Portal:Scouting/Selected article archive/2009

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

• Jan 31, 2009 - The Boy Scouts of the Philippines is the National Scout Association for boys and young men of the Philippines. Its mission is to imbue in the youth the love of God, country, and fellow men; to train young people to become responsible leaders; and to contribute in nation-building. The BSP was chartered under Philippine Commonwealth Act No. 111 on October 31, 1936. Its predecessor was the Philippine Council chartered by the Boy Scouts of America in 1923 through the work of Filipino, American, and Chinese businessmen and interest groups. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines began in 1923 with the establishment of the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America (the Philippines being an American possession at the time). The Philippines, having acquired Commonwealth status in 1935, became an independent Scouting nation in 1936 with the transition of the Philippine Council into the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. In 1940, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines was founded. In 1959, the 10th World Scout Jamboree was held in Mount Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, the first world Scout jamboree held in Asia.

• Feb 28, 2009 - February 22 is World Thinking Day or just Thinking Day for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world. It is a day to think about the meaning of Guiding and Scouting and about Scouts and Guides in all the countries of the world. Many troops use it as an opportunity to study about other countries and cultures. Donations are collected for the Thinking Day Fund which supports projects to help Guides and Scouts around the world. February 22 was chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and World Chief Guide. Other Scouts celebrate it as B.-P. Day or Founders Day.

• Mar 31, 2009 - Humshaugh, England, is the site of the first official Scout camp, held in August, 1908, a year after the more famous experimental camp on Brownsea Island. However, this is misleading, Humshaugh was a large Parish, before sub division, and the Scouts took the train to Chollerford, the nearest station to Humshaugh, and walked up through Walwick and the woods to the site, which is known as Look Wide! The actual site is on land belonging Park Shields Farm (grid reference NY 885 697), near to Fourstones, and is now marked by a cairn commemorating the event.

• Apr 30, 2009 - Nkwenkwe Nkomo is the group deputy chairman of FCB SA, South Africa's largest marketing communication group, and chairperson of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of South Africa. He also serves as one of 12 elected volunteer members of the World Scout Committee, the main executive body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. As an anti-apartheid student activist in the 1970s, he was one of the so-called "SASO nine" imprisoned on Robben Island for six years. He served two five-year terms as Chief Scout of South Africa, from 1996 to 2005, of which he says, "As Chief Scout I am chief servant". Nkwenkwe Nkomo was elected at the 37th World Scout Conference held September 2005 in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia, for a six-year term, along with five other members from a field of 15 candidates from around the world.

• May 31, 2009 - The World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) was formed in Laubach, Germany, in 1996 by Lawrie Dring, a British Scouter with the independent Baden-Powell Scouts' Association (BPSA). The World Federation of Independent Scouts is open to any Scouting association that is not affiliated with another international organization. WFIS requires that member associations "follow, and use, Baden-Powell's original program, traditions, uniforms, morals, ethics, and structure as laid out in Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys, amended only for "health, environmental, first-aid, and safety reasons". At present there are 53 WFIS-affiliated associations in 32 countries, plus one umbrella federation, with an estimated 30,000 members.

• Jun 30, 2009 - IMWe is an annual Scouting and Guiding event run by the German Scout Association Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (VCP). IMWe stands for Internationale Musische Werkstatt (International Creative Workshop). It takes place annually, usually at Rieneck Castle, near Würzburg in Germany. The aim of IMWe is to give leaders of Guide and Scout groups the opportunity to explore their creative talents in a setting free of their usual responsibilities, within a set theme. IMWe is prepared on behalf of the German VCP by an international group of scouts who meet several times a year to organize the workshop, which is always held around Easter each year. The workshop lasts for 8 or 9 days and always has a certain theme. All Guides and Scouts of 17 years plus are welcome at IMWe.

• Jul 31, 2009 - Scout Promise is the cornerstone of the Scout Movement. Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law. The wording of the Scout Promise (or Oath) and Scout Law have varied slightly over time and from country to country. Some national organization promises are given below. Although most Scouting and Guiding organizations use the word 'promise', a few such as the Boy Scouts of America tend to use 'oath' instead. Typically, Scouts and Guides will make the three-fingered Scout Sign when reciting the promise.

• Aug 31, 2009 - Lone Scouts of America (LSA) was a Scouting organization for American boys that operated from 1915 until it merged with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1924. The LSA was founded by W. D. Boyce, a Chicago newspaper entrepreneur and one of the founders of the BSA. Boyce felt that the program of the BSA did not help the rural boy who could not find enough other boys to form a troop or a patrol. James E. West, the first Chief Scout Executive of the BSA, disagreed with Boyce's concept, believing that the 4-H program was fulfilling the role. After Boyce left the BSA, he started the Lone Scouts of America and incorporated it on January 9, 1915. Boyce became the executive officer or Chief Totem and Frank Allan Morgan became the editor of Lone Scout. In October 1915, Boyce appointed all of his paperboys as members of the LSA and published the first issue of the Lone Scout magazine.

• Sep 30, 2009 - Scouting has sometimes become entangled in social controversies such as the civil rights struggle in the American South and in nationalist resistance movements in India. Scouting was introduced to Africa by British officials as an instrument of colonial authority but became a subversive challenge to the legitimacy of the British Empire as Scouting fostered solidarity amongst African Scouts. There are also controversies and challenges within the Scout Movement itself such as current efforts to turn Scouts Canada into a democratic organization. This article discusses historical and contemporary Scouting controversies and difficulties, with examples from various countries.

• Oct 31, 2009 - Religion in Scouting and Guiding is an aspect of the Scout method which has been practiced differently and given different interpretations over the years. In contrast to the Christian-only Boys' Brigade which was started two decades earlier, Robert Baden-Powell founded the Scout movement as a youth organisation (with boys as 'Scouts' and girls as 'Guides') which was independent of any single faith or religion, yet still held that spirituality and a belief in a higher power were key to the development of young people. Scouting organisations are free to interpret the method as laid down by the founder. As the modern world has become more secular and as many societies have become more religiously diverse, this has caused misunderstandings and controversies in some of the national member organisations.

• Nov 30, 2009 - White Stag Leadership Development Program is a non-profit organization founded on the Monterey Peninsula, California, in 1958 by Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy. The program was a pioneer in teaching leadership to youth which it defines in part as comprising eleven specific leadership competencies. These competencies were later adapted by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America and introduced into both adult Wood Badge and junior leader training. These two programs had primarily focused on teaching Scoutcraft skills, and the change to teaching leadership was a marked cultural shift for how both adults and youth were trained in the skills of Scouting. The White Stag leadership competencies remained a key part of both training programs from 1974 through 2003.

• Dec 31, 2009 - The 21st World Scout Jamboree was held in July and August 2007, and formed a part of the Scouting 2007 Centenary celebrations of the World Scout Movement. The event was hosted by the United Kingdom, as 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of Scouting on Brownsea Island. The event was held for 12 days between 27 July and 8 August, in Hylands Park, Chelmsford, Essex. This site was selected because of the easy access to air and sea transport, and it is also near Gilwell Park, an important campsite and training centre for Scout Leaders. Over 38,000 Scouts and leaders from 158 countries which have a recognised National Scout Organization (recognition is conferred by membership in the World Organization of the Scout Movement) camped for the event, while over 50,000 others attended for day visits. There were also over 8600 members of the International Service Team who also came from all over the world.