Portal:Scouting/Selected article archive/2009

2006 2007 2008 2009

January 31, 2009 - The Boy Scouts of the Philippines is the National Scout Association for boys and young men of the Philippines. Its mission is to imbue in the youth the love of God, country, and fellow men; to train young people to become responsible leaders; and to contribute in nation-building. The BSP was chartered under Philippine Commonwealth Act No. 111 on October 31, 1936. Its predecessor was the Philippine Council chartered by the Boy Scouts of America in 1923 through the work of Filipino, American, and Chinese businessmen and interest groups. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines began in 1923 with the establishment of the Philippine Council of the Boy Scouts of America (the Philippines being an American possession at the time). The Philippines, having acquired Commonwealth status in 1935, became an independent Scouting nation in 1936 with the transition of the Philippine Council into the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. In 1940, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines was founded. In 1959, the 10th World Scout Jamboree was held in Mount Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, the first world Scout jamboree held in Asia.

February 28, 2009 - February 22 is World Thinking Day or just Thinking Day for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world. It is a day to think about the meaning of Guiding and Scouting and about Scouts and Guides in all the countries of the world. Many troops use it as an opportunity to study about other countries and cultures. Donations are collected for the Thinking Day Fund which supports projects to help Guides and Scouts around the world. February 22 was chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and World Chief Guide. Other Scouts celebrate it as B.-P. Day or Founders Day.

March 31, 2009 - Humshaugh, England, is the site of the first official Scout camp, held in August, 1908, a year after the more famous experimental camp on Brownsea Island. However, this is misleading, Humshaugh was a large Parish, before sub division, and the Scouts took the train to Chollerford, the nearest station to Humshaugh, and walked up through Walwick and the woods to the site, which is known as Look Wide! The actual site is on land belonging Park Shields Farm (grid reference NY 885 697), near to Fourstones, and is now marked by a cairn commemorating the event.

April 30, 2009 - Nkwenkwe Nkomo is the group deputy chairman of FCB SA, South Africa's largest marketing communication group, and chairperson of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of South Africa. He also serves as one of 12 elected volunteer members of the World Scout Committee, the main executive body of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. As an anti-apartheid student activist in the 1970s, he was one of the so-called "SASO nine" imprisoned on Robben Island for six years. He served two five-year terms as Chief Scout of South Africa, from 1996 to 2005, of which he says, "As Chief Scout I am chief servant". Nkwenkwe Nkomo was elected at the 37th World Scout Conference held September 2005 in Yasmine Hammamet, Tunisia, for a six-year term, along with five other members from a field of 15 candidates from around the world.

May 31, 2009 - The World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) was formed in Laubach, Germany, in 1996 by Lawrie Dring, a British Scouter with the independent Baden-Powell Scouts Association (BPSA). The World Federation of Independent Scouts is open to any Scouting association that is not affiliated with another international organization. WFIS requires that member associations "follow, and use, Baden-Powell's original program, traditions, uniforms, morals, ethics, and structure as laid out in Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys, amended only for "health, environmental, first-aid, and safety reasons". At present there are 53 WFIS-affiliated associations in 32 countries, plus one umbrella federation, with an estimated 30,000 members.

June 30, 2009 - IMWe is an annual Scouting and Guiding event run by the German Scout Association Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (VCP). IMWe stands for Internationale Musische Werkstatt (International Creative Workshop). It takes place annually, usually at Rieneck Castle, near Würzburg in Germany. The aim of IMWe is to give leaders of Guide and Scout groups the opportunity to explore their creative talents in a setting free of their usual responsibilities, within a set theme. IMWe is prepared on behalf of the German VCP by an international group of scouts who meet several times a year to organize the workshop, which is always held around Easter each year. The workshop lasts for 8 or 9 days and always has a certain theme. All Guides and Scouts of 17 years plus are welcome at IMWe.

July 31, 2009 - Scout Promise is the cornerstone of the Scout Movement. Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law. The wording of the Scout Promise (or Oath) and Scout Law have varied slightly over time and from country to country. Some national organization promises are given below. Although most Scouting and Guiding organizations use the word 'promise', a few such as the Boy Scouts of America tend to use 'oath' instead. Typically, Scouts and Guides will make the three-fingered Scout Sign when reciting the promise.