Scouting and Guiding has been popular in Panama since the 1920s. Today, it is still a tradition practiced around the country. As of 2010, Panama has 1,775 Scouts. [1]
The Scout and Guide movement in Panama is served by
The first girl scout group ever founded in Panama was Asociación Nacional de Scouts de Panamá, which was founded in 1924.
Scouting in Panama became popular by the 1940s. By March 1942, there were already 542 new scouts. [2]
One of the first scouts in Panama was the Girl Scouts of the Canal Zone. Lillian Mountford led the group until her retirement in 1945. During her later life, she became an advocate for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. After she died, Mountford Lodge was named as a tribute to her. [2]
In 1950, Asociación de Muchachas Guías de Panamá was founded.
In 1959, the Lady Baden Powell Award (named after Olave Baden-Powell) was first introduced in Panama. [3]
From the 1980s to 2000s, girl scout groups operated near multiple U.S. military bases. [3]
In addition, there are American Boy Scouts in Panama, originally linked to the Canal Zone Council of the Boy Scouts of America, now part of Direct Service, which supports units around the world, through at least 1987. Also, in the 1950s and 1960s were the 900 member International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone, directly registered to the World Bureau. [4]
In 2020, the Panama National Assembly granted a Scroll of Recognition to the National Association of Scouts of Panama. [5]
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 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).
The Association of Guides and Scouts of Chile (AGSCH) began in 1978 when the Scout Association of Chile (ASCH) and the Girl Guides Association of Chile (AGCH) combined. It is affiliated with the World Association of Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and the World Scout Movement (WOSM). This connection allows the Association to participate in major global programs related to health, nutrition, world peace, environmental protection and integration of disabled into society, among other social issues of concern to the Association. Additionally, the affiliation grants the Association consultative status with the United Nations on matters concerning childhood and youth, and also membership in the Scout Parliamentary Union, consisting in Chile of more than thirty members.
Throughout the world there are many museums related to Scouting dedicated to preserving, communicating, and exhibiting the heritage of the Scouting movement for purposes of study, education, and enjoyment of society. A downloadable world directory of Scouting museums is available from the US Scouting Service Project.
The Scout Movement in Spain consists of about 30 independent associations, most of them active on the regional level. Due to the regionalisation of Spain, even the larger nationwide associations are divided into regional sub-associations with individual emblems, uniforms and Scout programs.
The Scouting and Guiding movement in Argentina consists of at least ten independent organizations as well as some international units. Scouting was officially founded in Argentina in 1912, shortly after the publication of "Scouting For Boys" in Spanish, was granted a National Charter in 1917, and was among the charter members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
The Asociación de Muchachas Guías de El Salvador is the national Guiding organization of El Salvador. It serves 499 members. Founded in 1944, the girls-only organization became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1949 and a full member in 1960.
The Asociación Nacional de Muchachas Guías de Guatemala is the national Guiding organization of Guatemala. It serves 980 members. Founded in 1935, the girls-only organization became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1957 and a full member in 1969.
The Asociación Nacional de Muchachas Guías de Honduras is the national Guiding organization of Honduras. It serves 5,484 members. Founded in 1953, the coeducational organization became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1981 and a full member in 2002.
The Scouting and Guiding movement in Mexico consists of several independent organizations.
The Asociación de Muchachas Guías de Panamá is the national Guiding organization of Panama. It serves 751 members. Founded in 1950, the girls-only organization became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1952.
The Federación Nacional de Muchachas Guías de Nicaragua is the national Guiding organization of Nicaragua. It serves 86 members. Founded in 1940, the girls-only organization became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1981.
The Scout and Guide movement in Japan is served by
The Scout and Guide movement in Guatemala is served by:
The Scout and Guide movement in Honduras is served by:
The Scout and Guide movement in Nicaragua is served by
The Scout and Guide movement in Paraguay is served by
The Scout and Guide movement in Peru is served by
Scouting and Guiding in the United Kingdom is served by several different organisations:
The International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Catholic Scout associations and to be a link between the Scout movement and the Catholic Church. Its headquarters is located in Rome, Italy.
The World Organization of Independent Scouts is an international Scouting organization for traditional Scouting.
At Balboa we met up with Gunnar Berg and Ray Wyland of the B.S.A., also on their way to Bogota, and had a conference about the question of coloured Scouts in the Canal Zone, who claim British and not Panamanian nationality. It was agreed that they should be taken under the wing of the Canal Zone Council of the Boy Scouts of America, but ten years later they were transferred directly under the International Bureau as the International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone.