditions of American Youth. 

Sir Frederick Russell Burnham (The King of Scouts)

 

Ernest Thompson Seton started the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 and published The Birch Bark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians in 1906. Daniel Carter Beard started the Sons of Daniel Boone in 1905. When Baden-Powell created the first Scouting program in 1907, he used elements of Setons' work in his Scouting for Boys. Several small local Scouting programs started in the U.S. soon after, most notably the Boy Scouts of the United States (BSUS), the National Scouts of America (NSA) and the Peace Scouts of California—these later merged into the BSA soon after it was formed. The Southern Baptist Convention’s Royal Ambassadors was founded in 1908 for elementary-school-aged boys. The YMCA in Michigan was organizing Scout troops based on Scouting for Boys as early as 1909. Salvation Army founder William Booth met with Baden-Powell for discussion about a possible Salvationist Scouting program. The Salvation Army thus began its Life Saving Scouts of the World in 1913. The BSUS was started by the National Highway Protective Association and led by Peter S. Bomus. William Verbeck, Adjutant General of New York State, was leader of the National Scouts. Both the BSUS and NSA were both more military in style. 

SIR Daniel Carter Beard 

Chicago publisher W. D. Boyce was visiting London, England in 1909 where he met the Unknown Scout and learned of the Scouting movement. Boyce secured the rights to the Scouting program in the U.S.,[citation needed] and soon after his return, Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1910. Edgar M. Robinson and Lee F. Hanmer became interested in the nascent BSA movement and convinced Boyce to turn the program over to the YMCA for development. Robinson enlisted Seton, Beard and other prominent leaders in the early youth movements. After initial development, Robinson turned the movement over to James E. West who became the first Chief Scout Executive and the Scouting movement began to expand in the U.S.

 

Chief Scout Executive

Other Scouting organizations were also started around 1910 and continued for some time. These include the American Boy Scouts, the Polish National Alliance Scouts of Chicago, and the Rhode Island Scouts, the YMMIA Scouts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (formed November 29, 1911 merged May 21, 1913), United Boys' Brigade of America's Scout program and California Boy Scouts. The American Boy Scouts were organized by William Randolph Hearst in May and June 1910 but by the end of the year Hearst had left followed by the New England Department as the New England Boy Scouts and the following year the Rhode Island Boy Scouts.

Other groups used the Scout name, but did not provide the Scouting program. Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts were formed in 1909 and continue as the American Cadet Alliance. The Michigan Forest Scouts were organized in 1911 as auxiliaries for forest fire service and was a model copied by New York. These Forest Scouts were considered affiliated with the BSA.

 

The ABS changed their name to the United States Boy Scouts in 1913 after pressure from the BSA. Boyce created the Lone Scouts of America in 1915 and merged them into the BSA in 1924. The Boy Rangers of America, an organization for younger boys, was created with help from the BSA and mainly merged in 1930.

 

Seton restarted Woodcraft after departing from the BSA in 1915, but the program faded after his death in 1946. After helping to create the BSA and seeing it grow into a successful rival, the YMCA began the Indian Guides in 1926 using some of Seton's material.

 

After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the BSA's rights to the "Scouting" service mark, several Scouting organizations were forced to change their names. In 1918, the Life Saving Scouts changed its name to LifeSaving Guards-Boys which led to many Life Saving units transferring to the BSA. LifeSaving Guards leader began to press for affiliation with the BSA. United States Boy Scouts then changed its name to American Cadets in 1919. The ABS survived for a few more years under various names before fading away.

 

The Columbian Squires, run by the Knights of Columbus were formed in 1925. In 1929, a special charter was granted to the Life Saving Guards-Boys from the BSA to join the two organizations together. In the 1930s, a leader in the Church of the Nazarene launched Boy's Works and Girl's Work in the church's Southern California district, which pick it up as a district wide program in 1934. While another set of Caravan forerunner programs, "Bluebirds" for young children and "Pioneers" for older children were also developed and promoted by a minister and an Eagle Scout. All Nazarene Scouting organizations were merged into Caravan in 1946.

 The opening ceremonies of the first National Scout Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of America, held in 1937 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

 

 Further history

The Calvinist Cadet Corps was officially founded in 1952 in Christian Reformed Church in North America. The Royal Rangers was founded in 1962 as a program of the Assemblies of God.

In 1975, the Camp Fire Girls of America changed its membership policy to being co-ed and its name to Camp Fire.

In 2001, SpiralScouts International was formed at the Wiccan Aquarian Tabernacle Church in Index, Washington. Although it serves a Wiccan community, it is open to members of any faith or no faith.[7] The group is small and co-ed, claiming a membership of 150 adult volunteers and 350 scouts in 2013. With BSA membership controversies, the SpiralScouts offered their highest rank to those Eagle Scouts that turn in their badges to the BSA in protest.

In 2003, a Boy Scouts troop in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood and sponsored by the Unitarian Church of All Souls broke away from the BSA over the exclusionary membership policies to start the Navigators USA, a co-ed scouting group.

In 2008, the Baden-Powell Service Association was found after a Cub Scout Pack leader, David Atchley, in Washington, Missouri fought over adopting a nondiscrimination policy for the pack. The group reported 19 units in 2013.

