Scouting

Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century.

It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking and sports. A widely recognized movement characteristic is the Scout uniform, by intent hiding all differences of social standing and encouraging equality, with neckerchief (known as a scarf in some countries) and (originally) a campaign hat or comparable headwear. Distinctive insignia include the fleur-de-lis as well as merit badges or patches. In many countries, girl only organizations, whose members are often called Guides instead of Scouts, use a trefoil insignia instead of the fleur-de-lis.

The original program was for youths between the ages of 11 and 17. Other programs for youths who are too young to be in the main program and take the Scout Promise sometimes exist within an organization. Early examples are Wolf Cubs and Brownies. Programs can also exist for those who are older. Early examples are Rovers or Rangers. The actual names or even existence depend on organization and time period. Speciality programs, such as Sea Scouts, exist.

In 2019, there were over 55 million Scouts and Guides in at least 155 countries. The Scout Movement is a pluralist movement, not a unitary organization. Numerous local, national and international Scout organizations have been formed. The largest international organizations are the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS); some national organization belong to both.

In the late nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, there was popular interest in frontier and military scouts. Boys and girls read fictional and non fictional stories about scouts and emulated these scouts in dress and activities and used self-help manuals. Some teachers and youth leaders instructed boys and girls in scout craft. Reconnaissance and Scouting (1884) and Aids to Scouting, books on military scout training written by Robert Baden-Powell, were among the sources used for instruction. Sales of Aids to Scouting were fueled by Baden-Powell's fame as hero of the Second Boer War.

Inspired by the interest in his books on scout training and urged by the Boys' Brigade founder, William A. Smith and leaders, some of whom had adopted Scout training, and by the publishers, C. Arthur Pearson Ltd, Baden-Powell began writing a book for boy readership. Baden-Powell was also motivated by his experience with the Mafeking Cadet Corp and the poor physical standards of recruits and their poor preparation for colonial wars. He studied other youth training schemes. In July 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton, a British-born Canadian raised naturalist, artist and writer living in the United States, sent Baden-Powell a copy of his 1902 book The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians and they met in October 1906 and shared ideas about youth training, providing Baden-Powell with a scheme for delivery of scout training.

In August 1907, Baden-Powell led a week-long experimental Scout camp on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset England to test his ideas. Twenty-one boys from various social backgrounds, from boy's schools in the London area and a section of boys from the Poole, Parkstone, Hamworthy, Bournemouth and Winton Boys' Brigade units attended the camp. Following Seton's scheme, the boys organized themselves in small groups with an elected leader. The camp was accompanied by advertising and followed by an extensive promotional speaking tour arranged by C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. to promote the forthcoming book.

In 1908, Baden-Powell's book, Scouting for Boys, was published in six fortnightly parts, followed in April by The Scout magazine. These omitted many military aspects of Aids to Scouting and transferred the techniques (mainly survival skills) to non-military heroes: backwoodsmen, explorers He also added innovative educational principles (the Scout method) by which he extended the attractive game to a personal mental education. and provided descriptions of the Scout method of outdoor activities aiming at developing character, citizenship training and Physical fitness among youth. Later in 1908, Scouting for Boys was published in book form and a revised edition was published in 1909 and was the basis for the 1910 Boy Scout Handbook of the Boy Scouts of America by Seton. The various editions of the book are now the fourth-bestselling title of all time. The original edition and magazine described a scheme which could be used by established organizations, particular the various Brigade Movement organizations. However, because of the popular image of scouts and desire for adventurous outdoor activities, boys and even some girls formed their own Scout patrols and troops, independent of any organization.