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Scouting

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Community organisations

   Scouts and Guides from different countries on World Scout Moot 1996
   Enlarge
   Scouts and Guides from different countries on World Scout Moot 1996

   Scouting, or the Scout movement, is a worldwide youth movement of
   multiple organizations for both boys and girls whose aim is to develop
   young people physically, spiritually and mentally so that youth may
   take a constructive place in society. The movement employs a program of
   non-formal education with emphasis on practical activities in the
   outdoors, using the so-called Scout method with programs targeted for
   various age groups, as proscribed by the founders of Scouting in the
   early 20th Century. Most countries have Scouting programs for children
   and young adults from ages 6 to their early 20s.

   Scouting began in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, a Lieutenant General
   in the British Army, held the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea
   Island, England. He was at that time a good friend of William Alexander
   Smith, founder of the Boys' Brigade. Currently Scouting and Guiding
   have over 38 million members in 217 countries and territories
   represented through several different Scouting associations at the
   international level. The works of Ernest Thompson Seton and Daniel
   Carter Beard were very influential in the early development of Scouting
   as well as the basis of the Traditional Scouting movement that has
   developed in the last several years. In many countries, Scouting has
   become a significant part of popular culture.

   The movement is not without controversy. International Scouting
   associations have formed outside of the mainstream. Policies on
   membership regarding sexual orientation, religion and co-education
   differ between Scouting associations.

History

   Baden-Powell founded the Scouting movement in 1907 at Brownsea Island,
   England. He also introduced the parallel movement for girls, the Girl
   Guides, in 1910 with the aid of his sister Agnes Baden-Powell. Guides
   are known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries.

Origins

   Stone on Brownsea Island commemorating the first scout camp
   Enlarge
   Stone on Brownsea Island commemorating the first scout camp

   The seeds of the idea of Scouting began during the Siege of Mafeking,
   South Africa, during the Second Boer War of 1899-1902, where
   Baden-Powell served as commanding officer. Baden-Powell successfully
   defended the town against the Boers (later known as Afrikaners), who
   outnumbered his troops eight to one. Volunteer boys in the town were
   formed into the Mafeking Cadet Corps, to help support the troops by
   carrying messages, which freed up men for military duties and kept the
   boys occupied during the long siege. The boys acquitted themselves
   well, helping in the successful defence of the town (1899-1900) over
   several months. Each Cadet Corps member received a badge, a combination
   of a compass point and a spearhead. This logo was similar to the
   fleur-de-lis that Scouting later adopted as its international symbol.

   As a result of his status as a national hero, acquired as a result of
   his determined and successful defence of the town of Mafeking,
   Baden-Powell's military training manual, Aids to Scouting (written in
   1899) became something of a best-seller and was used by teachers and
   youth organizations.

   In 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton sent Baden-Powell a copy of his book
   entitled The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians. Seton, a
   British-born Canadian living in the United States, subsequently met
   Baden-Powell, and they shared ideas about youth training programs.

   Baden-Powell was encouraged to re-write Aids to Scouting to suit a
   youth readership. By 1907 he had finished a draft called Boy Patrols.
   The same year, to test some of his ideas, he gathered together 21 boys
   of mixed social background and held a week-long camp, beginning August
   1, on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. His
   organizational method, now known as the Patrol System, a key part of
   Scouting training, allowed the boys to organize themselves into small
   groups with an elected patrol leader.

   In the autumn of 1907, having his draft publication and a successful
   camp behind him, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour
   arranged by his publisher, Arthur Pearson, to promote his forthcoming
   book. Beginning in January 1908 it initially appeared as six
   fortnightly installments. The parts were subsequently published in book
   form as Scouting for Boys, now commonly considered the first version of
   the Boy Scout Handbook.

   At the time Baden-Powell intended that the book would provide ideas for
   established organizations, in particular the Boys' Brigade in which he
   assisted their founder William A. Smith for some time. However, boys
   spontaneously formed Scout patrols and flooded Baden-Powell with
   requests for assistance. He encouraged them, and Scouting developed by
   the weight of its own momentum. As the movement grew Sea Scout, Air
   Scout and other specialised units were added to the program options.