 

Scouting for Girls Origins  

Scouting for girls began when the Camp Fire Girls were incorporated in 1910 with help from the BSA. Again, Seton's influence was established with the use of his awards scheme and Indian ceremonies.

Girls Scout USA

Other local girls groups formed in 1910, including Girls Scouts in Des Moines, Iowa and Girl Guides formed by David W. Ferry in Spokane, Washington. In 1911, these two groups planned to merge with the Camp Fire Girls and form the Girl Pioneers of America, but relationships fractured and the merger failed. Grace Seton quit the group over the reject of her committee's draft of a handbook followed by Linda Beard in September 1911 over difference with the Gulicks. However, there was an organizational meeting held by Lina Beard on February 7, 1912 in Flushing, New York of a Girl Pioneers of America group. Lord Baden-Powell had authorized an American version of the Girl Guides manual through the Henry Holt Publishing Company, who then approached Lina Beard to write the manual.

Scouting for Girls USA

The Girl Guides of America, later the Girl Scouts of the United States and finally the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA), were founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and were granted a congressional charter on March 16, 1950.[citation needed] They are a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized after Low met Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, in 1911.[32] Upon returning to Savannah, Georgia, she telephoned a distant cousin, saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!"

 Girls Scouting USA

Membership is organized according to grade, with activities designed for each level. The GSUSA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). A 1994 Chronicle of Philanthropy poll showed that the Girl Scouts was ranked by the public as the eighth "most popular charity/non-profit in America" of over 100 charities. [needs update] It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls".

 

 

Document of United Kingdom ( England ) Scout Association

 

 United Kingdom Scout Association

 

United Kingdom Scout Association
This article is about the scouting organisation in the United Kingdom calling itself The Scout Association. For other Scouting organisations in the United Kingdom, see Scouting in the United Kingdom. For other Scouting organisations with 'The Scout Association' as part of the name, see The Scout Association (disambiguation).

United Kingdom Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a royal charter under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.

The association is the largest national Scout organisation in Europe, representing 35% of the membership of the European Scout Region.

Sir Baden-Powell

As of 2018, the association claims to provide activities to 464,700 young people (aged 5+3⁄4–25) in the UK with over 116,400 adult volunteers which is more than one adult for each 4 young people.[6] Its programmes include Squirrel Scouts (aged 4–6), Beaver Scouts (aged 5+3⁄4–8), Cub Scouts (aged 8–10+1⁄2), Scouts (aged 10+1⁄2–14), Explorer Scouts (aged 14–18) and adult Network members (aged 18–25).

The association aims to provide fun, adventure and skills for life and give young people the opportunity to enjoy new adventures, experience outdoors and take part in a range of creative, community and international activities, interact with others, make new friends, gain confidence and have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The association is led by its Chief Scout, the television presenter, adventurer and author Bear Grylls, alongside a UK chief commissioner, Carl Hankinson, and chief executive, Matt Hyde. The association's joint presidents are the Duke of Kent and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and its patron is Queen Elizabeth II.

 

Queen Elizabeth II

 The Queen's Scout Award badge

 
The association is a member of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.

Gender
From 1912 to 1967 the association's name was The Boy Scouts Association and until 1976 only boys were admitted to its programmes. In 1976, girls were allowed to join the Venture Scouts section for 16- to 20-year-olds. This expanded to all the association's programme sections in 1991, although the admission of girls was optional and has only been compulsory since 2007. As of 2018, Girls make up 27% of all-age participants with a total of 99,989 female participants aged between 6 and 25 and a further 69,460 women involved in volunteer roles (being more than 1 adult female for every 2 female young people), while new recruits are now 71% girls (approx. 2.5 girls for every boy). The Scout Association's activities and leadership positions are open to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other (LGBT+) young people and adults.

Faith
The association is open to all faiths with variations to the Scout Promise available to accommodate to those of different religious obligations or national beliefs. Following criticisms of the lack of provision for atheists, in 2012 the association consulted members about the possibility of creating an additional alternative Promise for those without a religion, and in October 2013, announced that an alternative version of the promise would be available from January 2014 for those without a pronounced faith.

Disability
Sir Baden-Powell was keen to allow young people with disabilities to take part in Scouting programmes, and the Disabled Scout Branch (later known as Extension Scouting) was formed in 1926. After the Second World War, specialist Agoonoree Scout camps were run to cater for those unable to camp with their own Scout Groups. Latterly, emphasis has been placed on integrating young people with disabilities into mainstream Groups. Flexibility is built-in to badges and awards for those with special needs and many Scout Counties and Areas have a specialist commissioner or adviser to support inclusion.

History of Formation
The Boy Scouts Association was formed in 1910, in order to provide a national body in the United Kingdom which could organise and support the rapidly growing number of Scout Patrols and Troops, which had begun to form spontaneously following the publication of Scouting for Boys and The Scout magazine in 1908. It was also the wish of Sir Baden-Powell to wrest control of Scouting from his book's publishers as it was felt the Scout Movement was not given the status it deserved as the publisher C. Arthur Pearson controlled much of Scouting.

