Author | The Boy Scouts Association |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Publisher | The Boy Scouts Association |
Publication date | 1966 |
Media type | |
Pages | 522 |
The Boy Scouts Association's The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report 1966 [1] attempted to address the association's falling enrollment numbers and modernise its programs. [2] It resulted in changes to 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 (British Association), 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. [2]
The Boy Scouts Association Chief Scout's Advance Party was formed in January 1964, when 24 Scout Leaders under the age of 45 were invited to "study all aspects of the future of Scouting and to make recommendations, after consultation with the Movement, to the Chief Scout as to the development of the Movement, both in the immediate future and for the 1970s." The Advance Party met as a body for six weekends, with various sub-committees holding an additional 166 meetings and the chairmen of these committees meeting on three occasions.
This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(November 2022) |
Chairman: The Chief Scout, Sir Charles Maclean
Secretary: E.W. Hayden; Training Secretary, Headquarters
The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report 1966 to The Boy Scouts Association's Committee of the Council was 200,000 words long on 522 foolscap pages. This was reduced to 50,000 words in a 175-page handbook size "Advance Party Report, Popular Edition" through summarising and omitting many of the arguments relating to the 409 recommendations.
1 That The Boy Scouts Association be renamed as The Scout Association.
2 Wolf Cubs be renamed Cub Scouts.
3 That the Scout and Cub Scout Promise be the same, with the removal of the phrases "On my honour" and "at all times".
4 That the original Scout Law be re-written, becoming-
5 That a new training and advancement scheme be introduced.
6 All Sections should use the same Scout salute.
7 That "Be Prepared" be the motto for the whole Scout Movement.
8 That the minimum age for entry into the Scout Movement be 8 years, with no pre-Cub training.
9 That the maximum age for membership of a Training Section of the Movement be 20 years.
10 That there be three Training Sections in the Movement;
11 That Scout Troops of approximately 36 members be formed by amalgamation or pooling of resources of smaller troops.
12 That the registration of Lone Scouts be discontinued.
13 That a set of minimum standards be introduced, with Groups failing to meet these standards being closed;
14 That a maximum age-limit for Scouters and Commissioners be introduced.
15 That there be an increase in the number of paid Scouters.
16 That shorts will only be worn as part of the uniform by members of the Cub Scout section.
The Boy Scouts Association published Design for Scouting, [3] outlining which of The Chief Scout's Advance Party Report 1966 recommendations had been accepted by its Committee of the Council. Only a few of the proposals were amended. Notably, it was decided against the deletion of "On my honour" from the Scout Promise; this obviated the need for the first of the proposed eight Scout Laws, leaving only seven. The suggestion that the Wood Badge insignia (for adult leader training) be replaced by a cloth emblem was also not adopted. [4] The first changes to be implemented were the adoption of the new Laws and Promises in October 1966 followed, in May 1967, by the formal name change from The Boy Scouts Association to The Scout Association. In October of that year, the new uniform was introduced along with the new training schemes, including the launch of the Venture Scout section. [5] The most apparent and impacting changes were:
Less apparent but of impact were:
Such radical changes were not welcomed by all Scout Association supporters and many relinquished positions, with loss and even disaffection, particularly of longer-term leaders and supporters, some joining alternate Scout organisations such as the British Boy Scouts and European Scout Federation (British Association) and some Scout groups and Rover crews becoming independent or forming new Scout associations.
The Scout Action Group formed in response to the Advance Party Report and, in 1970, published A Boy Scout Black Paper, [6] providing alternative proposals for the future of the Scout Association and asking for Scout Groups that wished to continue to follow Baden-Powell's original schemes to be allowed to do so. These proposals were not accepted by the Scout Association, resulting in a schism in the organisation and the formation of the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association, a Traditional Scouting organisation. [7]
The front cover of A Boy Scout Black Paper features a photograph of a Southeast London Scout Group which, it was claimed, was forced to close under the Advance Party Report as the leader was aged 65 and no replacement leader was available. The Paper concludes with a copy of a letter from the Scout Association's North and Central Lambeth Council refusing to re-register the Group and therefore forcing its closure.
