Scouting Around the World

Background

Scouting began in England in 1907 based on Robert S. S. Baden-Powell's ideas and book Scouting for Boys. The book and program proved to have universal appeal for boys and quickly spread worldwide. Some aspects of the program vary around the world, but the principles of the Scout Promise and Law unite the world brotherhood of Scouting and prepare boys for adulthood in today's world.

From its beginning on Brownsea Island, the Scouting idea spread around the world until it became what it is now—the largest voluntary youth movement in the world, with a membership totaling more than 25 million. Although there might be some differences in program administration, the entire movement adheres to these fundamental principles:

Worldwide Principles

• Duty to God and respect for individual beliefs
• Loyalty to one's country and respect for its laws
• Strength of world friendship and Scouting brotherhood
• Service to others—community development
• Universal regard for the Scout Promise and Law as a life guide
• Voluntary membership
• Service by volunteer leaders
• Independence from political influence and control
• Training youth in responsible citizenship, physical and mental development, and character guidance through use of the patrol system, group activity, recognition through awards, and learning by doing
• Outdoor program orientation

Universal Practices

These acts and symbols of Scouting are familiar all over the world:

• Scout Promise and Law—duty to God and country
• Design of badge—basic trefoil
• "Be Prepared" motto
• Universal three-finger Scout sign—sign of personal honor
• Scout left handclasp
• Use of the patrol system
• Basic ideal of the Good Turn

World Jamborees

A world jamboree is thousands of Scouts from many nations camping together in the spirit of world friendship. Such friendships and the desire to know one another overcome barriers of language and differences in custom, race, and religion, making Scouting relevant to world brotherhood.

At jamborees, Scouts compete in Scout skills, trade friendship tokens, meet around campfires, and make lifelong pen pals. They sample each other's foods; play games; swim together; and learn Scout stunts, how to make gadgets, and how Scouts live around the world. They also learn words and phrases in different languages.

The first world jamboree, called by Lord Baden-Powell in 1920, was held in England. Since then every four years, except during World War II, Scouts have met in a jamboree. The 17th World Scout Jamboree was held in Korea in August 1991. The Netherlands hosted the event in 1995; Chile hosted it in 1998-99; and Thailand will host it in 2003.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement

The World Organization of the Scout Movement is composed of three parts.

The World Scout Conference is the general assembly of Scouting and is composed of six delegates from each of the member Scout associations. If a country has more than one association, the associations form a federation for coordination and world representation. The basis for recognition and membership in the World Scout Conference includes adherence to the aims and principles of world Scouting and independence from political involvement on the part of each member association.

The conference meets every three years, at which time basic cooperative efforts are agreed upon and a plan of mutual coordination is adopted. The last World Scout Conference was held in Durban, South Africa.

There are 145 member associations in the World Scout Conference.

The World Scout Committee is the executive body of the conference and represents it between the meetings of the full conference. World Scout Committee members are elected at the World Scout Conference for a term of six years. The members are elected without regard to their nationality.

The World Scout Bureau is the secretariat that carries out the instructions of the World Scout Conference and the World Scout Committee. The World Scout Bureau office is in Geneva, Switzerland, with regional offices in six areas around the world: Africa Region (Nairobi, Kenya), Arab Region (Cairo, Egypt), Asia-Pacific Region (Manila, Philippines), European (Geneva, Switzerland), Inter-American Region (Santiago, Chile), and Eurasia Region (Yalta-Gurzuj, Ukraine).

The World Scout Bureau is administered by the Secretary General, who is supported by a small staff of technical resource personnel. The bureau staff helps associations improve and broaden their Scouting by training professionals and volunteers, establishing sound finance policies and money-raising techniques, improving community facilities and procedures, and assisting in marshaling the national resources of each country behind Scouting.

The staff also helps arrange global events such as world jamborees, encourages regional events, and acts as a liaison between the Scouting movement and other international organizations. A major effort in the emerging nations is the extension of the universal Good Turn into an organizationwide effort for community development.

BSA Involvement

The Boy Scouts of America is represented in world contacts and developments by the international commissioner.

The BSA is a charter member of the World Scout Conference and is an active participant in its many and varied projects, services, and committees.

The BSA shares its resources, program materials, and volunteer and professional expertise with the World Scout Bureau and its various associations throughout the world.

The international efforts of the BSA are supported by the International Committee, one of the operating committees of the National Executive Board, and the staff of the International Division at the national office.

World Friendship Fund

The World Friendship Fund (WFF) of the Boy Scouts of America was developed during the closing days of World War II. At the time, there was a great need to rebuild Scouting in those nations that had been wracked by war and were just emerging from the shadows of totalitarianism.

In the years that have elapsed, the WFF has aided virtually every nation in the free world that has Scouting. Both those nations that have had Scouting before and those newly emerging nations that desire the Scouting program for their youth have been helped.

Through the WFF, voluntary contributions of Scouts and leaders are transformed into cooperative projects that help Scouting associations in other countries to strengthen and extend their Scouting programs.

A sampling of WFF-supported projects in recent years includes improved facilities at Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland; desktop publishing and Scout literature for the Scouts of Greece; adult training materials for the Scout Association of Nicaragua; youth Scout program literature for 11 Scout Associations of the Caribbean; supply of BSA handbooks to the Scouts of Micronesia; assistance in the resurgence of Scouting in Ethiopia; and camping equipment for underprivileged Scouts of the Guatamala Scout Association.

Since the beginning of the WFF, more than $1 million has been voluntarily donated by American Scouts and leaders to these self-help activities.