1910 to 1920:
Originally, Scouting was for boys aged between 11 and 18. However, many girls and younger boys wanted to join in. One group of "Girl Scouts" participated in the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally. Edwardian principles could not accept young girls participating in the rough and tumble, and "wild" activities of the Scouts, and so the Girl Guides were created by Baden-Powell and his sister, Agnes, to provide a more "proper" programme of activities. The solution for younger boys was the creation of the younger Wolf Cubs Section, which was trialed from 1914 and openly launched in 1916.[24] Later, many of those who had grown out of Scouts still wanted to be a part of Scouting resulting in another section, the Rover Scouts, for those over 18 being created in 1918.

Baden-Powell Scouting certificate 1914

Scouting spread throughout the British Empire and wider world. On 4 January 1912, The Boy Scouts Association was incorporated throughout the British Empire by Royal charter for "the purpose of instructing boys of all classes in the principles of discipline loyalty and good citizenship". During the First World War, more than 50,000 Scouts participated in some form of war work on the home front. Scout buglers sounded the "all clear" after air raids or air strike, others helped in hospitals and made up aid parcels; Sea Scouts assisted the Coastguard in watching the vulnerable East coast.

The Boy Scouts Association organised the first World Jamboree for Scouts, held in Olympia, London in 1920 together with an international conference for leaders which founded the World Organization of the Scout Movement of which The Boy Scouts Association was a founding member. Baden-Powell continued to guide the Scouts and Girl Guides, going on world tours throughout the rest of his life until ill health caused him to retire to Kenya in 1938 where he died on 8 January 1941.
 

Membership badge of The Boy Scout Association, used prior to 1967

 

he boy Scouts Headquarters Gazette was first published in July 1909, as the official publication of the association for adult Scouters and administrators, alongside The Scout, a magazine for youth members which had been launched in April 1908.

 

1920 to 1967
In 1929, the Boy Scouts Association hosted the 3rd World Scout Jamboree at Arrowe Park in Cheshire; some 56,000 Scouts from 35 countries attended, making it the largest World Scout Jamboree to date. The first Gang Show, produced by Ralph Reader, opened at the Scala Theatre in London in October 1932. Following the outbreak of World War II, over 50,000 Scouts trained under the National War Service scheme. Tasks undertaken included police messengers and stretcher bearers. The Air Scout branch was launched in January 1941, allowing Scout Troops to specialise in activities related to aircraft and flying. Lord Baden-Powell died in 1941 and was succeeded as the association's Chief Scout by Lord Somers. Starting in 1944, the Scout International Relief Service (SIRS) sent teams of Rover Scouts and Scouters to continental Europe to provide humanitarian aid; ten SIRS teams worked at the recently relieved Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

3rd World Scout Jamboree

 

 Prince of Wales Edward VIII in Scouting costume at 3rd World Scout Jamboree, 1929

After years of trial schemes, the Senior Scout Section was officially launched in 1946, allowing Boy Scouts aged fifteen to eighteen years to form separate patrols or troops, with age appropriate activities and badges. Scouts were prominent in their support of the 1948 Summer Olympics, playing leading roles in the open and closing ceremonies at Wembley Stadium and the sailing events at Torbay. The first Bob a Job Week took place in April 1949, in which Scouts did small tasks for the public in return for a "bob" (5 new pence) to raise funds for the association and for C. Arthur Pearson's fund for the blind. In the early 1950s, a handful of Boy Scouts were dismissed or marginalized in their Scout Groups due to their involvement with the Young Communist League or related communist activities – the most high-profile case being that of Paul Garland from Bristol in 1954 which resulted in a media frenzy and debate in the House of Lords, where following a robust defence of the association's position by Lord Rowallan, the matter was withdrawn without a division. In 1957, to commemorate fifty years of Scouting and the centenary of Baden-Powell's birth, the association hosted the 9th World Scout Jamboree at Sutton Park in Birmingham. 

Bear Grylls

 

1967 to 2001
The Boy Scouts Association and its programmes in Britain went largely unchanged until it underwent a major review in the 1960s. The Chief Scouts' Advance Party was formed in 1964 and was sent to survey the association to see why membership numbers were falling. Their report was published in 1966 and changes were implemented later that year and throughout 1967. As a result, the word "boy" was dropped from the association's name which was changed to The Scout Association and major changes were made to the sections and their respective programmes. The youngest section were now named Cub Scouts, the Boy Scout section was renamed simply as the Scout section and the Senior Scouts and Rover Scout section was replaced with Venture Scouts for 16- to 20-year-olds. The Scout Uniform was also changed with the inclusion of long trousers for the Scouts, as opposed to the compulsory wearing of knee-length shorts, and the wearing of a Beret instead of the Campaign hat.

The Advance Party Report was not welcomed by all members and a rival report, "A Boy Scout Black Paper", was produced in 1970 by "The Scout Action Group".[40] This provided alternative proposals for the development of the association and asked for groups that wished to continue to follow Baden-Powell's original scheme to be permitted to do so. The rejection of these proposals resulted in the formation of the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association.

Membership badge of the association between 1967 and 2003. 

This logo is still used on some items for example on the centre of flags.

