Scouting
Around the World
Background
Scouting began in
England in 1907 based on Baden-Powell’s ideas and book
Scouting for Boys. The book and program proved to have
universal appeal for boys and quickly spread worldwide.
While some aspects of the program vary around the world,
the principles of the Scout Promise and Law unite the
world brotherhood of Scouting and prepare boys for
adulthood in today’s world.
From its beginning on
Brownsea Island, the Scouting idea spread around the
globe until it became what it is now the largest
voluntary youth movement in the world, with a membership
totaling more than sixteen million. Although there might
be some differences in program administration, the whole
movement adheres to these fundamental principles:
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Scouting Around the World
Worldwide Principles
- Duty to God and
respect for individual beliefs
- Loyalty to one’s
country and respect for its laws
- Strength of world
friendship and Scouting brotherhood
- Service to
others-community development
- Universal regard
for the Scout Promise and Law as a life guide
- Voluntary
membership
- Service by
volunteer leaders
- Independence from
political influence and control
- Training youth in
responsible citizenship, physical and mental
development, and character guidance through use
of the patrol system, group activity, recognition
through awards, and learning by doing
- Outdoor program
orientation
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Scouting Around the World
Universal Practices
These acts and symbols
of Scouting are familiar all over the world:
- Scout Promise and
Law-duty to God and country
- Design of
badge-basic trefoil
- "Be
Prepared" motto
- Universal
three-finger Scout sign-sign of personal honor
- Scout left
handclasp
- Use of the patrol
system
- Basic ideal of the
Good Turn
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Scouting Around the World
World Jamborees
A world jamboree is
thousands of Scouts from many nations camping together in
the spirit of world friendship. Such friendships and
desire to know one another overcome barriers of language
and differences in custom, race, and religion, making
Scouting relevant to world brotherhood.
At jamborees, Scouts
compete in Scout skills, trade friendship tokens, meet
around campfires, and make lifelong pen pals. They sample
each other’s foods, play wide games, swim together, and
learn Scout stunts, how to make gadgets, and how Scouts
live Scouting around the world. They also learn words and
phrases in different languages.
The first world
jamboree, called by Lord Baden-Powell in 1920, was held
in England. Since then every four years, except during
World War II, Scouts have met in a jamboree. The XVIII
World Scout Jamboree was held in the Netherlands in
August 1995. Chile will host the event in 1999.
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Scouting Around the World
The World Organization
of the Scout Movement
The World Organization
is composed of three parts.
The World Conference
is the general assembly of Scouting and is composed of
six delegates from each of the member Scout associations.
If there is more than one association in a given country,
the associations form a federation for coordination and
world representation. The basis for recognition and
membership in the World Conference includes adherence to
the aims and principles of world Scouting and
independence from political involvement on the part of
each member association.
The conference meets
every three years, at which time basic cooperative
efforts are agreed upon and a plan of mutual coordination
is adopted. The last World Scout Conference was held in
Bangkok, Thailand. Norway will serve as host in 1996.
There are 134 member
associations in the World Scout Conference.
The World Scout
Committee is the executive body of the conference and
represents it between the meetings of the full
conference. World Scout Committee members are elected at
the World Conference for a term of six years. The members
are elected without regard to their nationality.
The World Scout
Bureau is the secretariat that carries out the
instructions of the World Conference and the World Scout
Committee. The World Scout Bureau office is in Geneva,
Switzerland, with regional offices in five areas around
the world: Africa Region (Nairobi, Kenya); Arab Region
(Cairo, Egypt); Asia-Pacific Region (Manila,
Philippines); European Region (Brussels, Belgium); and
Inter-American Region (Santiago, Chile).
The World Scout Bureau
is administered by the Secretary General, who is
supported by a small staff of technical resource
personnel. The bureau staff helps associations improve
and broaden their Scouting by training professionals and
volunteers, establishing sound finance policies and
money-raising techniques, improving community facilities
and procedures, and assisting in marshaling the national
resources of each country behind Scouting.
The staff also helps
arrange global events such as world jamborees, encourages
regional events, and acts as a liaison between the
Scouting movement and other international organizations.
A major effort in the emerging nations is the extension
of the universal Good Turn into an organization-wide
effort for community development.
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Scouting Around the World
BSA Involvement
The BSA is represented
in world contacts and developments by the international
commissioner.
The Boy Scouts of
America is a charter member of the World Scout Conference
and is an active participant in its many and varied
projects and services.
The BSA shares its
resources, program materials, and volunteer and
professional expertise with the World Scout Bureau and
its various associations throughout the world.
The international
efforts of the BSA are supported by the International
Committee, one of the operating committees of the
national Executive Board, and by an eight-person staff in
the International Division at the national office.
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Scouting Around the World
World Friendship
Fund
The World Friendship
Fund of the Boy Scouts of America was developed during
the closing days of World War 11. At the time, there was
a great need to rebuild Scouting in those nations that
had been wracked by war and were just emerging from the
shadows of totalitarianism.
In the years that have
elapsed, virtually every nation in the free world that
has Scouting has been aided by the fund. Both those
nations that have had Scouting before and those newly
emerging nations that desire the Scouting program for
their youth have been helped.
Through the World
Friendship Fund, voluntary contributions of Scouts and
leaders are transformed into cooperative projects that
help Scouting associations in other countries to
strengthen and extend their Scouting programs.
Types of projects
include providing adult leader training for Scout leaders
to attend a Scouting seminar in Geneva, supporting
community development projects in Uruguay and Bolivia,
providing funds for eastern European nations to help
reorganize Scouting, and funding the production of the
Russian Scout handbook.
Since the beginning of
the World Friendship Fund, more than $1 million has been
voluntarily donated by American Scouts and leaders to
these self-help activities.
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Scouting Around the World
USFIS
The United States
Foundation for International Scouting (USFIS) provides
the opportunity for substantial support of World Scouting
by individual business, corporate, and foundation grants.
The foundation has full tax privileges and is not a
private foundation.
Provision is made for
trust and endowed instruments as well as current support
of special Scouting projects around the world.
Foundation grants
include support of a Scouting seminar for Russian Scout
leaders, training of a professional Scout leader from the
Czech Republic, support of the development of a Russian
Scout handbook, major support of the World Scout Bureau
and World Scout Foundation, and assistance to Scout
Associations in Latin America.
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Scouting Around the World
Adapted
from "Scouting Around the
World"
External Communications, Boy Scouts
of America.
Your feedback, comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Please write to: Lewis P. Orans
Copyright
© Lewis P. Orans, 1996
Last Modified: 8:13 PM on 11-23-96
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