   Baden-Powell could not singlehandedly advise all the youth who
   requested his assistance. To provide for adult leadership, proper
   training was required. The Wood Badge course was developed to recognize
   adult leadership training. In 1919 Gilwell Park near London was
   purchased as an adult training site and scouting campground.
   Baden-Powell also wrote a book for the assistance of Leaders entitled
   Aids to Scoutmastership, and others for the use of new sections that
   were formed later, such as Rovering to Success for Rover Scouts in
   1922.

   The members of a small number of Scout groups have the right to wear a
   green scarf/neckerchief in recognition of their membership of those
   groups founded in 1908.

Growth of the movement

   Scouting began to spread throughout Great Britain and Ireland soon
   after the publication of Scouting For Boys. The Boy Scout movement
   swiftly established itself throughout the British Empire. The first
   recognized overseas unit was chartered in Gibraltar in 1908, followed
   quickly by Malta. Canada became the first overseas Dominion with a
   sanctioned Boy Scout program, followed by Australia, New Zealand and
   South Africa. Chile was the first country outside of the British
   Dominions to have a recognized scouting program. The first Scout rally
   was held at the Crystal Palace, London, in 1910. It attracted 10,000
   boys, as well as a number of girls, who turned out for this exhibition
   of Scouting. By 1910 Argentina, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
   Greece, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Malaya, Sweden,
   and the United States had Boy Scouts.

   Since the program initially focused on boys aged 11-18 and the movement
   grew rapidly, the need for four additional programs quickly became
   apparent: younger boys, older boys, girls, and leader training.

   Programs for Cub Scouts, Explorers, and Rover Scouts were in place by
   the late 1910s in several countries. Sometimes these operated on their
   own until official recognition was obtained from a country's Scouting
   organization, such was the case in the United States, where attempts at
   Cub programs began as early as 1911, but official recognition was not
   obtained until 1930.

   Girls wanted to become part of the movement almost as soon as it began.
   Agnes Baden-Powell, the sister of the movement's founder, Robert
   Baden-Powell, became the first president of the Girl Guides when it was
   formed in 1910 in the United Kingdom. She started Rosebuds, later
   renamed Brownies (Girl Guides) for younger girls in 1914. She stepped
   down as president of the Girl Guides in 1917 and was replaced by Olave
   Baden-Powell, Robert Baden-Powell's wife. She remained as
   vice-president of the Girl Guides until her death at age 86. At that
   time, girls were placed into Scouting units separate from boys because
   of societal standards of the time. By the 1990s, Scout associations in
   many countries had become co-educational.

   Early Scoutmaster training camps were held in London in 1910 and
   Yorkshire in 1911. But Baden-Powell wanted his training to be as
   practical as possible, and that meant in camp and this led to the
   development of Wood Badge. The development of leader training was
   delayed by World War I, so the first Wood Badge course was not held
   until 1919. A wide range of leader training now exists, from basic to
   program-specific to Wood Badge.

Conceptual Influences

   U.S. President Calvin Coolidge greets 1500 visiting boy scouts from
   N.Y., N.J., & Conn. The boy scouts were making an annual pilgrimage to
   the Capitol and were being greeted at the White House. Photo 1927
   Enlarge
   U.S. President Calvin Coolidge greets 1500 visiting boy scouts from
   N.Y., N.J., & Conn. The boy scouts were making an annual pilgrimage to
   the Capitol and were being greeted at the White House. Photo 1927

   Many elements of traditional Scouting have their origins in
   Baden-Powell's own personal education and military training. However,
   it must be remembered that the ideas that he promoted were
   revolutionary at the time. He was unique, a 55-year-old retired army
   general who was nevertheless able to inspire and enthuse thousands of
   young people, hailing from all parts of society, to get involved in
   activities most of them had never contemplated. Comparable
   organizations (in the English-speaking world) are the Boys' Brigade or
   the left-wing non-militaristic Woodcraft Folk, however they were never
   able to match the development and growth of Scouting.

   Some aspects of Scouting have been criticised as being too
   militaristic. Such things as military-style uniforms, badges of rank,
   flag ceremonies, and brass bands were commonly accepted in the early
   years because they were a part of normal society, but many of those
   attributes have been watered down or abandoned in later times. Many
   other popular youth movements have also adopted similar attributes
   successfully.