Several developments were made over the following years, including the introduction of co-educational units of boys and girls, initially restricted to the Venture Scouts section in 1976, but from 1991 thanks to a young girl named Elizabeth Hainsworth, junior sections were allowed to become mixed as well, starting in Bradford, West Yorkshire and working its way throughout the U.K. Parents involved with the association in Northern Ireland also began to organise activities for their children who were too young for Cub Scouts. Originally, only the leaders of the new section, nicknamed Beavers, were members of the association with the young people themselves becoming Scouts officially in 1986. In the late 1990s, a Muslim Scout Fellowship was formed, which by the end of 2007, had assisted the establishment of 13 Muslim Scout Groups in England and Wales.

Despite these changes, and many other minor ones, The Scout Association fell into a decline through the 1990s with falling membership levels. This spurred a major review into the causes of the decline in 1999.

2001 to 2014
The association found itself competing for young people's time against many other extracurricular activities and schools themselves which were increasingly venturing into the same types of activities. In addition, adult leaders became concerned with the growing litigation culture in the UK and the negative stereotype as being old fashioned.

To keep up with trends and appeal to audience new generation, a new uniform, designed by Meg Andrew, was launched in 2001. The uniform included a variety of bold colours, with the younger sections wearing sweatshirts and activity trousers.

Logo of the association between 2001 and 2018
 

 In 2002 the association launched its new vision towards 2012, which heralded a period of change. Venture Scouts were discontinued and two new sections were introduced: Scout Network for 18- to 25-year-olds, as well as an Explorer Scouts for 14- to 18-year-olds. A new programme was introduced, complete with a new range of badges and awards covering a wider variety of topics such as Public Relations and Information Technology, developing practical and employability skills. The new badges drew mixed reactions from several public figures, with some praising the association for "moving with the times" and others feeling the changes went "against the Scouting ethos of Baden-Powell".

Further changes took place in 2003 when the association's Adult Training Scheme was relaunched to be more focused and targeted to the volunteers individual role as opposed to the more general training received before.

The association also began to change in its focus, with a renewed emphasis on outdoor adventure and it now offers over 200 fun and adventurous activities for Scouts, from abseiling and archery while also offering a wider range of development opportunities, from coding to music and drama. In 2004 the association appointed television presenter Peter Duncan as its Chief Scout, who was succeeded by adventurer Bear Grylls in July 2009. The first UK Chief Commissioner, Wayne Bulpitt was appointed on the same day, with a particular remit to support volunteers, grow and develop the association.

The association hosted several major events during this time including EuroJam in 2005, hosting 10,000 Scouts and Guides from 40 countries, the 21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007 as well as playing a major role in the centenary celebrations of Scouting that same year, with celebration events organised on Brownsea Island.

Members of the newly created Explorer Scouts section climbing at Stanage Edge

 

By 2010, census figures showed a strong upturn, with the association in April 2010 claiming its highest rate of growth in UK since 1972, with total claimed participation reaching just under half a million.[44][51] In 2014, the association claimed an increase in youth membership of 100,000 in the ten years since 2004.[citation needed] In 2016 it claimed eleven years of consecutive growth and an increase in female membership, with 25% of participants now female in the 25 years since girls were first welcomed in 1976.[citation needed]

The association claims one of its biggest challenges is encouraging more adults to volunteer to reduce the number of young people on waiting lists (cited at around 40,000). However, by its reported figures (above) it has a high ratio of more than 1 adult volunteer to 4 participant young people (see above), and "young people" includes adults aged 18 to 25. The effort to attract new volunteers received a boost when the Duchess of Cambridge announced her intention to become a volunteer leader for the association with a Scout Group near her Anglesey home. In the decade up to 2014, the number of adult volunteers increased by 14,596 to a total of over 104,000.

 

2014 to 2018

A new Strategic Plan entitled Scouting for All was launched in 2014 to outline the association's focus to 2018. It proposed four key areas of activity: Growth, Inclusivity, Youth-Shaped Scouting and Community Impact. As part of this, in 2014, the association introduced the role of UK Youth Commissioner. The UK Youth Commissioner works with the national leadership team; the association's chief executive, its Chief Scout, its UK chief commissioner and its chair of the board of trustees to contribute to discussions on behalf of youth members and ensuring key changes are subject to youth consultation. Hannah Kentish was appointed the first UK Youth Commissioner in October 2014 and Scout Counties and Districts were encouraged to appoint their own Youth Commissioners for young people to have an opportunity to influence their activities. In September 2018, Ollie Wood was appointed as the UK Youth Commissioner.

In October 2015, as part of the commitment to developing Community Impact, the association launched a three-year community impact project called "A Million Hands" to mobilise half a million Scouts to support four social issues chosen by their young people. Its aim is to build real and lasting relationships in communities that will enable young people to continue taking "social action" long into the future. The project works in partnership with six key charities; Mind, Alzheimer's Society, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Guide Dogs, Water Aid and Canal & River Trust to support the four key issues of Dementia, Disability, Mental wellbeing and resilience and Clean water and sanitation.

