Scouting - The World Book

Scouting is the world’s largest voluntary youth movement. It is non-political, and open to both boys and girls. Scouting aims to help young people develop physically, intellectually, socially, and spiritually through challenging recreation. There are more than 16  million scouts in 150 countries and territories. Since scouting began, some 250 million people –many of them later famous-have been scouts.

Scouting has been growing ever since it was founded in 1907. Membership doubled from 1970 to 1990. Much of this growth was in developing countries. During the 1980’s scouting reappeared in central and Eastern Europe, in countries where communist governments had represented it for many years, often replacing it with youth movement of their own.

Aims of Scouting: Scouting is not just “helping old ladies across the street.” It is an education for, life. It complements school and family. A scout makes a personnel commitment to a simple code of , living – a duty to god or country, a duty to others, and duty  to self. Scouts learn by doing in programmes of progressive  self-education, working in small groups to develop leadership, group skills, and individual responsibility. Many of these activities bring them in contact with nature. They learn how simplicity, creativity, and discovery come together to provide adventure and challenge.

The range of scouts’ voluntary activity around the world includes health and immunisation programs, building low-cost housing, planting trees, producing food, helping the old and the handicapped, and fighting drug abuse. Scouts are involved in programmes to protect the environment, to increase literacy, in teaching job skills, and in safeguarding the rights of children. Scouts help with relief work to help victims of floods, droughts, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.

Lack of clean water and bad sanitation are major problems in many parts of the world. Scouts are helping to clean up polluted waterways. They help to bring clean water supplies to remote villages. They show other people how to avoid polluting water.

Scouts also work with friends, neighbours, and community leaders in tackling locate problems. They work to promote locate, national, and international objectives, such as world peace, and international understanding and cooperation.