A Scout is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section. Scouts are organized into troops averaging 20–30 Scouts under the guidance of one or more Scout Leaders or Scoutmasters. Troops subdivide into patrols of about 6–8 Scouts and engage in outdoor and special interest activities. Troops may affiliate with local, national, and international organizations. Some national Scouting associations have special interest programs such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, outdoor high adventure, Scouting bands, and rider Scouts. In the USA there was around 6 million scouts in 2011.
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17. At the jamboree, many scouts swap badges.
The Scout Association, which also uses the name Scouts UK, is the largest Scout organisation in the United Kingdom. It's the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origins of the Scout movement in 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a royal charter under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.
Scouts South Africa is the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) recognised Scout association in South Africa. Scouting began in the United Kingdom in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell and rapidly spread to South Africa, with the first Scout troops appearing in 1908. South Africa has contributed many traditions and symbols to World Scouting.
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts and/or Girl Guides who rally at a national or international level.
Estonian Scout Association is the primary national Scouting organization of Estonia, became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1996. The coeducational Eesti Skautide Ühing has 1,337 members as of 2011.
Sakartvelos Skauturi Modzraobis Organizatsia, the national Scouting organization of Georgia, was founded in 1994, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1997. The coeducational Sakartvelos Skauturi Modzraobis Organizatsia has 1,343 members as of 2011.
The Mongolyn Skautyn Kholboo, the national Scouting organization of Mongolia, was founded in 1992, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1994. The coeducational Mongolyn Skautyn Kholboo has 8,822 members as of 2011.
Cercetașii României is the primary national Scouting organization of Romania. Founded in 1913, it became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in 1993.
Iran Scout Organization was founded in 1925 under the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Currently Iran is one of 29 countries where Scouting exists but where there is no National Scout Organization which is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement at the present time.
The Bangladesh Scouts is the national Scouting organization of Bangladesh. Now The Chief Scout of Bangladesh is Mohammed Shahabuddin. Scouting was founded in 1914 in East Bengal, now Bangladesh, as part of the British Indian branch of The Scout Association, and continued as part of the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association until the country's divided sections split in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Following its independence, in 1972, the Bangladesh Boy Scout Association was officially formed as successor of the Pakistan Boy Scouts Association. Bangladesh became an independent member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1974. The organization changed its name to "Bangladesh Scouts" in 1978. The organization has 2,261,351 members as of 2021.
Scouts de Argentina is one of the national Scouting associations of Argentina. Scouting was officially founded in Argentina in 1912, shortly after the publication of "Scouting For Boys" in Spanish, which was granted a National Charter in 1917, and was among the charter members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922. Scouts de Argentina has 75,000 members as of 2020.
Suomen Partiolaiset - Finlands Scouter ry is the national Scouting and Guiding association of Finland. Scouting was founded in Finland in 1910 as part of the Russian Empire, registered with the central organization of the tsarist Russian Scout movement Русский Скаут. Finnish Scouting was among the charter members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922. Guiding started in 1910 and was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. In 1972 the Girl Guide Association and the Boy Scout Association merged and formed Suomen Partiolaiset. The association has about 75,000 members.
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 3rd World Scout Jamboree was held in 1929 at Arrowe Park in Upton, near Birkenhead, Wirral, United Kingdom. As it was commemorating the 21st birthday of Scouting for Boys and the Scouting movement, it is also known as the Coming of Age Jamboree. With about 30,000 Scouts and over 300,000 visitors attending, this jamboree was the largest jamboree so far.
Girl Guides Australia (GGA) is the national Guiding organisation in Australia. Its mission is to empower girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting members of the community. Membership is open to all girls and young women from all cultures, faiths and traditions. Guiding groups formed in Australia as early as 1909, and by 1920 Girl Guide Associations had been formed in six states. In 1926 the State Associations federated and formed a national organization which became a founding member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1928. It still operates as a federated structure made up of six state-based Guiding organisations. It has roughly 19,000 members including adult and youth members. Over a million Australian women are or have been Guides. The Girl Guide emblem incorporates the Commonwealth Star.
Religion in Scouting and Guiding is an aspect of the Scout method that has been practiced differently and given different interpretations in different parts of the world over the years.
The 23rd World Scout Jamboree took place in Kirarahama, Yamaguchi in western Japan from 28 July to 8 August 2015. The event was attended by 33,628 Scouts and leaders. The theme was 和 Wa: A Spirit of Unity. The kanji 和, meaning harmony, unity or togetherness, was part of the theme. Wa is also an early name for Japan.
International Boy Scouts, Troop 1, Japan's first Boy Scout troop, was founded in 1911, with Clarence Griffin as Scoutmaster. Despite its early multinational character the troop's original registration was with the London headquarters of The Boy Scouts Association as "British Scouts in Foreign Countries". This initial charter was due to there being no international Boy Scout office and the "nationality requirement" that was in effect at the time. In 1918, the troop's character changed considerably when the new Scoutmaster, Bro. Joseph Janning, received approval from Lord Baden-Powell to officially reorganized the troop as a mixed-nationality, or "international", troop. B-P subsequently brought the Troop's situation before the 3rd World Scout Conference where the newly formed Boy Scouts International Bureau received approval to directly register Troop 1 and, in the future, other such "international" groups. The troop was then directly registered by the Boy Scouts International Bureau and was issued the Boy Scout movement's first "mixed nationality" charter, dated October 30, 1925, signed by Baden-Powell as Chief Scout and Hubert S. Martin as Director of the new International Bureau. Within a few years the nationality requirement was abolished and, even though the Bureau maintained the direct registration of Troop 1 and other groups already registered, new groups were requested to join the national organization of the country in which they were located and no new groups were chartered. Over the years the directly chartered groups one-by-one and for varied reasons slowly disbanded and by 1955 only Troop 1 remained. The troop has been continuously active, including war years, since its first meeting held in Yokohama, Japan on October 16, 1911, and currently consists of coed sections of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Senior Scouts, and Veteran Scouts.
Leslie R. "Les" Mitchell, a Scouter and a radio amateur with the callsign G3BHK, was the founder of Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA), now considered the largest event scheduled by the World Organization of the Scout Movement annually.