Also in 2015, Dr Ann Limb was appointed Chair of the association, the first woman to hold the post.[56] The following year in September 2016, Tim Kidd replaced Wayne Bulpitt as the association's chief commissioner.[9] Kidd has been involved with the association his whole life, starting as a Cub Scout and then as a volunteer, in various leadership roles including Scout Leader, District Commissioner and County Commissioner. In the 2016 Birthday Honours, Kidd received an OBE for services to young people.[57] Kidd's term will end in September 2021, with applications open for a replacement in September 2020.

Throughout 2016, the association celebrated the centenary of the Cub Scout section, named Cubs100. Although Cubs began on an experimental basis in 1914, the centenary celebrations marked the launch of the fully developed Wolf Cub programme on 16 December 2016, a date which is regarded as the "official birthday of Cubs". Adventurer Steve Backshall was appointed Cubs100 Ambassador to raise the profile of the anniversary year.[59] A range of events took place throughout 2016, from Adventure Camps to locally organised Promise Parties on 16 December itself, at which Cubs renewed their Promises. One Promise Party in Kings Lynn was attended by the Duchess of Cambridge.

 

2018 to Present
In May 2018, Scouts' new 'Skills For Life' strategy was announced to outline the focus of the Scout Association between 2018 and 2023. Its objectives are similar (with the same outcomes of Growth, Inclusivity, Youth Shaped Scouting and Community Impact), however there is now more of a framework to develop, and achieve the objectives.

Alongside the new strategy launch, the Scout Association also launched a new brand to support the strategy, and change the then 17-year-old logo. The major changes included a new typeface for documents and literature from the organisation, new colours with an updated corporate logo. This was introduced to the movement on a two-year transition period.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 face-to-face Scouting was suspended and weekly meetings had to be delivered through "Scouting by Zoom". To support this, the Scout Association launched an online package of activities called "The Great Indoors" and a national fund raising campaign called "Hike to the Moon" in aid of those affected by the crisis, as well as online briefings for adult leaders. Despite these initiatives, in May 2021 it was announced that membership numbers had fallen by over 100,000 (from 480,083 to 362,752), with the number of adult leaders falling from 156,000 in 2020 to just under 141,000. This was reported to be the largest drop in numbers since 1941.[64] It prompted the organisation to launch the Good For You campaign which had an aim of recruiting 10,000 leaders as the association had noticed young people were returning to the movement quickly but without sufficient adults to build capacity.

Announced as part of the Skills For Life strategic plan in May 2018, since 2019 the Scout Association has been trialling an early years programme section. The name initially chosen for the pilots, involving children aged 4-6 years, was Hedgehogs and involved a programme funded by the Department for Education and delivered either as a scout-led programme, a parent-led programme or a partner-led early years programme. The aim of the pilot was to explore early years provision with children of this age and determine whether this is a route the Scout Association should take.[66] The association decided to proceed with the pilot and the phased roll out of the section over a period of years until it was in a position to introduce the section formally, now under the name Squirrels, in September 2021. The name was chosen after field testing in communities underrepresented in Scouting, and because of the support of the Northern Ireland Squirrel Association that subsequently merged into Scouting after 25 years of independent operation alongside Scouting in Northern Ireland. The name is also recognised by many due its links to the popular children's programme Hey Duggee. Squirrels wear a red sweatshirt uniform and meet in Dreys organised within the Scout group. The initial 200 dreys were targeted to areas previously under-served by Scouting including diverse areas and those comprising a high number of low income households.

The World Scout Association

 

introduction:-

The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organization in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognized member for the United Kingdom (UK). Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the Association was formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a Royal Charter under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.

The Scout Association is the largest National Scout Organization in Europe, representing 35% of the membership of the European Scout Region.

The Scout Association claims to provide activities to (an unedited) 452,000 young people (aged 6–25) in the UK with over 122,000 adult volunteers which is more than one adult for each 4 young people. Its programs include Beaver Scouts (aged 6–8), Cub Scouts (aged 8–10½), Scouts (aged 10½–14), Explorer Scouts (aged 12–18) up to adult Network members (aged 18–25).

The Scout Association aims to provide "fun, adventure and skills for life and give young people the opportunity to enjoy new adventures, experience outdoors and take part in a range of creative, community and international activities, interact with others, make new friends, gain confidence and have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

The Scout Association is led by a Chief Scout, currently the television presenter, adventurer and author Bear Grylls, alongside a UK Chief Commissioner, currently Tim Kidd and Chief Executive, currently Matt Hyde. The Scout Association's president is The Duke of Kent and its Patron is Queen Elizabeth II.

The Scout Association is a member of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.

Scout Association Open to all:-

From 1912 to 1967 the organization's name was The Boy Scouts Association and until 1976 only boys were admitted to its programs. In 1976, girls were allowed to join the Venture Scouts section for 16- to 20-year-olds. This expanded to the entire organization in 1991, although the admission of girls was optional and has only been compulsory since 2007. Girls now make up 25% of participants with a total of 94,366 female participants aged between 6 and 25 and a further 50,600 women involved in volunteer roles (being more than 1 adult female for every 2 female young people).2014 Annual Report (Report). The Scout Association. 2014. The Scout Association's activities and adult leadership positions are open to LGBT+ communities.

