A Scout District is an administrative division within some Scouting and Guiding organisations.
Districts are responsible for providing programme and support for local Scout and Guide groups, although the precise relationship and structure of a District does vary from country to country.
The Scout Association currently has 895 Scout Districts across the United Kingdom. [1] Each District is responsible for providing programme and support for its member Scout Groups, and is in turn supported by a Scout County.
Districts consist of, on average, about 10 Scout Groups which provide Scouting for members between the ages of 6 and 14. They also have a number of Explorer Scout Units to provide for 14- to 18-year-olds, and may have a locally operated Scout Network for 18- to 25-year-olds.
Each District is led by a District Commissioner (DC) who is able to appoint a team of Assistant District Commissioners (ADCs). Ideally, one ADC is appointed for each of the Beaver Scout, Cub Scout, and Scout sections in order to provide support and communication between sections in different Scout Groups. Other possible ADC position include activities and general duties, but other positions can be created if the DC perceives a need.
If there are Explorer Scout Units in the District, then there will also be a District Explorer Scout Commissioner to oversee the programme and support of this age range.
As well as the uniformed members of the District Team, there is an executive body which manages the finances of the District and act as a steering committee to determine how support is provided to the Groups. [2]
Girlguiding UK also uses the District system as part of the organisation. Guide Districts do not necessarily cover the same boundaries as their Scouting counterparts.
Both the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA have District-level administrative bodies, below that of local Scout councils. The key administrative person is the district executive.
Districts in Scouts Australia are groups of varying numbers Scout Groups, set to a geographic area. They are led by the District Commissioner who is supported by District Leaders for each Section, and for other tasks such as Adult Training, Development (often combined in the same person) Water Activities, the warden of any District owned campsite, as well as the District Executive, a committee of Lay Scouters who are responsible for fundraising and other tasks. In a holdover from the old boys-only days, some districts have a Ladies Auxiliary. Each District is subsidiary to a Region
In contrast to the other Sections, Rovers have no official connection to their district, except in cases of District Rover Crews, although informal District Rover Forums are held in some Districts, and some Districts have an official District Rover Advisor.
In the Northern Territory, there are no districts, and only two regions. [3]
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.
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, between the ages of 5 to 26, with the stated aim "to help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the French-language Association des Scouts du Canada, is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). In 2021-22, youth membership stood at 33,899, a 48% decline from 64,693 in 2014-15. Over the same period, volunteer numbers also declined 43%, from 20,717 in 2015 to 11,765 in 2022. Scouts Canada has declined significantly in size since its peak: youth membership is down 82% from 288,084 in 1965 and volunteer numbers are down 50% from 33,524 in 1965.
The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a royal charter under its previous name of The Boy Scouts Association.
Scouts Australia is a trading name of The Scout Association of Australia, which is the largest scouting organisation in Australia, with an estimated 55,038 youth participants in 2021, and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It was formed in 1958 and incorporated in 1967. It operates personal development programs for children and young adults from 5 to 25 years of age with programs successively opened to girls after 1971.
Explorer Scouts, frequently shortened to Explorers, is the fifth section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom for 14- to 18-year-olds. The section was introduced in 2001 and formally launched in February 2002, alongside Scout Network, to replace the former Venture Scout section for fifteen-and-a-half to twenty-year-olds.
The Singapore Scout Association is one of the oldest youth movements in Singapore.
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.
Scouting Ireland is one of the largest youth movements on the island of Ireland, a voluntary educational movement for young people with over 45,000 members, including over 11,000 adult volunteers early 2020. Of the 750,000 people between the ages of 6 and 18 in Ireland, over 6% are involved with the organisation. It was founded in 2004, following the amalgamation of two of the Scouting organisations on the island. It is the World Organization of the Scout Movement-recognised Scouting association in the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland it operates alongside The Scout Association of the UK and the Baden-Powell Scout Association.
Venturer or Venture Scouts are programs in some Scouting organisations for young people of various age ranges in the 14–20 age range. A participant in the program is called a Venturer.
Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'.
The Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago is the national Scouting organization of Trinidad and Tobago. Scouting was founded in Trinidad and Tobago in 1912 and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1963. The association has 5,234 members.
The Scout Network is the sixth and final youth section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom, catering for those aged between 18 and 25 years. The section was formally introduced in February 2002 alongside Explorer Scouts with both replacing the former Venture Scouts section for fifteen-and-a-half- to twenty-year-olds.
A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.
Rovers is a training program of Scouts Australia for adults aged between 18 and 25 years of age.
The Pathfinder & Rover Explorer Scouts' Association (P-RESA) is an independent Traditional Scouting Association in the United Kingdom, with International branches. The Association's training programme runs along the lines of Baden-Powell's original Scouting for Boys, upholding the traditions and practices set out by B-P, using the 1938 Boy Scouts' Association Policy Organisation & Rules (POR) as its basis.
Scout Active Support is a section of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom that provides support to delivering the youth programme of the Scouts. This support is carried out by Scout Active Support Units, which can be based at every level of the association with 35 national units and over 1,400 other units at county, district and group levels.
Sangam World Centre is one of the five World Centres of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), located on the banks of the Mula River in Pune.
A Scout Group is a local organizational structure in some Scouting organizations that consists of different age programs, gender units and/or multiple units of the same age program.
Scouting in Wales provides an overview of Scouting activities in Wales. Scout troops have existed in the country since 1908 with the largest number of Scouts and volunteer leaders today linked to the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. This is done through ScoutsCymru, the Welsh Scout Council who split the region further into four regions and a total of 12 Scout Areas. In addition to the Scout Association, there are also traditional Scouting groups belonging to the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association and a number of Scouting clubs within Universities which are affiliated to the Student Scout and Guide Organisation.
The Boy Scouts Association's The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report 1966 attempted to address the association's falling enrolment numbers and modernise its programs. It resulted in changes from traditional iconic uniforms, changes to awards, training schemes, the association's name and other nomenclature, reduced distinctions between Cubs and Scouts and discontinuation of Rovers. However, the changes failed to halt decline in older enrolments, resulting in a shift to younger ages and also resulted in disaffection, a schism in the organisation, growth of the alternate British Boy Scouts and European Scout Federation, formation of independent Scout groups and further alternate Scout organisations, particularly the Traditional Scouting Baden-Powell Scouts' Association and helped to re-establish understanding of Scouts as a movement rather than a single organisation.
