SCOUTING ORGANIZATION: SET-UP & GOVERNANCE. World Scouting The Scout Movement is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people, open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed. Scouting offers young people the opportunity to develop their full emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible global citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities. The organization of the Scout Movement at the world level, “World Scouting”, is governed by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). WOSM is an independent, non- political, non-governmental organization that is made up of 164 National Scout Organizations (NSOs). These NSOs are located in 224 countries and territories around the world. With over 40 million members in some one million local community Scout Groups, WOSM is one of the largest youth movements in the world. Some seven million members in WOSM are adult volunteers who support local activities. Through peer-to-peer leadership, supported by adults, each local Scout Group embraces the same set of values illustrated in the Scout Promise and Law. Each of the one million local Scout Groups follows a similar system of non-formal education suited to the unique aspects of their local community. World Scouting Purpose The purpose of WOSM is to promote unity and the understanding of Scouting's purpose and principles while facilitating its expansion and development. The organs of WOSM are the World Scout Conference, the World Scout Committee, and the World Scout Bureau. Mission "The Mission of Scouting is to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self- fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society." The Mission was adopted at the 35th World Scout Conference in Durban, South Africa in 1999. Illustrating both the local and global impact of Scouting, the Mission of Scouting has been captured in World Scouting’s brand as "Creating a Better World”. as "Creating a Better World”. Vision "By 2023 Scouting will be the world’s leading educational youth movement, enabling 100 million young people to be active citizens creating positive change in their communities and in the world based on shared values." The Vision for Scouting, Vision 2023, was adopted at the 40th World Scout Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2014. World Scouting Strategic Priorities The following Strategic Priorities were adopted at the 40th World Scout Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2014. Youth Engagement Scouting should give young people the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge, empowering them to take an active part in the Movement and in their communities. Involvement, recognition and intergenerational exchange are key in providing a framework for our youth members. Educational Methods The Youth Programme should provide a non-formal learning environment, strengthening the capacity of young people to face the challenges of tomorrow. Scouting should attract, train and retain quality adult volunteers to deliver the Youth Programme. Diversity & Inclusion Scouting should reflect the societies in which it exists and actively work to welcome all individuals without distinction. This diversity should not only be reflected in the membership, but also the methods and programmes used within the Movement. World Scouting Social Impact Every Scout should be involved in community service and share their experiences to inspire others. Through activities and projects, Scouts contribute to their communities and become leaders of positive change. Communications & External Relations Scouting’s profile should accurately portray what we do and why we do it, reflecting our shared values. By using the most impactful methods of communication, and engaging in strategically relevant partnerships, Scouting should be recognized as the world’s leading youth movement. Governance The governance of WOSM should be transparent, accountable, efficient and clearly linked to its overall strategy, and focused on achieving the mission and vision of the Movement. The roles and responsibilities of the different levels in the organization should be clearly defined and understood, ensuring a customer-focused approach. In doing so, we ensure high synergy across all levels of WOSM with a high “return on investment”. World Scouting The Scout Promise and Law The Scout Movement is based on the following principles: Duty to God - a person’s relationship with the spiritual values of life, the fundamental belief in a force above mankind. Duty to others – a person’s relationship with, and responsibility within, society in the broadest sense of the term: his or her family, local community, country and the world at large, as well as respect for others and for the natural world. Duty to self – a person’s responsibility to develop his or her own potential, to the best of that person’s ability. All members of the Scout Movement are required to adhere to the Scout Promise and Scout Law. The wording may vary in different National Scout Organizations as appropriate to the local culture, but they are all based on the Promise and Law originally conceived by the Founder of the Scout Movement, Baden-Powell. The Scout Promise On my honour I promise that I will do my best : To do my duty to God and the King (or to God and my Country); To help other people at all times; To obey the Scout Law. The Story of Scouting There are more than 40 million Scouts, young people and adults, male and female, in over 200 countries and territories. Some 500 million people have been Scouts, including prominent people in every field. Early Beginnings All this began with 20 boys and an experimental camp in 1907. It was held during the first nine days of August in 1907 at Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset, England. The camp was a great success and proved to its organizer, Robert Baden-Powell, that his training and methods appealed to young people and really worked. In January 1908, Baden-Powell published the first edition of "Scouting for Boys". It was an immediate success and has since sold over 100 million copies, making it one of the best selling books of all time. Baden-Powell had only intended to provide a method of training boys, something that existing youth organizations such as the Boys' Brigade and YMCA could adopt. To his surprise, youngsters started to organize themselves into what was to become one of the largest voluntary youth movements in the world. Expansion of the Movement The success of "Scouting for Boys" produced a Movement that quickly – automatically it seemed – adopted the name of The Boy Scouts. By 1909 "Scouting for Boys" had been translated into five languages, and a Scout rally in London attracted more than 11,000 Scouts. As a result of Baden-Powell taking a holiday in South America, Chile was one of the first countries outside Britain to begin Scouting. In 1910 he visited Canada and the United States where it had already started. The coming of World War I in 1914 could have brought about the collapse of the Movement, but the training provided through the patrol system proved its worth. Patrol leaders took over when adult leaders volunteered for active service. Scouts contributed to the war effort in England in many ways; most notable perhaps were the Sea Scouts who took the place of regular coast-guardsmen, freeing them for service. The first World Scout Jamboree took place in 1920 with 8,000 participants, and proved that young people from different nations could come together to share common interests and ideals. Since that first World Jamboree at Olympia in London, there have been 21 others at different locations. During the Jamboree, the first World Scout Conference (then called “International Scout Conference”) was held with 33 National Scout Organizations represented. The Boy Scouts International Bureau, later to become the World Scout Bureau, was founded in London in 1920. In 1922 the first World Scout Committee was elected at the 2nd International Conference in Paris, where 31 National Scout Organizations were represented. World membership was just over 1 million. The Early Scout Programme Scouting began as a programme for boys 11 to 18 years of age. Yet almost immediately others also wanted to participate. The Girl Guides programme was started in 1910 by Baden-Powell. His wife Olave, whom he married in 1912, became Chief Guide. A Wolf Cub section was formed for younger boys. It used Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book", to provide an imaginative symbolic framework for activities. For older boys, a Rover Scout branch was formed. The World Wars Between the two world wars Scouting continued to flourish in all parts of the world - except in totalitarian countries where it was banned. Scouting is voluntary and based on democratic principles. During World War II, Scouts undertook many service tasks – messengers, firewatchers, stretcher-bearers, salvage collectors and so on. In occupied countries, Scouting continued in secret with Scouts playing important roles in the resistance and underground movements. After the war ended, it was found that the numbers of Scouts in some occupied countries had, in fact, increased. The '60s, '70s and '80s Many countries gained their independence during these years. Scouting in developing countries gradually evolved to be a youth programme which was designed by Scout leaders in each country to better meet the needs of their communities. Scouts, particularly in developing countries, became more involved with issues such as child health, low-cost housing, literacy, food production and agriculture, job skills training, etc. Drug abuse prevention, life skills training, integration of the handicapped, environmental conservation and education, and peace education became issues of concern to Scouts around the world. Post Communistic Era By the 1990s Scouting had been reborn in every country where it existed prior to World War II, and it started throughout the newly independent countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (formerly the USSR).