The Scout Association is open to all faiths with variations to the Scout Promise available to accommodate to those of different religious obligations or national beliefs. Following criticisms of the lack of provision for atheists, in 2012 the Association consulted members about the possibility of creating an additional alternative Promise for those without a religion, and in October 2013, announced that an alternative version of the promise would be available from January 2014 for those without a pronounced faith.

History:-

For the origins of Boy Scouts and the Scout Movement before the formation of The Scout Association see Scouting.

The Boy Scouts Association was formed in 1910, in order to provide a national body in the United Kingdom which could organise and support the rapidly growing number of Scout Patrols and Troops, which had begun to form spontaneously following the publication of Scouting for Boys and The Scout magazine in 1908. It was also the wish of Baden-Powell to wrest control of Scouting from his book's publishers as it was felt the Scout Movement was not given the status it deserved as the publisher C. Arthur Pearson Limited controlled much of Scouting.

1910 to 1920: Growth:-

Originally, Scouting was for boys aged between 11 and 18. However, many girls and younger boys wanted to join in. One group of "Girl Scouts" participated in the 1909 Crystal Palace Rally. Edwardian principles could not accept young girls participating in the rough and tumble, and "wild" activities of the Scouts, and so the Girl Guides were created by Baden-Powell and his sister, Agnes, to provide a more "proper" programme of activities.[18] The solution for younger boys was the creation of the younger Wolf Cubs Section, which was trialed from 1914 and openly launched in 1916. Later, many of those who had grown out of Scouts still wanted to be a part of Scouting resulting in another section, the Rover Scouts, for those over 18 being created in 1918.

Scouting spread throughout the British Empire and wider world. On 4 January 1912, The Boy Scouts Association was incorporated throughout the British Empire by Royal charter for "the purpose of instructing boys of all classes in the principles of discipline loyalty and good citizenship". During the First World War, more than 50,000 Scouts participated in some form of war work on the home front. Scout buglers sounded the "all clear" after air raids, others helped in hospitals and made up aid parcels; Sea Scouts assisted the Coastguard in watching the vulnerable East coast.

The Boy Scouts Association organised the first World Jamboree for Scouts, held in Olympia, London in 1920 together with an international conference for leaders which founded the World Organization of the Scout Movement of which The Boy Scouts Association was a founding member.[18] Baden-Powell continued to guide the Scouts and Girl Guides, going on world tours throughout the rest of his life until ill health caused him to retire to Kenya in 1938 where he died on 8 January 1941.

The Boy Scouts Headquarters Gazette was first published in July 1909, as the official publication of the Association for adult Scouters and administrators, alongside The Scout, a magazine for youth members which had been launched in April 1908.

1920 to 1967:-

In 1929, the Boy Scouts Association hosted the 3rd World Scout Jamboree at Arrowe Park in Cheshire; some 56,000 Scouts from 35 countries attended, making it the largest World Scout Jamboree to date. The first Gang Show, produced by Ralph Reader, opened at the Scala Theatre in London in October 1932. Following the outbreak of World War II, over 50,000 Scouts trained under the National War Service scheme. Tasks undertaken included police messengers and stretcher bearers. The Air Scout branch was launched in January 1941, allowing Scout Troops to specialise in activities related to aircraft and flying. Lord Baden-Powell died in 1941 and was succeeded as Chief Scout by Lord Somers. Starting in 1944, the Scout International Relief Service (SIRS) sent teams of Rover Scouts and Scouters to continental Europe to provide humanitarian aid; ten SIRS teams worked at the recently relieved Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

After years of trial schemes, the Senior Scout Section was officially launched in 1946, allowing Boy Scouts aged fifteen to eighteen years to form separate patrols or troops, with age appropriate activities and badges. Scouts were prominent in their support of the 1948 Summer Olympics, playing leading roles in the open and closing ceremonies at Wembley Stadium and the sailing events at Torbay.The first Bob a Job Week took place in April 1949, in which Scouts did small tasks for the public in return for a "bob" (5 new pence) to raise funds for the Association and for C. Arthur Pearson's fund for the blind.[30] In the early 1950s, a handful of Boy Scouts were dismissed or marginalized in their Scout Groups due to their involvement with the Young Communist League or related communist activities - the most high profile case being that of Paul Garland from Bristol in 1954 which resulted in a media frenzy and debate in the House of Lords. In 1957, to commemorate fifty years of Scouting and the centenary of Baden-Powell's birth, the Association hosted the 9th World Scout Jamboree at Sutton Park in Birmingham.

1967 to 2001:-

The Boy Scouts Association and its programmers in Britain went largely unchanged until it underwent a major review in the 1960s. The Chief Scouts' Advance Party was formed in 1964 and was sent to survey the organization to see why membership numbers were falling. Their report was published in 1966 and changes were implemented later that year and throughout 1967. As a result, the name of the organization was changed to The Scout Association and major changes were made to the sections and their respective programmers. The youngest section were now named Cub Scouts, the Boy Scout section was renamed simply as the Scout section and the Senior Scouts and Rover Scout section was replaced with Venture Scouts for 16 to 20 year olds. The Scout Uniform was also changed with the inclusion of long trousers for the Scouts, as opposed to the compulsory wearing of knee-length shorts, and the wearing of a Beret instead of the Campaign hat.

