THE HISTORY OF SCOUTING

I think today it’s difficult to imagine our life without Scouting.  

Without its everyday adventures, the world would certainly be a less interesting place.

Thanks to the talent and originality of Robert Baden-Powell (1857-1941), a brave soldier and a free-thinker, a talented artist and an actor, the Scout Movement exists and is popular worldwide.

When he defended a small South African town of Mafeking during the Boer War, he was impressed by the initiative shown by boys under pressure. Baden-Powell realised that young people had huge potential that was often left untapped. So he developed a training programme for young people in Britain. 

• In 1907 Baden-Powell organized a camp on Brownsea Island in Poole, Dorset, to try out his ideas and brought together 20 boys from a variety of backgrounds.
• The camp was very successful and he wrote his book “Scouting for Boys” that became the book of the 20th century.  It was published in 1908 and became the handbook of a new Movement. 
• The Movement became so popular that King Edward VII agreed to the introduction of the King’s Scout Award.
• In 1910 Scouting had almost 108,000 participants (over 100,000 were young people). 
• It was a global phenomenon. As numbers grew, it soon became clear that young people of all ages and in every country wanted to get involved in Scouting.
• The first World Jamboree took place in 1920. 
• Lord Baden-Powell died in 1941 but members continued to show they were truly able to live their motto ‘Be prepared.’
• In 1916, the Wolf Cub Section for 8 to 11 -year -olds was formed and  by the end of the year, over 10,000 boys had enrolled.Scouting has never stood still.
• In 1918, the Rover Scout Branch  for young men over 18 appeared. 
• The Senior Scouts - a section, especially for the 15 to 18 age group,  started in 1946. Between the two wars, Scouting continued to flourish in all parts of the world, except in totalitarian countries where it was banned. Scouting is democratic and voluntary. 
• When war came in 1939 Scouts fulfilled a lot of National Service tasks: taking secret messengers, organizing underground movements. After the liberation, it was found that the numbers of Scouts in some occupied countries had, in fact, increased.
• New branches such as Air and Sea Scouts became popular, gaining recognition even from the Royal Navy. Scouts were on hand to help out at major events such as the Queen’s coronation, helping the crowds who camped out overnight to get a glimpse of the spectacle.
• The Movement continued to grow and move with the times. Rover Scouts and Senior Scouts became Venture Scouts and the badge system was updated to reflect the wider range of activities a Scout could do.
• Girls were invited to join the Venture Scout section in the early 1990s. 
• In 1986, younger children had an opportunity to experience Scouting for the first time. They were called the Beaver Scouts . 
• Three years later all sections had official headgear.