   Local influences have also been a strong part of Scouting. By adopting
   and modifying local ideologies, Scouting has been able to find
   acceptance in a wide variety of cultures. In America, for example,
   Scouting uses images drawn from the U.S. frontier experience. This
   includes not only its selection of animal badges for Cub Scouts, but
   the underlying assumption that American Indians are more closely
   connected with nature and therefore have special wilderness survival
   skills which can be used as part of the training program. British
   Scouting, by contrast, makes use of imagery drawn from the Indian
   subcontinent, because that region was a significant focus in the early
   years of Scouting. Baden-Powell's personal experiences in India led him
   to adopt Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book as a major influence for the
   Cub Scouts; for example, the name used for the Cub Scout leader, Akela
   (whose name was also appropriated for the Webelos), is that of the
   leader of the wolf pack in the book.

   The name "Scouting" seems to have been inspired by the important and
   romantic role played by military scouts performing reconnaissance in
   many of the wars of the time. In fact, Baden-Powell's original military
   training book, Aids To Scouting, was written because he saw the need
   for improved training of British military enlisted scouts, particularly
   in the areas of initiative, self-reliance and observation skills. The
   book's popularity with young boys surprised him. When he adapted the
   book for youth in Scouting For Boys, it seems natural that the movement
   adopted the names Scouting and Boy Scouts.

   "Duty to God" is a principle of worldwide Scouting; Scouting
   organizations in different nations apply it differently to their
   membership policies. The Boy Scouts of America takes a strong position,
   excluding atheists. The United Kingdom Scout Association does have a
   requirement that adult leaders acknowledge a higher power, but does not
   necessarily exclude atheists from roles in Scouting as long as the
   local Commissioner is satisfied that the applicant leader will support
   the values of Scouting and the investigation of faith by the young
   people in the movement. Scouts Canada defines Duty to God broadly in
   terms of "adherence to spiritual principles" and does not have any
   explicit policy excluding non-theists.

Programs and sections

   Scouting is taught via a non-formal education system with emphasis on
   practical activities in the outdoors, using the Scout method. Programs
   exist for Scouts ranging in age from 6 to 25, though exact age limits
   vary slightly from country to country. Program specifics are targeted
   to Scouts appropriate to their age. It is the use of the Scout method
   that binds Scouts from all over the world together.

Scout method

   The Scout method is the principal method by which all Scouting
   organizations, boy and girl, operate their units. The World
   Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) describes Scouting as "...a
   voluntary nonpolitical educational movement for young people open to
   all without distinction of origin, race or creed, in accordance with
   the purpose, principles and method conceived by the Founder and stated
   below..."

   It is the goal of Scouting "to contribute to the development of young
   people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and
   spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as
   members of their local, national and international communities."

   The principles of Scouting describe a code of behaviour that likewise
   applies to all members and characterizes the movement. The Scout
   method, is a progressive system designed to achieve these goals
   comprised of four elements:
     * Scout Law and/or Promise (Oath)
     * Learning by doing
     * Development of small groups
     * Progressive and attractive programs of different activities

   The Scout Law and Oath embody the joint values of the Scouting movement
   all over the world and binds all Scouting associations together. The
   emphasis on "Learning by doing" provides experiences and hands on
   orientation as a practical method of learning and confidence building.
   Small groups build unity and a close-knit fraternal atmosphere to
   develop responsibility, character, self-reliance and self-confidence,
   reliability, and readiness; which eventually leads to collaboration and
   leadership. A program of progressive and attractive varying activities
   expands a Scouts' horizons and bonds the Scout even more to the group.
   Activities and games develop dexterity and provides a fun way to
   develop skills. In an outdoor setting, these also provide contact with
   nature and the environment.

Scout Promise (or Oath), Law, Motto, and Slogan

   Since the birth of Scouting in 1907, all Scouts around the world have
   taken a Scout Promise or Oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and
   subscribe to the Scout Law. The form of the promise and laws have
   varied slightly from country to country and over time, but must fulfill
   the requirements of the WOSM to qualify a National Scout Association
   for membership.

   The Scout motto, Be Prepared, has been used in various languages by
   millions of Scouts since 1907. Less well known is the Scout slogan, 'Do
   a good turn daily'.