The Advance Party Report was not welcomed by all members and a rival report, "A Boy Scout Black Paper", was produced in 1970 by "The Scout Action Group". This provided alternative proposals for the development of the organization and asked for Groups that wished to continue to follow Baden-Powell's original scheme to be permitted to do so. The rejection of these proposals resulted in the formation of the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association.

Several developments were made over the following years, including the introduction of co-educational units of boys and girls, initially restricted to the Venture Scouts section in 1976, but from 1991 junior sections were allowed to become mixed as well.[18] Parents involved in Scouting in Northern Ireland also began to organise activities for their children who were too young for Cub Scouts. Originally, only the leaders of the new section, nicknamed Beavers, were members of the association with the youths themselves becoming Scouts officially in 1986. In the late 1990s, a Muslim Scout Fellowship was formed, which by the end of 2007, had assisted the establishment of 13 Muslim Scout Groups in England and Wales.

Despite these changes, and many other minor ones, Scouting started to fall into a decline through the 1990s with falling membership levels. This spurred a major review into the causes of the decline in 1999.

2001 to 2014:- 

Scouting found itself competing for young people's time against many other extracurricular activities and schools themselves which were increasingly venturing into the same types of activities. In addition, adult leaders became concerned with the growing litigation culture in the UK and the negative stereotype as being old fashioned.

To keep up with current trends and appeal to audience new generation, a new uniform, designed by Meg Andrews, was introduced in 2001. The uniform included a variety of bold exciting colours, with the younger sections wearing sweatshirts and activity trousers.

In 2002 the Association launched its new vision towards 2012, which heralded a period of change. Venture Scouting was discontinued and two new sections were introduced: Scout Network for 18–25 year olds, as well as an Explorer Scouts for 14–18 year olds. A new programme was introduced, complete with a new range of badges and awards covering a wider variety of topics such as Public Relations and Information Technology, developing practical and employability skills.

Further changes took place in 2003 when the Association's Adult Training Scheme was relaunched to be more focused and targeted to the volunteers individual role as opposed to the more general training received before.

The Association also began to change in its focus, with a renewed emphasis on outdoor adventure and it now offers over 200 fun and adventurous activities for Scouts, from abseiling and archery while also offering a wider range of development opportunities, from coding to music and drama. In 2004 the Association appointed television presenter Peter Duncan as Chief Scout, who was succeeded by adventurer Bear Grylls in July 2009. The first UK Chief Commissioner, Wayne Bulpitt was appointed on the same day, with a particular remit to support volunteers, grow and develop the movement.

There was criticism of some of these changes, mostly citing problems with the implementation, although several years into the new structure the Explorer Scout and Scout Network sections have become well established[citation needed]. The new badges drew more mixed reactions from several public figures, with some praising The Scout Association for "moving with the times" and others feeling the changes went "against the Scouting ethos of Baden-Powell".

The Scout Association hosted several major events during this time including EuroJam in 2005, hosting 10,000 Scouts and Guides from 40 countries, the 21st World Scout Jamboree in 2007 as well as playing a major role in the centenary celebrations of Scouting that same year, with celebration events organised on Brownsea Island.

By 2010, census figures showed a strong upturn, with The Scout Association in April 2010 claiming the highest rate of growth in UK Scouting since 1972, with total claimed participation reaching just under half a million. In 2014, the Association claimed an increase in youth membership of 100,000 in the ten years since 2004. In 2016 it claimed eleven years of consecutive growth and an increase in female membership, with 25% of participants now female in the 25 years since girls were first welcomed in 1976.

The Association claims one of its biggest challenges is encouraging more adults to volunteer to reduce the number of young people currently on waiting lists (around 40,000). However, by its reported figures (above) it has a high ratio of more than 1 adult volunteer to 4 participant young people (see above), and "young people" includes adults aged 18 to 25. The effort to attract new volunteers received a boost when the Duchess of Cambridge announced her intention to become a volunteer leader for the association with a Scout Group near her Anglesey home. In the decade up to 2014, the number of adult volunteers increased by 14,596 to a total of over 104,000.

2014 to present:-

Scouting for All – a new strategic plan

A new Strategic Plan entitled Scouting for All was launched in 2014 to outline the Association's focus between 2014–2018. It proposed four key areas of activity: Growth, Inclusivity, Youth-Shaped Scouting and Community Impact.

UK Youth Commissioner

In 2014, The Scout Association introduced the role of UK Youth Commissioner. The UK Youth Commissioner works with the national leadership team; The Chief Executive, Chief Scout and UK Chief Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Trustees to contribute to discussions "on behalf of youth members" but how the views of more than 457,000 participant young people are gathered or represented by a selected appointee has not been explained. Hannah Kentish was appointed the first UK Youth Commissioner in October 2014 with Jagz Bharth and Jay Thompson appointed as deputies. Scout Counties and Districts appoint their own Youth Commissioners to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to influence their Scouting adventures.

