Boy Scouts, organization, originally for boys from 11 to 14 or 15 years of age, that aimed to develop in them good citizenship, chivalrous behaviour, and skill in various outdoor activities. The Boy Scout movement was founded in Great Britain in 1908 by a cavalry officer, Lieutenant General Robert S.S. (later Lord) Baden-Powell, who had written a book called Scouting for Boys (1908) but who was better known as the defender of the town of Mafeking in the South African (or Boer) War. Baden-Powell’s book described many games and contests that he had used to train cavalry troops in scouting, and it became popular reading among the boys of Great Britain. Prior to the book’s publication, Baden-Powell held an experimental camp on Brownsea Island off the coast of southern England in which he put into practice his ideas on the training of boys.
Robert Baden-Powell
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/REX/Shutterstock.com
Baden-Powell’s idea was that boys should organize themselves into small natural subgroups of six or seven under a boy leader—the patrol and patrol leader. Their training would consist of such things as tracking and reconnaissance, mapping, signaling, knotting, first aid, and all the skills that arise from camping and similar outdoor activities. To become a scout, a boy would promise to be loyal to his country, help other people, and in general obey the scout law, itself a simple code of chivalrous behaviour easily understood by the boy.
That basic pattern of scouting aims and emphases has continued. In every country where scouting exists, it involves a scout oath or promise; a scout law, with such small variations as national traditions and culture demand; an emphasis on the delights of the outdoor life and the pursuit of such outdoor activities as camping, swimming, sailing, climbing, canoeing, and exploring caves; a progressive training rewarded by the granting of certain badges; and the encouragement of a daily good deed. In every country, too, the highest proficiency is marked by the award of a special badge (e.g., the Eagle Scout Badge in the United States and the Queen’s Scout Badge in Canada and Great Britain). The symbols of the scouts include the handshake with the left hand, the fleur-de-lis badge, and the motto “Be prepared.”
Baden-Powell had intended his ideas to be used by existing youth organizations in Britain, but it was soon obvious that a new movement had come into being, and the Boy Scouts quickly spread to other countries. By 1910 there were Boy Scout troops in Sweden, Mexico, Argentina, and the United States, as well as such Commonwealth countries as Canada, Australia, and South Africa. By the early 21st century there were national Boy Scout organizations in nearly 170 countries. The World Organization of the Scout Movement, established in 1920 and now based in Geneva, promotes scouting worldwide. It maintains regional offices in Belgium, Egypt, the Philippines, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Chile, and Ukraine.
Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.
Boy Scout units, or troops, are divided into individual subgroups, or patrols, and hold regular meetings. Scout troops are sponsored on the local level by churches, schools, fraternal organizations, and other community groups. An adult “scoutmaster” heads each troop. The U.S. organization has sought to include boys of diverse backgrounds, while the courts have affirmed its right as a private organization to set standards barring some groups from membership or leadership. Since 1920, international scout meetings, or “world jamborees,” have been held every four years. The jamborees are gatherings of thousands of scouts representing their countries and camping together in friendship. There have also been innumerable national camps attended by parties of scouts from neighbouring countries.
The Boy Scout movement was intended for boys 11 to 14 or 15 years of age, but it soon became apparent that programs for younger and older boys were needed. Accordingly, in 1916 Baden-Powell founded a parallel organization for younger boys, the Wolf Cubs (known in some countries as Cub Scouts). Programs have been developed for even younger boys (Beaver Scouts in the U.K. for age 6 to 8, Tiger Cubs in the U.S. for age 7). In the U.S., Varsity programs are open to boys 14 through 17 years old and Venturing to young men and women 14 through 20 (16 to 20 in the U.K.). In 1967 the word Boy was dropped from the name of the British organization, and in the 1980s girls were allowed to join at the Cub level and upward.
Aims & Principals of Scouting
The aim of the Scout Association of Australia is to encourage the physical, mental, social and spiritual development of young people so that they may take a constructive place in society as responsible citizens.
The Principles of Scouting, as identified by the founder, Lord Baden-Powell, are that Scouts should serve their God, act in consideration of the needs of others and develop and use their abilities to the betterment of themselves and their families and the community in which they live.
The principle methods used by the Scout Association to achieve its aims are:
Voluntary membership of a uniformed group, which, guided by adults, is increasingly self-governing in its successive age groups.
Commitment to a code for living as expressed in the promise and law, the meaning of which is expanded as the member grows towards maturity.
The provision of a wide range of attractive constructive and challenging activities, including opportunities for adventure and exploration both indoors and outdoors.
The provision of opportunities for Leadership and Responsibility
Learning by doing.
Encouragement of activity in small groups.
An award scheme which encourages participation in the full range of activities and provides recognition of individual achievements.
Worldwide Organisation
The 2nd/3rd Bayswater Scout Group not only welcomes you into our family but also into the World Wide Fellowship of Scouting.
Our group, together with some 20 other groups in Knox, is part of the City of Knox District, within the Yarra Valley Region in the Victorian Branch. The City Of Knox District covers all of the suburbs within our municipality. Perspective members are permitted to join any Group in their area (or State for that matter) though should be encouraged to join a group as local as possible.
The Scout organisation is world wide with some 17 million members in 150 countries. The Australian membership is currently 120,000 of which the Victorian membership is over one third. All the Scouts, regardless of colour, race or religion, have the same promise and ideals as originally inspired by Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell, founder of Scouting , in 1907.
Scouting is the largest youth organisation in the world today and your son/daughter has become a member of a Section within our Group, but that is not all, you, their parents or guardians have joined the association as well. Scouting is a co-operative community venture, sharing with the home, the school and the church, the task of building the character of the young - and you, the parents, are just as involved as your child.