National Boy Scouts of America Foundation

The United States Fund for International Scouting (USFIS), within the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation, provides the opportunity for substantial support of World Scouting by individual business, corporate, and foundation grants. This fund is administered by an appointed committee of the BSA International Committee. The National Boy Scouts of America Foundation has full tax privileges and is not a private foundation.

Provision is made for trust and endowed instruments as well as current support of special Scouting projects around the world. Grant proposals from Scout Associations around the world are received and reviewed for disposition by a volunteer committee.

Member Scout Associations of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and Their Membership (www.scout.org)

Albania (4) 1,284 Algeria (2) 10,045 Angola (1) 5,600 Argentina (5) 45,452 Armenia (6) 2,035 Australia (3) 109,527 Austria (4) 16,323 Azerbaijan 1,213 Bahamas (5) 3,173 Bahrain (2) 1,820 Bangladesh (3) 1,325,014 Barbados (5) 3,041 Belarus (6) 7,500 Belgium (4) 91,198 Belize (5) 869 Benin (1) 19,605 Bhutan (3) 1,145 Bolivia (5) 7,600 Bosnia & Herzegovina (4) 8,000 Botswana (1) 4,660 Brazil (5) 60,518 Brunei Darussalam (3) 2,617 Bulgaria (4) 2,000 Burkina Faso (1) 10,165 Burundi (1) 6,661 Cameroon (1) 6,535 Canada (5) 238,957 Chad (1) 8,132 Chile (5) 35,180 China, Scouts of (3) 69,353 Colombia (5) 13,636 Comoros (1) 2,200 Congo, The Democratic Republic of The (1) 62,842 Costa Rica (5) 11,729 Cote-d¹Ivoire (1) 6,436 Croatia (4) 3,607 Cyprus (4) 6,183 Czech Republic (4) 26,133 Denmark (4) 51,727 Dominica (5) 1,100 Dominican Republic (5) 6,047 Ecuador (5) 5,536 Egypt (2) 74,598 El Salvador (5) 4,180 Estonia (4) 1,131 Fiji (3) 2,445 Finland (4) 30,545 France (4) 113,570 Gabon (1) 3,835 Gambia (1) 14,134 Georgia (6) 1,063

Germany (4) 127,012 Ghana (1) 2,311 Greece (4) 19,467 Grenada (5) 1,542 Guatemala (5) 7,247 Guyana (5) 294 Haiti (5) 9,859 Honduras (5) 4,319 Hong Kong 69,121 Hungary (4) 13,369 Iceland (4) 1,808 India (3) 1,963,266 Indonesia (3) 9,961,921 Ireland (4) 38,784 Israel (4) 21,920 Italy (4) 108,656 Jamaica (5) 5,526 Japan (3) 227,566 Jordan (2) 14,238 Kenya (1) 190,505 Kiribati (3) 1,333 Korea, Republic of (3) 247,445 Kuwait (2) 6,061 Latvia (4) 1,179 Lebanon (2) 8,450 Lesotho (1) 371 Liberia (1) 2,418 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (2) 14,220 Liechtenstein (4) 421 Lithuania (4) 1,500 Luxembourg (4) 5,634 Macedonia, the former Yugoslav, Republic of (4) 3,443 Madagascar (1) 9,473 Malaysia (3) 96,409 Maldives (3) 4,518 Malta (4) 2,900 Mauritania (2) 3,790 Mauritius (1) 3,009 Mexico (5) 59,531 Moldova, Republic of (6) 1,540 Monaco (4) 67 Mongolia (3) 6,623 Morocco (2) 12,304 Mozambique (1) 11,403 Namibia (1) 1,378 Nepal (3) 25,814 Netherlands (4) 59,315 New Zealand (3) 28,531 Nicaragua (5) 2,298 Niger (1) 3,241 Nigeria (1) 46,701

Norway (4) 15,234 Oman (2) 9,495 Pakistan (3) 508,176 Palestinian Authority (2) 20,275 Panama (5) 2,367 Papua New Guinea (3) 1,674 Paraguay (5) 1,340 Peru (5) 12,727 Philippines (3) 3,491,911 Poland (4) 117,733 Portugal (4) 66,766 Qatar (2) 6,000 Romania (4) 4,930 Russian Federation 14,000 Rwanda (1) 5,479 San Marino (4) 200 Saudi Arabia (2) 19,267 Senegal (1) 5,882 Sierra Leone (1) 7,902 Singapore (3) 11,290 Slovakia (4) 3,680 Slovenia (4) 6,624 South Africa (1) 18,496 Spain (4) 82,971 Sri Lanka (3) 21,653 St. Lucia (5) 393 St. Vincent and the Grenadines (5) 1,017 Sudan (2) 13,550 Suriname (5) 2,601 Swaziland (1) 4,994 Sweden (4) 65,486 Switzerland (4) 29,909 Tajikistan (6) 1,100 Tanzania, United Republic of (1) 49,993 Thailand (3) 1,237,515 Togo (1) 15,759 Trinidad & Tobago (5) 6,600 Tunisia (2) 40,920 Turkey (4) 6,257 Uganda (1) 65,152 United Arab Emirates (2) 5,824 United Kingdom (4) 542,277 United States (5) 6,253,606 Uruguay (5) 4,510 Venezuela (5) 10,754 Yemen (2) 6,481 Yugoslavia (4) 12,080 Zambia (1) 7,427 Zimbabwe (1) 3,111

(1) Africa Region	(2) Arab Region	(3) Asia-Pacific Region
(4) European Region	(5) Inter-American Region	(6) Eurasia Region