A Million Hands – community impact

In October 2015, The Scout Association launched a three-year community impact project called "A Million Hands" to mobilise half a million Scouts to support four social issues chosen by their young people. Its aim is to build real and lasting relationships in communities that will enable young people to continue taking "social action" long into the future. The project works in partnership with six key charities; Mind, Alzheimer’s Society, Leonard Cheshire Disability, Guide Dogs, Water Aid and Canal & River Trust to support the four key issues of Dementia, Disability, Mental wellbeing and resilience and Clean water and sanitation.

First woman Chair

In 2015 Dr Ann Limb was appointed Chair of the association, the first woman to hold the post.

Cubs100 – the 2016 centenary of Cub Scouts

Throughout 2016 The Scout Association celebrated the centenary of the Cub Scout section, named Cubs100. Although Cubs began on an experimental basis in 1914, the centenary celebrations marked the launch of the fully developed Wolf Cub programme on 16 December 2016, a date which is regarded as the "official birthday of Cubs". Adventurer Steve Backshall was appointed Cubs100 Ambassador to raise the profile of the anniversary year. [52] A range of events took place throughout 2016, from Adventure Camps to locally organised Promise Parties on 16 December itself, at which Cubs renewed their Promises. One Promise Party in Kings Lynn was attended by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Appointment of new UK Chief Commissioner

In September 2016, Tim Kidd replaced Wayne Bulpitt as the Association's Chief Commissioner.[8] Kidd has been involved in the Scout movement his whole life, starting as a Cub Scout and then as a volunteer, in various leadership roles including Scout Leader, District Commissioner and County Commissioner. In 2016 Kidd received an OBE for services to young people.

Organisation:-

The Scout Association is governed by a Council of between 300 and 500 members in accordance with its various Royal Charters. Membership of the Council of the Scout Association is open to the various officers and national commissioners of the Association, together with members nominated by the Scout Counties including young people aged between 18 and 25, together with additional members elected by the Council itself. The Council elects the Chief Scout who is also the chairman of the Council. Bear Grylls is the current Chief Scout after replacing Peter Duncan in July 2009. The Council also elects the Board of Trustees of the Scout Association (formerly called the Committee of the Council), which manages the business of the Association and makes the policy and rules. A UK Chief Commissioner acts as Deputy Chief Scout and appoints a team of Chief Commissioners and UK Commissioners who are responsible for the Scouting programme in their respective fields. The Board of Trustees maintain a professional Headquarters staff who implement the policy of the Association and provide support and services for the "proper conduct and development of Scouting". The Chief Executive is appointed by the Board to manage the work of the Headquarters staff.

   The Chief Scouts
        Robert Baden-Powell 1907–1941
        Arthur Somers-Cocks 1942–1945
        Thomas Corbett 1945–1959
        Charles Maclean 1959–1971
        William Gladstone 1972–1982
        Michael J. H. Walsh 1982–1988
        Garth Morrison 1988–1996
        George Purdy 1996–2004
        Peter Duncan 2004–2009
        Bear Grylls 2009–present

The Scout Association is divided into four mainland national groupings: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. While Scouting in England is directly managed by the UK Headquarters, each of the other nations has its own Scout Council and administration.[54] Each of national divisions is further broken up into local Counties for England and Northern Ireland, Areas for Wales, Regions for Scotland and a Balliwick in the case of Guernsey, which generally follow the boundaries of the ceremonial counties of Great Britain. The County/Area/Region can then, in most cases, be broken down further into a number of Scout Districts which usually cover a town, some or all of a city or a section of a larger region such as the New Forest. These districts are themselves made up of several Scout Groups.

The Groups are the local organisations for Scouting, and are the direct descendants of the original Scout Patrols. Groups can consist of one or more Beaver Colonies, Cub Packs, and Scout Troops and may also have one or more Scout Active Support Units, or an Explorer Scout Unit attached to it. Scout Groups only manage the first three sections, with Explorer Scouts and Scout Networks managed by the Scout District. Scout Groups are led by a Group Scout Leader whose main role is handling communication between the local District and the Section Leaders and ensuring the Scout Group meets the minimum standard required by The Scout Association.[citation needed]

At all levels, Scouts are governed by an executive of trustees, known as executive committees – these could be volunteers from the local community who have had ties with Scouting, either themselves or through their children. The executive normally consists of a chairman, secretary, treasurer, and a number of other officers. In Group Executive Committees, Group Scout Leaders and Section Leaders also form part of the committee. Their role is to ensure that the best interests of the young people and the community are served by the Group, District, County, or National organisations.
Beaver Scouts taking part in a Better Prepared project in 2016.

All leaders work as unpaid volunteers, of which there are around 120,000. In addition to this number, the Association employs 198 full-time and part-time staff to support the work of its adult volunteers. Senior volunteers in The Scout Association are called 'Commissioners'. Every County/Area/Region and District is headed by a Commissioner who is responsible for ensuring the Districts/Groups under their jurisdiction meet the standards set by The Scout Association. They receive support from Regional Development Officers in England, who are employed by the Regional Development Service and deployed locally to help support The Scout Association's objectives. Commissioners in the other nations receive support from Field Commissioners, employed and directed differently. District Commissioners report to the County/Area/Regional Commissioner, who in turn report to the UK Chief Commissioner.

 National Open Scout Group