Scouting and Guiding in Newfoundland and Labrador has a long history, from the 1900s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
There is a record of the Church Scout Patrols and Church Lads Brigade Scouts in Newfoundland. The British Boy Scouts also had an early presence. There is also a record of the Life-Saving Scouts and Guards of the Salvation Army.
The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom registered scouts in Newfoundland. After 1949, these came under The Boy Scouts Association's Canadian General Council which was later named Boy Scouts of Canada and is now Scouts Canada.
Scouts Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador Council administers the organization's operations in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Northeast Avalon Region Zone 3 (Central)
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In 1918 Newfoundland's first Guide Company was formed, although the province itself did not become part of Canada until 1949. Guides are served by the Guiding in Canada - Newfoundland & Labrador Council.
Canada has several associations which trace their roots to the Baden-Powell Scouts in the United Kingdom. They form the Canadian Federation of Independent Scouting, which is a member of the World Federation of Independent Scouts. Members of the federation include BPSA - Newfoundland and Labrador.
During the Cold War, there were American Boy Scouts (and Girl Scouts) in Goose Bay, linked to the Direct Service branch of the Boy Scouts of America, which supports units around the world. American Scouting at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base Troop 6 under the guidance of Ed Zeidler and Sgt. Henry Erben (the survival trainer for the first seven astronauts) was the furthest east BSA troop in North America. The Scout camp was eleven miles outside the base. The Scout troop ended with the base in 1966.
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Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth social movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports. Another widely recognized movement characteristic is the Scout uniform, by intent hiding all differences of social standing in a country and encouraging equality, with neckerchief and campaign hat or comparable headwear. Distinctive uniform insignia include the fleur-de-lis and the trefoil, as well as merit badges and other patches.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 175 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 57 million participants. WOSM was established in 1922, and has its operational headquarters at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and its legal seat in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the counterpart of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, between the ages of 5 and 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. 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 of Ireland (SAI; Irish: Cumann Gasógaíochta na hÉireann) was an Irish multi-denominational Scout association from 1908 until 2004, when it merged with the former Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland to form Scouting Ireland. It was named "Scouting Ireland (SAI)" in the years leading up to the merger. The SAI was formed soon after the publication of Scouting for Boys and was affiliated to the British Boy Scout Association, which meant its members were mainly unionist and hence Protestant in background. After the 1920s partition of Ireland, the SAI remained organised in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
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.
Scouting and Guiding in mainland China was reported as banned with the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) by the Communist Party since 1949. Instead, the Young Pioneers of China and the Communist Youth League, led by the Communist Party, have become the dominant youth organization in mainland China for younger and older youth, respectively. However, China now has multiple and originally separate Scouting activities within its borders. In 2004, the Scout Club of Hainan (海南童子军俱乐部), borrowing heavily from Scouting in terms of emblems, uniforms and activities, was founded in Hainan Province; it is, however, not affiliated with worldwide Scouting. An attempt to organize a nationwide Scouting organization in Wuhan was ended by the government in 2004. The Scout Association of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国童军总会), founded in 2008 serves Venture Scouts in both genders as well as Rover Scouts. The Rover Explorer Service Association operate groups in China.
The Scout and Guide movement in Canada is served by many separate organizations, some with various national and international affiliations.
Traditional Scouting is "old-fashioned" or "back to basics" Scouting in some form, often with an emphasis on woodcraft and scoutcraft activities. As a pluralist movement, there is no one set definition for the term, but most traditionalists share a common set of values and procedures. Traditionalists aim to return the Scout Movement to something approximating its original style and activities; rejecting the trend of modernizing the program in an attempt to widen its appeal and/or use the name "Scouts" for new programs for ever-younger children.
The Scout Movement of Romania consists of several associations with slightly different aims. Among them are:
Scouting in Saskatchewan goes back to the early days of Scouting in Canada in 1908.
Scouting in Nova Scotia has a long history, from 1908 to the present day. There is early record of Boys' Brigade scouts, Canadian Boy Scouts and Salvation Army's Life-Saving Scouts in Nova Scotia. Scouting in Nova Scotia is currently conducted by local Scout groups and various associations including Scouts Canada, L'Association des Scouts du Canada and Canadian Federation of Independent Scouts affiliates such as BPSA - Nova Scotia.
Non-aligned Scouting organizations is a term used by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and their member national organizations to refer to Scouting organizations that are not affiliated with them. See List of non-aligned Scouting organizations.
There are various controversies and conflicts that involve the Scouting movement. Scouting has sometimes become entangled in social controversies such as in nationalist resistance movements in India. Scouting was introduced to Africa by British officials as an instrument of colonial authority but became a subversive challenge to the legitimacy of British imperialism as Scouting fostered solidarity amongst African Scouts. There are also controversies and challenges within the Scout Movement itself such as current efforts to turn Scouts Canada into a democratic organization.
The Scout and Guide movement in Malta is served by three organizations:
Scouting in Hong Kong was begun by The Boys' Brigade in 1909. There is also a record of Chums Scouts and the British Boy Scouts in Hong Kong. Later, the St. Joseph's College Scouts were formed in 1913 and registered with The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom in 1914 as its 1st Hong Kong Troop. The Boy Scouts Association's Hong Kong Branch was formed in 1915 and after 1967 was renamed The Scout Association, Hong Kong Branch. In 1977, The Scout Association of Hong Kong was formed.
Scouting in The Bahamas began with independent local patrols and troops of Boy Scouts with the oldest of which records still exist being formed in 1912. There is also a record of Boys Brigade Scouts in the Bahamas.
Scouting and Guiding in the United Kingdom is served by several different organisations:
The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador has a unicameral legislature, the General Assembly composed of the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, which operates on the Westminster system of government. The executive function of government is formed by the Lieutenant Governor, the premier and his or her cabinet.
Youth organizations in the United States are of many different types. The largest is the government run 4-H program, followed by the federally chartered but private Scouting movement groups: the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). Another somewhat smaller but co-ed Scouting derived group is Camp Fire. Other youth groups are religious youth ministries such as the evangelical Christian Awana, Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinders, and Assemblies of God Royal Rangers.
