Scouting is a worldwide movement that provides young people with opportunities to participate in programs, events, activities and projects that contribute to their growth as active citizens. Through these initiatives, young people become agents of positive change who inspire others to take action.
Mission
“The Mission of Scouting is to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society.” The Mission was adopted at the 35th World Scout Conference in Durban, South Africa in 1999. Illustrating both the local and global impact of Scouting, the Mission of Scouting has been captured in World Scouting’s brand as “Creating a Better World”.
Vision
“By 2023 Scouting will be the world’s leading educational youth movement, enabling 100 million young people to be active citizens creating positive change in their communities and in the world based on shared values.” The Vision for Scouting, Vision 2023, was adopted at the 40th World Scout Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2014.
Strategic Priorities
The following Strategic Priorities were adopted at the 40th World Scout Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2014.
- Youth Engagement: Scouting should give young people the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge, empowering them to take an active part in the Movement and in their communities. Involvement, recognition and intergenerational exchange are key in providing a framework for our youth members.
- Educational Methods: The Youth Programme should provide a non-formal learning environment, strengthening the capacity of young people to face the challenges of tomorrow. Scouting should attract, train and retain quality adult volunteers to deliver the Youth Programme.
- Diversity & Inclusion: Scouting should reflect the societies in which it exists and actively work to welcome all individuals without distinction. This diversity should not only be reflected in the membership, but also the methods and programmes used within the Movement.
- Social Impact: Every Scout should be involved in community service and share their experiences to inspire others. Through activities and projects, Scouts contribute to their communities and become leaders of positive change.
- Communications & External Relations: Scouting’s profile should accurately portray what we do and why we do it, reflecting our shared values. By using the most impactful methods of communication, and engaging in strategically relevant partnerships, Scouting should be recognised as the world’s leading youth movement.
- Governance: The governance of WOSM should be transparent, accountable, efficient and clearly linked to its overall strategy, and focused on achieving the mission and vision of the Movement. The roles and responsibilities of the different levels in the organisation should be clearly defined and understood, ensuring a customer-focused approach. In doing so, we ensure high synergy across all levels of WOSM with a high “return on investment”.
History
There are more than 50 million Scouts, young people and adults, male and female, in over 200 countries and territories. Some 500 million people have been Scouts, including prominent people in every field.
All this began with 20 boys and an experimental camp in 1907. It was held during the first nine days of August in 1907 at Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset, England. The camp was a great success and proved to its organizer, Robert Baden-Powell, that his training and methods appealed to young people and really worked. In January 1908, Baden-Powell published the first edition of “Scouting for Boys”. It was an immediate success and has since sold over 100 million copies, making it one of the best selling books of all time. Baden-Powell had only intended to provide a method of training boys, something that existing youth organisations such as the Boys’ Brigade and YMCA could adopt. To his surprise, youngsters started to organise themselves into what was to become one of the largest voluntary youth movements in the world.
The success of “Scouting for Boys” produced a Movement that quickly – automatically it seemed – adopted the name of The Boy Scouts. By 1909 “Scouting for Boys” had been translated into five languages, and a Scout rally in London attracted more than 11,000 Scouts. As a result of Baden-Powell taking a holiday in South America, Chile was one of the first countries outside Britain to begin Scouting. In 1910 he visited Canada and the United States where it had already started. The coming of World War I in 1914 could have brought about the collapse of the Movement, but the training provided through the patrol system proved its worth. Patrol leaders took over when adult leaders volunteered for active service. Scouts contributed to the war effort in England in many ways; most notable perhaps were the Sea Scouts who took the place of regular coast-guardsmen, freeing them for service.
The first World Scout Jamboree took place in 1920 with 8,000 participants, and proved that young people from different nations could come together to share common interests and ideals. Since that first World Jamboree at Olympia in London, there have been 21 others at different locations. During the Jamboree, the first World Scout Conference (then called “International Scout Conference”) was held with 33 National Scout Organizations represented. The Boy Scouts International Bureau, later to become the World Scout Bureau, was founded in London in 1920. In 1922 the first World Scout Committee was elected at the 2nd International Conference in Paris, where 31 National Scout Organizations were represented. World membership was just over 1 million.
In 2007 the Movement celebrated its centenary – 100 years of Scouting. What started as a small camp on Brownsea Island is today a growing Movement with members in nearly every country in the world. Through its unique combination of adventure, education and fun, Scouting manages to continuously renew and adapt itself to a changing world and the different needs and interests of young people across the globe. In doing so it continues to be an inspiration for young people to become active local and global citizens, helping them in creating a better world.
The World Crest
The World Crest is a Scout emblem that has been worn by an estimated 250 million Scouts since the Scouting movement was founded. It is still worn by 54 million Scouts in 216 countries and territories and is one of the world’s best-known symbols.
Scouts and members of the public often ask how the emblem originated. Lord Baden-Powell himself gave the answer: “Our badge we took from the ‘North Point’ used on maps for orienteering.” Lady Baden-Powell said later, “It shows the true way to go.” The emblem’s symbolism helps to remind Scouts to be as true and reliable as a compass in keeping to their Scouting ideals and showing others the way.
The crest is designed with a center motif encircled by a rope tied with a reef or square knot, which symbolizes the unity and brotherhood of the movement throughout the world. Even as one cannot undo a reef knot no matter how hard one pulls on it, so, as it expands, the movement remains united.
The three tips of the center fleur-de-lis represent the three points of the Scout Promise. In some countries, the two decorative five-pointed stars stand for truth and knowledge.
The crest is white on a royal purple background. These colors are symbolic as well. In heraldry, white represents purity and royal purple denotes leadership and help given to other people.
The World Crest is an emblem of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is authorized for wear on the uniform of all member associations as a symbol of membership in a world brotherhood. It is authorized by the Boy Scouts of America to be worn by all adult and youth members as a permanent patch centered horizontally over the left pocket and vertically between the left shoulder seam and the top of the pocket.
The BSA donates a small portion of the proceeds from each patch sold to the World Scout Foundation to assist with the development of Scouting’s emerging nations.