Activities

   Common ways to implement the Scout method include spending time
   together in small groups with shared experiences, rituals, and
   activities as well as emphasizing good citizenship and decision-making
   by the youth that are age-level appropriate. Weekly meetings often take
   place in local centres known as Scout dens. Cultivating a love and
   appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor activities are key elements.
   Primary activities include camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking,
   backpacking, and sports.

   Camping most often occurs on a unit level, such as Boy Scout troop, but
   there are periodic camporees and jamborees. Camporees occur a couple
   times a year and usually have a theme, such as pioneering, for units
   from a local area camping together for a weekend. Jamborees are large
   events on a national or international level held every four years where
   thousands of Scouts camp together for 1-2 weeks. Activities at these
   events include games, scoutcraft competitions, badge, pin or patch
   trading, aquatics, woodcarving, archery, and rifle and shotgun
   shooting.

   For many Scouts and Scouters, the highlight of the year is spending at
   least a week in the summer as part of an outdoor activity. This can be
   a long camping, hiking, sailing, etc. trip with the unit or a summer
   camp operated on a council, state, or province level. Scouts attending
   a summer camp, generally one week during the summer, work on merit
   badges, advancement, and perfecting scoutcraft skills. Some summer
   camps operate specialty programs for older Scouts, such as sailing,
   backpacking, canoeing and whitewater, caving, and fishing.

Sections

   A Section in Scouting is an age grouping of members in order to provide
   suitable Scouting activities and training for that designated age
   group. The age division has varied over time in member organisations of
   the WOSM or WAGGGS to adapt to their culture and environment.

   Scouting was originally developed for young adolescents. In most member
   organisation, the Scout (or Guide) Section is designated to this age
   group. Later, it extended to childhood, with the Cub Scout Section or
   Brownies for Girl Scout/Guide organizations. And, later it extended to
   post-adolescence, with the Rover Scout Section. Post-adolescene section
   were also introduced under a number of different names such as Venture
   Scouts and Explorers ( Explorer Scouts). Some member organisations also
   have a section for children around 6.

   In most countries, Scouting is organised into neighbourhood Scout
   Groups, which contain one or preferably more sections. Under the
   umbrella of the Group will exist subgroups divided according to age,
   each with their own terminology and leadership structures. Within any
   Group there may be more than one subgroup at each age division,
   depending on the demand among the local population. In other countries
   the different sections run independently of each other, although they
   may be chartered or sponsored by the same organisation such a Church.

Pre-Brownie or Pre-Cub section

   This section goes under different names in the different countries that
   have it. Originally just for boys or just for girls it can now be found
   to be mixed sex in many countries, aged 6-8. This program has different
   names around the world: Beaver Scouts in the United Kingdom and Canada,
   Tiger Cubs or Daisies in the United States, Joey Scouts in Australia,
   Keas in New Zealand and Teddies in South Africa. This section has no
   formal hierarchy and acts as one unit under the guidance and
   instruction of one adult leader and possibly a number of assistant
   leaders and members of sections for older members.

Brownies or Cub Scouts

   This section originally just for a single sex, it can now be found to
   be mixed sex in many countries, aged 7–11, is formed into packs and in
   some countries are further divided into dens, each of which will have
   its own leaders. In some programs, adult Cub Scout leaders may be
   referred to by the name of an animal character from The Jungle Book
   series, by Rudyard Kipling. The pack leader is often symbolized as
   Akela, with their deputy or assistant as Bagheera. Other names are used
   on a more ad hoc basis, but Grey Brother is usually reserved for the
   Pack Senior Sixer (see below) or a regular assistant from the older
   Scouting groups. In the BSA Cub Scout program, the pack leader is
   referred to as the Cubmaster, and any adult leader is "Akela". Given
   the Cub Scouts young age group, in some countries many packs or dens
   were led by one of the member's mothers called a den mother, later
   changed to den leader.

   As a leader's assistants' names, Kaa and Baloo are also found. As the
   Pack gets bigger, and its leader needs more assistants, more names from
   the Jungle Book are used, such as Ikki, Chil, Raksha, Won-Tolla,
   Rikki-tikki. Not all these names will be used at the same time, of
   course. By the time a pack gets so big that it needs such a big number
   of leaders, it usually divides into two.

