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 Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 762,000 youth participants. The BSA was founded in 1910; about 110 million Americans have participated in its programs. BSA became a founding member organization of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922.
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.
Junák – český skaut, is the internationally recognized organization of Scouts and Guides of the Czech Republic. Founded in 1911, Junák – český skaut is the largest organisation of children and youth in the nation, with a membership of 73,315.
The Singapore Scout Association ("SSA") was founded in 1910, 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.
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 International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe - Federation of Scouts of Europe is a traditional faith-based Scouting organization with 20 member associations in 17 European countries and also in North America, serving roughly 65,000 members. The organization, headquartered in France, was founded in 1956 by a group of German and French Roman Catholic Scoutmasters as a faith-based Scouting movement, in order to reconcile the European peoples in the aftermath of the Second World War.
Bandalag íslenskra skáta is the national Scouting and Guiding organization of Iceland. Scouting was founded in Iceland in 1912 and was among the earlier members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1924. Guiding in Iceland was founded in 1922 and among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
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 Ghana Scout Association is the national Scouting association of Ghana. Scouting was founded in the British Gold Coast Colony in 1911 and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1960. The association has 3,919 members as of 2011. By 2019, the association has 13,496 members. In 2007, the Chief Scout was President John Agyekum Kufuor.
The Scout Association of Dominica, the national Scouting organization of Dominica, was founded in 1929, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1990. The coeducational Scout Association of Dominica has 1,100 members as of 2004.
The Scout movement in Belarus consisted of 1200 members when it joined the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in 2010. There are at least five nationwide associations as well as some regional associations. In addition, there were at one time Scouts-in-Exile in metropolitan areas of the United States, and there are presently international Scout units in Belarus.
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.
The 3rd World Scout Jamboree was held in 1929 at Arrowe Park in Upton, near Birkenhead, Wirral, United Kingdom. As it was commemorating the 21st birthday of Scouting for Boys and the Scouting movement, it is also known as the Coming of Age Jamboree. With about 30,000 Scouts and over 300,000 visitors attending, this jamboree was the largest jamboree so far.
The Girl Guides Association of Barbados (GGAB) is the national Guiding organization on the island nation of Barbados. It serves 3,500 members. Founded in 1918, the girls-only organization became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1969.
The Girl Guides Association of Grenada (GGAG) is the national guiding organization of Grenada. It serves 2288 members as of 2012. Founded in November 1925, at the Anglican High School, the girls-only organization became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) in 1990. It became a full member in 2011 at the 34th World Conference - Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, 11–15 July 2011.
The Scout movement in South Korea is served by the Girl Scouts Korea, member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and the Korea Scout Association, member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
The Scout and Guide movement in Dominica is served by
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.
Besides the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Girl Scouts of the USA, both of which still exist, there were other Scouting and Scout-like organizations that arose over the years in the United States. Many are now defunct, including these examples.
