The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognized Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. Due to the rapid growth of Scouting and a desire to remove control from the publisher of the Scouting magazine, the Boy Scout Association was formed in 1910 by the grant of a charter by the United Kingdom Parliament.
A Royal Charter of January 4, 1912 incorporated The Boy Scout Association throughout the Commonwealth of Nations with "the purpose of instructing boys of all classes in the principles of discipline loyalty and good citizenship". The Charter was granted by George V of the United Kingdom.
In 1967 the name was formally changed to The Scout Association. Girls were admitted in 1976 so that the Association has now become a co-educational institution. From 2007 all Scout Groups in the UK will have to accept girls as well as boys.
History
Birth of the Movement
The Scout Association of the United Kingdom, and the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, have their roots in the fame of Robert Baden-Powell following his exploits during the Boer War.
In 1907, "B-P", as he is known to all members of the Movement, ran a camp on Brownsea Island for teenage boys of varying backgrounds. This camp is now considered to be the start of the Movement.
The following year, Baden-Powell wrote a series of magazines, Scouting for Boys, setting out activities and programmes which existing youth organisations could make use of.
The reaction was phenomenal, and quite unexpected. In very short time, Scout Patrols were created up and down the country, all following the tenets of Baden-Powell's book. By the time of the first census in 1910, there were 100,000 members of the Movement.
The Boy Scout Association was created in 1910 in order to provide a national body which could organise and support the rapidly growing number of Scout Patrols. It was also the wish of Baden-Powell to wrest control of Scouting from his book's publishers.
1910 to 1920: Growth
Almost immediately, the Boy Scout Association was presented with a dilemma. Many of the boys in the Scout Patrols (at the start, Scouting was for boys between the ages of 10 and 19) had younger brothers who also wanted to participate. There were also many girls who wanted the same thing as well - Baden-Powell came across a group of Girl Scouts at the Crystal Palace Rally in 1910.
The solution for the younger boys was simple - the Wolf Cubs section was created in 1914.
However, Edwardian principles could not allow young girls to participate in the rough and tumble, and "wild" activities of the Scouts, and so the Girl Guides were created to provide a more "proper" programme of activities.
Scouting was now a global phenomenon, with a Royal Charter of January 4, 1912 incorporating The Boy Scout Association throughout the Commonwealth of Nations with "the purpose of instructing boys of all classes in the principles of discipline loyalty and good citizenship". The Charter was granted by George V of the United Kingdom.
It was also immensely popular in the United States, where the Boy Scouts of America had already formed before the Boy Scout Association.
Many of those who had grown out of Scouts still wanted to be a part of the Movement, so another section was created in 1918 - the Rover Scouts.
The first World Jamboree for Scouts was held in Olympia, London in 1920, and was a celebration and conference of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement.
The 1967 Programme Change
Scouting in the UK underwent a major review in 1967. The name of the organisation was changed to be the 'Scout Association.
Major changes to the sections and their respective programmes were made - the youngest section were now Cub Scouts, Senior Scouts became Venture Scouts (for 16-19 year olds), and the Rover Scout section was disbanded.
The Scout Uniform was also changed - most notable with the inclusion of long trousers for the Scouts (previously they had been wearing knee-length shorts).
Changes between 1967 and 2003
Several developments were made over the following years, including the introduction of co-educational units. Initially, this was restricted to the Venture Scout section in 1976, but an increasing number of Scout Troops and Cub Packs began allowing female members from this time as well.
Parents involved in Scouting in Northern Ireland also began to organise activities for their children who were too young for Cub Scouts. This eventually led to the creation of the Beaver Scout section, officially starting in 1986.
Despite these changes, and many other minor ones, Scouting started to fall into a decline in England through the 1990s. This spurred a major review into the causes of the decline, followed by a programme change which took effect in 2003, including the return of Rover Scouts,but with a change of name to Scout Network.
2003 and onwards
The programme change in 2003 sought to overcome the growing challenges facing the Movement and saw changes at all levels of UK Scouting - the most apparent being the suspension of Venture Scouts. To replace this senior section, the Scout Association created the Explorer Scouts for 14-18 year old members, and the Scout Network for 18-25 year olds.
Leadership training was also heavily revised. Until 2003, there were only 2 parts to the training, which required several weekends with overnight attendance. The new scheme has a greater choice of modules, each one suited to specific roles within the Movement, allowing for a more flexible approach to the programme.
There have been many critics of these changes, mostly citing problems with the implementation, although recent census figures show a general upturn in membership.