   Occasionally, Tabaqui and Shere Khan have been known to occur, despite
   their being negative figures.

   Within the pack, Cub Scouts are subdivided into groups of six. The
   leader of each six is referred to as the sixer, and their deputy as the
   seconder. Occasionally, when a sixer reaches a level of experience
   where their influence may be useful to the whole pack, that sixer may
   be promoted to senior sixer, who will have a more general role within
   the group. This is also the same for a seconder, who if the sixer
   leaves, or becomes a senior sixer, becomes the sixer themselves.

Guides or Scouts

   This section originally youth (originally only one sex per group but
   often mixed now), aged around 10-15 or in some countries to 18, is
   organized into Troops, reflecting Baden-Powell's military background.
   Each Troop will be lead by a Scoutmaster or Scout Leader, supported by
   assistant adult leaders who are usually simply referred to by their own
   names.

   The subdivision of a Scout Troop is the Patrol. Each Patrol will be
   formed of 5-8 Scouts, lead by the Patrol Leader (PL), who is deputised
   by the Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). As with Cubs, on occasion it is
   possible that one member of a Troop will be promoted to Senior Patrol
   Leader (SPL) or Troop Leader, who will act to advise and lead across
   the entire Troop. There may be one or more Assistant Senior Patrol
   Leaders.

Explorers and Venturers

   This section for those aged around 14–18, in some countries comes
   between Scouts and Rover Scouts. In the US, Venturing (known in the UK
   as Explorer Scouts, and other countries as Network) extends to age 21.
   They are usually organised into units which are free collectives of
   older scouts, reporting to one advising adult leader. This group
   structure reflects both the older, more mature nature of the members of
   this section, and the less structured reward scheme at this level.
   Whereas younger Cubs and Scouts will be working toward badges and
   awards with specific attainment criteria, awards at this level are more
   geared towards stimulating the creativity and self-motivation of this
   older group. Inter-group collaboration is actively encouraged, and many
   units can have a number of major activities all happening at once. The
   Venturing program is also co-educational.

Rover scouts

   Traditionally, Rovers were the section for those over 18. In most
   countries that retain Rovers the upper age is now 25. Some countries no
   longer have this section. In the United Kingdom, the section was
   discontinued, but in 2003 a new very informal section called Scout
   Network has been introduced.

   The international meeting of Rovers from all over the world used to be
   called Rover Moot. It was recently renamed World Scout Moot due to the
   decline in usage of the Rover term.

   International scout events in Europe aimed at the older age section
   usually keep the Rover name. This includes RoverWay, an event which
   occurred in 2003 in Portugal and in 2006 in Italy.

Extension Scouting

   Extension Scouting is a special section for handicapped youth in many
   national organizations, in compliance with Baden-Powell's mandate that
   Scouting should be "open to all." Sometimes constituted in special
   units, under the sponsorship of specialized institutions, young
   handicapped Scouts may also join standard units. In recent years, local
   and national Scout camps have been making their facilities and
   campsites more accessible toward this goal.

   In many european countries Extension Scouts used to be called Scouts
   Malgré Tout (or sometimes M.T. for short), from the French expression
   meaning despite everything.

Uniforms and distinctive insignia

          Individual national or other emblems may be found on the
          individual country's Scouting article, and/or at Gallery of
          Scout and Guide national emblems.

   The Scout uniform is a specific characteristic of Scouting, in the
   words of Lord Baden-Powell at the 1937 World Jamboree, it "hides all
   differences of social standing in a country and makes for equality;
   but, more important still, it covers differences of country and race
   and creed, and makes all feel that they are members with one another of
   the one great brotherhood". The original uniform, which has created a
   familiar image in the public eye, consisted of a khaki button-up shirt,
   shorts and a broad-brimmed campaign hat. Baden-Powell himself wore
   shorts as being dressed like the youth contributed to reducing
   distances between the adult and the young person. Uniforms are now
   frequently blue, orange, red or green, and shorts are replaced by long
   trousers in areas where the culture calls for modesty, and in winter
   weather.

