History of Scouting
The heart of the Scout Family is the Scout section, and for several years following the foundation of the movement, in 1907, there were only Scouts.
Wolf Cubs came in 1914, for boys not yet old enough for Scouts. Senior Scouts followed in 1917. The titles of these sections have since changed to Cub Scouts and Venture Scouts (and now Explorer and Network Scouts) respectively. The Beaver section was introduced in 1982 for 6 to 8 year olds and became officially recognised in 1986.
Scouting started when Sir William Smith, founder of the Boys Brigade, persuaded Robert Baden-Powell to develop a training scheme which would be attractive to members of the Brigade and other youth organisations. Baden-Powell tested his ideas at an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in 1907, the success of which led to him explaining his methods in Scouting for Boys which was serialised in fortnightly parts the following year. The appeal of Scouting for boys exceeded all expectations and as a result of its publication, groups of boys all over the country began forming themselves into Scout Patrols. These patrols joined together to form Troops and the rest, as they say, is history.
The uniforms have changed, with major changes coming in 1967 and 2001.
In 2002 the whole Scouting Programme was updated, and again in 2015.
What is Scouting?
Outdoor Activities are a big feature of the Scout Movement. The highlight of the year is the annual Summer Camp. Even in the winter there may still be opportunities for a weekend camp, hopefully with some snow!
Map reading, camp cooking, first aid and other useful skills can be practised at any time of the year. There are often more adventurous activities such as rock climbing, pioneering, orienteering, canoeing and rafting.
The other element to the training scheme are the community projects which had their origin in the "Scout's Good Turn". This could be anything from joining a local conservation group to fund raising for charity.
The range of activities varies enormously, and now Scouts can take up electronics, amateur radio, car mechanics and IT as well as the traditional outdoor activities.
Wolf Cubs came in 1914, for boys not yet old enough for Scouts. Senior Scouts followed in 1917. The titles of these sections have since changed to Cub Scouts and Venture Scouts (and now Explorer and Network Scouts) respectively. The Beaver section was introduced in 1982 for 6 to 8 year olds and became officially recognised in 1986.
Scouting started when Sir William Smith, founder of the Boys Brigade, persuaded Robert Baden-Powell to develop a training scheme which would be attractive to members of the Brigade and other youth organisations. Baden-Powell tested his ideas at an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in 1907, the success of which led to him explaining his methods in Scouting for Boys which was serialised in fortnightly parts the following year. The appeal of Scouting for boys exceeded all expectations and as a result of its publication, groups of boys all over the country began forming themselves into Scout Patrols. These patrols joined together to form Troops and the rest, as they say, is history.
The uniforms have changed, with major changes coming in 1967 and 2001.
In 2002 the whole Scouting Programme was updated, and again in 2015.
What is Scouting?
Outdoor Activities are a big feature of the Scout Movement. The highlight of the year is the annual Summer Camp. Even in the winter there may still be opportunities for a weekend camp, hopefully with some snow!
Map reading, camp cooking, first aid and other useful skills can be practised at any time of the year. There are often more adventurous activities such as rock climbing, pioneering, orienteering, canoeing and rafting.
The other element to the training scheme are the community projects which had their origin in the "Scout's Good Turn". This could be anything from joining a local conservation group to fund raising for charity.
The range of activities varies enormously, and now Scouts can take up electronics, amateur radio, car mechanics and IT as well as the traditional outdoor activities.