Co-education within Scouting will be a requirement as of 2007 - a full thirty-one years after its initial introduction.
The UK will be hosting the 21st World Jamboree for Scouts and Guides in 2007, which is being celebrated as the Centenary year for worldwide Scouting.
Scouting in the UK continues to promote the same Principles and Methods as written by Baden-Powell in Scouting for Boys almost 100 years ago.
Organisation
The Scout Association is divided into four mainland national groupings: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each of these divisions are further broken up into local Counties (England) or Areas (elsewhere). There is a team of National Commissioners who are responsible for the Scouting programme in their respective divisions.
Each County/Area is headed by a County/Area commissioner, who has a team of Assistant Commissioners who manage the Scouting programme for the various sections (age groups), along with other responsibilites, such as 'development' and 'activities'. The County/Area consists of a number of Scout Districts, which are made up of Groups.
Like the County/Area above them, the District Commissioner and his Assistants support the programme in their respective Districts - although this support is more direct. Districts comprise of a number of Groups.
At all levels, Scouts are governed by an executive of non-Scouting trustees - generally, these are 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. 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.
Scout Groups
The Groups are the local organisations for Scouting, and are the direct descendants of the original Scout Patrols. The rest of the structure above the Groups was created to support them when it became apparent that Scouting was extremely popular shortly after its start in 1907.
Scout Groups can have any number of Beaver Colonies, Cub Packs and Scout Troops, depending on the numbers of young people and leaders available. Scout Groups are numbered in order of their creation. This system can be a little confusing, as some groups take names from their District and also from a local town/village/suburb (for example, 80th Reading (2nd Tilehurst) is a Scout Group in the suburb of Tilehurst, in the town of Reading). The numbers also appear to skip, as Groups have folded and new ones started in their place over the years.
Some Scout Groups are linked with local organisations such as churches or schools, and are sometimes given some form of sponsorship in return for their support of events at the sponsoring organisation.
The three Sections in the Group each have a leader, who holds a warrant to show that they have applied for the appointment and are undergoing or have undergone training for their position. They are aided by one or two (or more, if they are lucky) assistant leaders, who also hold warrants for their positions. Other adults (parents or other non-warranted) can support at various events and activities.
The Group is managed by a Group Scout Leader, who acts as the intermediary between District and Section, and supports the Section Leaders.
Sections Within Groups
The three junior sections are a part of the Scout Group, and consist of:
- Beaver Colonies - for 6-8 year olds - their unofficial motto is "Have Fun".
- Cub Packs - for 8-10 year olds - Cubs are introduced to scoutcraft and activities
- Scout Troops - for 10-14 year olds - this section continues the development of Scouting skills
Explorer Scouts and Scout Network
In 2003, the Scout Programme was given a shake-up after a review had been made. The outcome of this review was the end of Venture Scouts, and the introduction of Explorer Scouts and Scout Network.
The Explorer Scouts (for 14 to 18 year olds) are managed by a District team (whereas the Venture Scouts were part of the various Groups) - although some Districts have multiple Explorer Scout Units, some of which maintain close ties to specific Groups.
The management of Scout Network was given to the County team, although various so-called Local Networks have been setup. Because of the age range of Network members, they are expected to be more self-reliant and do not have actual leaders attached to them.
Major events
The Sun Run is a massive event for Explorer Scouts in the United Kingdom held every year in July. Over a thousand Explorers camp in a field in Gloucestershire. The main event of the weekend is a 26.2 mile night hike (a full marathon) through the surrounding hillsides.
The Malvern Challenge is a similar event for Scouts (UK ages 10-14) the weekend before.
The Carajás Scouts (Brazil) and the Scout Association
The Carajás Scouts was originated from the 1st and 2nd English Speaking Boy Scouts in São Paulo, Brazil. The 1st São Paulo was founded on the 13th January, 1928 and the 2nd São Paulo was founded in 1932. Both Scout Troops were registered at Imperial Headquarters in London. The Official representaive of the Imperial Headquarters was Jack Hunter ("Etubon")
See also
- Gilwell Park - the current home of UK Scouting
- Youlbury Scout Activity Centre - the oldest permanent Scout Campsite in the world
- Brownsea Island - the birthplace of World Scouting
External links
- The Scout Association
- Scoutbase UK Resoures and Directory
- Scout Forum Message Boards for Members of the UK Scout Movement
- Text of Royal Charter incorporating The Scout Association