   Distinctive insignia for all Scout uniforms, recognized and worn the
   world over, include the Wood Badge and the World Membership Badge.
   Scouting has two internationally known symbols: The fleur-de-lis is
   used by membership organizations of the WOSM, the trefoil by the
   members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
   (WAGGGS). These badges are part of the official uniform of Scouts and
   Guides in all parts of the world, whose national organization is a
   member of either the WOSM/WAGGGS world organizations. While these are
   the largest boy and girl Scouting associations, not all Scouts nor
   Scouting associations belong to them.

   The swastika was also used as an early symbol by the Boy Scouts in
   Britain, and worldwide. According to "Johnny" Walker, the earliest
   Scouting use was on the first Thanks Badge introduced in 1911. Lord
   Baden-Powell's 1922 Medal of Merit design added a swastika to the Scout
   fleur-de-lis as good luck to the person receiving the medal. Like
   Rudyard Kipling, he would have come across this symbol in India. During
   1934, many Scouters requested a change of design because of the
   subsequent use of the swastika by the National Socialist German Workers
   Party. A new British Medal of Merit was issued in 1935.

Adults

   Adults who are interested in Scouting or Guiding including many former
   Scouts and Guides often join organizations such as the International
   Scout and Guide Fellowship. In the United States or the Philippines
   university students might join the co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi
   Omega. In the United Kingdom university students might join Student
   Scout and Guide Organisation and after graduation Scout and Guide
   Graduate Association.

   Alternatively or in addition many participate as adult leaders.

Adult leadership

   Scout groups are generally operated by adult volunteers. These may be
   parents, former Scouts, students, or community leaders such as teachers
   or religious leaders. Leadership positions are often divided between
   'uniform' and 'lay' positions. Uniformed leaders have received formal
   training such as the Wood Badge and received a warrant for a rank
   within the organisation, while lay members range from part time roles
   such as meeting helpers, parents committee members and advisors, to a
   small number of full-time professionals in the Scout organisation.

   Within a group are uniformed positions such as Scoutmaster and
   assistants. The names of these positions vary from country to country.
   Groups are usually supported by lay members ranging from meeting
   helpers to members of a parents committee.

   Beyond the group are further uniformed positions (sometimes called
   Commissioners) at levels such as district, county, council or province,
   depending on the structure of the national organisation. They also work
   along with lay teams and professionals. Training teams and other
   related functions are often formed at these levels. Some countries
   appoint a Chief Scout as the most senior uniformed member.

Around the world

   Following its foundation in the United Kingdom (UK), Scouting spread
   around the globe. The first association outside the UK was opened in
   Malta. In most countries of the world now there is at least one
   Scouting (or Guiding) organization. Each organization is independent
   but international cooperation was and is seen as part of the Scout
   movement. In 1922 the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM),
   the governing body on policy for the then male only national Scouting
   organizations, started. In addition to being the governing policy body
   it organizes the World Scout Jamboree every four years.

   In 1928 the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
   which was the equivalent to WOSM for the then female only national
   Scouting/Guiding organizations, started. It is also responsible for the
   various international centers such as Our Chalet.

   Today at the international level, the two largest umbrella
   organizations are:
     * WOSM- for boys-only and co-educational organizations.
     * WAGGGS- primarily for girls-only organizations but also accepting
       co-educational organizations.

Co-educational Scouting

   Worldwide there have been different approaches to co-educational
   Scouting. Some countries (such as the USA) have maintained separate
   Scouting organizations for boys and girls. In other countries (mainly
   in Europe), Scouting and Guiding have merged, and there is a single
   organization for boys and girls, which is a member of both the WOSM and
   the WAGGGS. Others, (for example, Australia and the United Kingdom) the
   national Scout association has opted to admit both boys and girls, but
   is only a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, while
   the national Guide association has remained as a separate movement and
   member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In
   Slovenia, Spain and Greece, it is the other way around, as the national
   Guide association has opted to admit both boys and girls, and the
   national Scout association has remained a separate movement.

   The Scout Association of the United Kingdom has been co-educational at
   all levels since 1991, but this has been optional for groups and
   currently 52% of groups have at least one female youth member. Since
   2000 any new sections that open are required to accept girls. The Scout
   Association has decided that all Scout groups and sections will become
   co-educational by January 2007, the year of Scouting's centenary.

