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 Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organisations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, and has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). WAGGGS is organised into five regions and operates five international Guiding centers. It holds full member status in the European Youth Forum (YFJ), which operates within the Council of Europe and European Union areas, and works closely with these bodies.
The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in 1918 and currently is the largest Scouting organization in Poland. The first ZHP was founded in 1916, the current one is the fourth organization with this name. It is a public benefit organization as defined by Polish law.
Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association. It is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a charitable organisation.
The European Scout Region is one of six geographical subdivisions of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a satellite office in Brussels, Belgium.
Slovenský skauting, is the primary national Scouting and Guiding organization of Slovakia. Currently has around 7000 members. With 3,157 Scouts and about 3,000 Guides. Slovenský Skauting is the largest youth organization in Slovakia and a member of both the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Scouting Nederland is the national Scout organisation of the Netherlands with approximately 110,000 members (53,324 male and 54,663 female, 87,000 youth members, as of 2010.
The Scout movement in Germany consists of about 150 different associations and federations with about 260,000 Scouts and Guides.
Svenska Scoutrådet was, until 2012, the national Scouting and Guiding Federation of Sweden. The council was dissolved in September 2013 after a restructuring process creating the new single national Scout association, Scouterna.
The Solomon Islands Scout Association (SISA), (formerly the Solomon Islands branch of The Scout Association, founded in 1928, is a National Scout Organisation of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. It was a branch of the United Kingdom Scout Association for historical reasons and because the number of Scouts in the Solomon Islands was relatively small. Moves to achieve official WOSM membership began as early as 2007, and this recognition was granted in June 2021. The Chief Scout role is traditionally held by the Governor General, Nathaniel Waena.
The Scout and Guide movement in Denmark consists of about ten different associations. Most of them are members of two large federations, but there are also some independent organizations. Affiliated to Danish Scouting and Guiding are the organizations in Greenland, on the Faroe Islands and in Southern Schleswig.
Girlguiding Bermuda is a Guiding organisation in Bermuda. It is one of the nine branch associations of Girlguiding UK. It is represented by Girlguiding UK at World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) level and Girlguiding UK's Chief Guide is also Chief Guide for Girlguiding Bermuda. Girlguiding Bermuda is part of the Caribbean Link for Guiding.
National Scouting and Guiding organisations are divided into different age groups to deliver the Scouting and Guiding programmes for a full range of youth.
The Girl Guides Association of Saint Lucia is the national Guiding organisation of Saint Lucia. It serves 2,181 members. Founded in 1925, the girls-only organisation became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1984. It is a member organisation of the Caribbean Link for Guiding.
The Scout and Guide movement in Australia consists of:
The Scout and Guide movement in Thailand is served by two organisations:
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.
Girl Guides is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909, when girls requested to join the then-grassroots Boy Scout Movement.