Overall numbers continued to reduce until the Scout Association's annual census of 31 March 1969 (18 months after the implementation of the Report) showed modest increases across two sections of the Association. The total of 531,011 included 249,561 Cub Scouts, 188,379 Scouts and 21,698 Venture Scouts in 11,704 Scout Groups. The association's total number of young people within the reduced Statutory Youth Service age range of 14 to 21 was over 81,000. [8] The Advance Party Report failed to recover the losses of older boys, with 55,206 Senior Scouts and Rover Scouts recorded in 1966 having been replaced by just 21,698 Venture Scouts in the 1969 figures. The highest recorded membership of the Venture Scout section was 39,307 in 1989 (after the 1976 admission of girls into the Venture Scout section). By March 1978, a decade after implementation, the overall Scout Association total had risen to 636,148, including 308,152 Cub Scouts, 207,276 Scouts and 27,905 Venture Scouts (of whom, 2,218 were girls). The number of Scout Groups had fallen to 11,464, reflecting the policy of amalgamating smaller units which had been proposed by the Advance Party. [9] Many of the Advance Party Report changes, such as dropping the word "Boy" from "Boy Scout" were aimed at changing the Scout Association's juvenile image [1] but the changes did not increase recruitment in older ages and, more significantly, failed to slow turnover rates to increase retention periods and turnover rates of leaders increased. By 1998 the majority (68%) of members of The Scout Association were under 11 years old. [2]
Since the Advance Party Report, the Scout Association has carried-out further reviews of its training schemes with increasing rapidity, some continuing but others contrary and some even effectively reversing recommendations to the Advance Party Report. However, the Association has avoided such a widespread and fundamental review and making as many changes as with the Advance Party Report. A new training scheme and progress awards for the Scout section were launched in April 1985, [10] Against the recommendations of Advance Party Report, the Beaver Scout section for 6 and 7 year olds was launched in April 1986 after a trial scheme and in February 1990, it was decided in principle that the Association would become fully co-educational. [11] A new training scheme for Cub Scouts was launched in September 1990. [12] In May 2000, The Programme Review was received by the Scout Association's Committee of the Council after extensive consultation within the Association and with focus groups. A uniform review was conducted shortly afterwards. New uniforms were launched during London Fashion Week in 2001 and implementation of the new training programmes began in 2002. This included splitting Ventures back into two sections, Explorer Scouts (14−18) and Scout Network (18−25); [13] effectively restoring the pre-Advance Party Report age ranges by December 2003. [14]
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth 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.
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.
Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'Pack'.
Founded in 1908, The Scout Association of Malta (TSAM) is the Scouting organization in Malta. TSAM has always maintained a high and respectable Scouting tradition. Its leaders and members are committed to further the ideals of Scouting in line with those as traditionally established by the youth movement's Founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell of Gilwell, and as further developed by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). TSAM is a forward looking youth movement which, as a non-governmental organisation (NGO), enjoys great respect both locally and internationally. It is the only association in Malta which is recognised by the WOSM, and is also a member of the European Scout Region.
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.
The Singapore Scout Association ("SSA") was founded in 1910, just two years after the Scout Movement was launched by Robert Baden-Powell in Great Britain. This makes it the oldest established youth movement in Singapore.
The Cub Scouts are part of the Singapore Scout Association (SSA). They were formerly known as "Wolf Cubs" in the pre-1966 era when Singapore Scouting was still under the jurisdiction of the Scout Association, UK.
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 Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) is the national Scouting and Guiding association of India. The national headquarters of BSG is recognised by the Government of India.
The Bangladesh Scouts is the national Scouting organization of Bangladesh. Now The Chief Scout of Bangladesh is MD 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 1,474,460 members as of 2015.
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.
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.
John Frederick Colquhoun, CBE, nicknamed "Koko", was a long-serving headquarters official of The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom and served on the World Organization of the Scout Movement's committee from 1959 to 1965.
Scouts, often referred to as the Scout section to differentiate itself from the wider movement and its parent organisation, is a section of Scouting run by The Scout Association for ten and a half to fourteen year old young people. The section follows on from Cub Scouts and precedes Explorer Scouts. Since 1991, the section has been coeducational and today the Scout section accepts young people from all backgrounds, faiths and genders.
The Wolf Cub's Handbook is an instructional handbook on Wolf Cubs training, published in various editions since December 1916. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being extensively rewritten by others. The book has a theme based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book jungle setting and characters.
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.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on The Boy Scouts Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several youth organizations were active, and many became part of the BSA.
Cub Scouts, often shortened to Cubs, are a section of Scouting operated by The Scout Association with a core age of eight to ten and a half years of age. This section follows on from the Beaver Scouts and precedes the Scout section.
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.
In the Boy Scouts of America, a Scout leader refers to the trained leaders of a Scout unit. Adult leaders are generally referred to as "Scouters," and the youth leaders are referred to by their position within a unit. In all Scouting units above the Cub Scout pack and units serving adolescent Scouts, leadership of the unit comprises both adult leaders (Scouters) and youth leaders (Scouts). This is a key part of the Aims and Methods of Scouting. In order to learn leadership, the youth must actually serve in leadership roles.