   In the United States, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are boys-only, however,
   for youths age 14 and older, the Venturing program is co-educational.
   The Girl Scouts of the USA is an independent organization for girls and
   young women. Adult leadership positions in the Boy Scouts of America
   and the Girl Scouts of the USA are open to both men and women.

Scouting membership

   As of 2005, there are over 28 million registered Scouts and 10 millions
   registered Guides around the world, participating from 216 different
   countries and territories.

   Top 20 countries with Scouting and Guiding, sorted by membership. Full
   tables on List of World Organization of the Scout Movement members and
   List of World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts members.
   Sculpture erected in 1982 to commemorate the 1979 Jamboree at Perry
   Lakes Western Australia and 75 years of Scouts
   Enlarge
   Sculpture erected in 1982 to commemorate the 1979 Jamboree at Perry
   Lakes Western Australia and 75 years of Scouts
      Country     Membership Scouting introduced Guiding introduced
   United States  10,100,000        1910                1912
   Indonesia       8,900,000        1912                1912
   India           3,300,000        1909                1911
   Philippines     2,600,000        1910                1918
   Thailand        1,300,000        1911                1957
   United Kingdom  1,050,000        1907                1909
   Bangladesh        950,000        1920                1928
   Pakistan          600,000        1909                1911
   Canada            360,000        1909                1910
   Korea             330,000        1922                1946
   Japan             280,000        1913                1919
   Kenya             270,000        1910                1920
   Germany           260,000        1910                1912
   Italy             220,000        1912                1912
   Poland            190,000        1910                1910
   Egypt             170,000        1914                1918
   France            170,000        1910                1911
   Malaysia          160,000        1911                1916
   Belgium           160,000        1911                1915
   Nigeria           150,000        1915                1919

Breakaway and nonaligned organizations

   Between the first publication of Scouting for Boys and the creation of
   the first supranational Scout organization, WOSM, fifteen years had
   passed and millions of copies of the appealing handbook had been sold
   in dozens of languages. By that point, Scouting was the purview of the
   world's youth, no longer containable by any one school of thought.

   Many groups have formed since the original formation of the Scouting
   "Boy Patrols." Some are a result of groups or individuals who refuse to
   follow the original ideals of Scouting but still desire to participate
   in Scout-like activities. Others maintain that the WOSM is currently
   far more political and less youth based than ever envisioned by Lord
   Baden-Powell. They believe that Scouting in general has moved away from
   its original intent, because of political machinations that happen to
   longstanding organizations, and seek to return to the earliest,
   simplest methods.

   There are at least 520 separate national or regional Scouting
   associations in the world. Most have felt the need to create
   international Scouting organizations to set standards for Scouting and
   to coordinate activities among member associations. Six international
   Scouting organizations serve 437 of the world's national associations,
   and the largest two organizations, WOSM and WAGGGS, count 362 national
   associations as members, encompassing the vast majority of the world's
   Scouts.

   Breakaway and nonaligned organizations can be divided into five
   categories:

Scouts-in-Exile

   Scouts-in-Exile groups formed overseas from their native country as a
   result of war and changes in governments. For the Scouts-in-exile
   groups, serving the community outside their homelands, there is
   resentment that they were not recognized during their nations
   totalitarian periods. These groups often provided postal delivery and
   other basic services in displaced-persons camps.

Independent Scouts and Scout organizations

   The first schism within Scouting occurred during November 1909, when
   the British Boy Scouts (later the Brotherhood of British Scouts, and
   known internationally as the Order of World Scouts) was formed,
   initially comprising an estimated 25 percent of all Scouts in the
   United Kingdom, but rapidly declining from 1911 onward. The
   organization was formed by Sir Francis Vane because of perceptions of
   bureaucracy and militaristic tendencies in the mainstream movement.
   With several smaller organizations, such as the Boy's Life Brigade
   Scouts they formed the National Peace Scouts federation. The British
   Girl Scouts were the female counterpart of the British Boy Scouts.

   In 1916 a group of Scoutmasters in Cambridge, led by Ernest Westlake
   and his son Aubrey, who believed that the movement had moved away from
   its early ideals and had lost its woodcraft character, founded the
   Order of Woodcraft Chivalry. The order survives to this day in England.

   In the years following the First World War, the Commissioner for
   Camping and Woodcraft John Hargrave, broke with what he considered to
   be the Scouts' militaristic approach and founded a breakaway
   organization, the Kibbo Kift, taking a number of similar-minded
   Scoutmasters and troops with him. This organization was the direct
   antecedent of the Woodcraft Folk.

   Baden-Powell Scouts were formed in 1970, initially in the United
   Kingdom but now also elsewhere, when it was felt that the
   "modernisation" of Scouting was abandoning the traditions and
   intentions established by Baden-Powell. Another modern breakway group
   is the Christian American Heritage Girls, formed in 1995 in response to
   the perceived growing liberalism in the Girl Scouts of the USA.

   In Canada and to some extent in the United States, there is a
   Traditional Scouting movement, seeking to take Scouting back to the way
   it was in Baden-Powell's days.

   Other independent multinational Scout organizations include:
   Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme, Union Internationale des Guides
   et Scouts d'Europe, and World Federation of Independent Scouts.

   Among independent single-country Scout associations are the Éclaireurs
   Neutres de France.

Scout-like youth organizations

   There are also some similar organizations linked to movements such as
   organised churches, such as Salvation Army's Adventure Corps,
   Adventism's Pathfinders, the Nazarene Caravan and the pentecostal Royal
   Rangers. Other groups such as the Camp Fire USA, YMCA, YWCA, Sokol,
   Rotaract, Boys' Brigade and Girls' Brigade also have similarities with
   Scouting, although some of those actually predate the foundation of
   Scouting. The TUXIS and Trail Rangers movements were similar
   organizations which originated about the same time as Scouting;
   however, these organizations were unable to recover from the disruption
   of World War II and post-war competition with the Scouting movement.
   The Future Farmers of America and 4-H are also sometimes seen as
   Scout-like organizations.

   South Africa's Voortrekkers are an Afrikaner youth movement founded in
   1931 as some Afrikaners found it difficult to participate in a movement
   founded by their Boer War opponent, Lord Baden-Powell.

Political youth organizations

   Scouting has been banned and currently is banned in certain nations.
   The USSR banned scouting in 1922, creating a separate Young Pioneer
   organization of the Soviet Union, which gave birth to the Pioneer
   Movement, still existing in some fashion in the People's Republic of
   China, Cuba, North Korea and Vietnam, and has been turned into a
   nationalist movement in Tajikistan; the King Somoni Inheritance. Thus,
   some of the former Soviet allies and other countries still have their
   own youth movements that are not considered part of the Scouting
   movement; whereas some of them totally banned Scouting. Currently,
   there are no externally recognized Scout organizations in Cuba, North
   Korea, Laos, Myanmar, and the People's Republic of China (except Hong
   Kong and Macau, which each have a Scouting organization).

   In many parts of Europe there exists the socialist Red Falcons forming
   the International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International
   (IFM - SEI). The Woodcraft Folk is the UK branch of IFM-SEI. These
   organizations adapt many of the methods of Scouting in a socialist
   orientation. Examples are the Children's Republic, camps run by the
   SJD-The Falken in Germany in the 1920s, however unlike the concurring
   Pioneer Movements, IFM – SEI works to further democracy.

   Other politically based youth movements still in existence include
   Fianna na hÉireann, an Irish republican youth movement.

   In the parliamentary democracy of Andorra, Scouting does not exist,
   though not because of any bans on such organizations.

Military youth organizations

   Prior to World War II, Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary and Romania
   disbanded Scouting. Germany created the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth)
   organization; Mussolini had a fascist youth organization, the Balilla;
   and Romania under the Iron Guard had the Străjeria.

Scouting in film and the arts

   As a facet of culture throughout most of the 20th century, Scouting has
   been portrayed in numerous films and artwork. It is especially
   prevalent in the United States, where Scouting is tied closely to the
   ideal of Americana. The works of painters Norman Rockwell and Joseph
   Csatari and the 1966 film Follow Me, Boys! are prime examples of this
   idealized American ethos. Scouting is often dealt with in a humorous
   manner, as in the 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills and the 2005 film Down
   and Derby, and is often fictionalized so that the audience knows the
   topic is Scouting without there being any mention of Scouting by name.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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