Some troops are co-educational, for those troops this article is relevant to them.

For girl troops and boy scouts in co-educational troops see: Girl Guide and Girl Scout. This is an article about the young person in the Scouting movement

Scouts and Guides coming from various nations sing at the European Jamboree 2005

A Boy Scout is a boy, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. BOY is a Canadian Indie pop band The band consists of vocalist and general instrumentalist Stephen Kozmeniuk, drummer Maurie Kaufmann, Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual Because of the large age and development span, have many Scouting associations split this age group in a junior and a senior section. National Scouting and Guiding organisations are divided into different age groups in order to deliver the Scouting and Guiding programmes for a full range Boy Scouts are organized into troops averaging twenty to thirty Scouts under guidance of one or more Scout leaders. The Scout troop is a unit of Scouts Boy Scouts Girl Guides and Girl Scouts that usually meet weekly A Scout Leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit Troops subdivide into patrols of about six Scouts and engage in outdoor and special interest activities. In Military tactics, a patrol is often a small tactical grouping sent out by land sea or air to perform a specific task Troops may affiliate with local, national and international organizations. Some national Scouting associations have special interest programs such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, outdoor high adventure, Scouting bands and rider scouts. Air Scouts are members of the international Scouting movement with a particular emphasis on flying-based activities For the frogman-detector sonar system see NuvoSonic. Sea Scouts are members of the international Scouting movement with a particular High adventure is a type of outdoor experience It typically is meant to include activities like backpacking, Hiking, Kayaking or Canoeing. Some troops, especially in Europe, have been co-educational since the 1970s, allowing boys and girls to work together as Scouts. Mixed-sex education, (or just Mixed education) also known as Coeducation, is the integrated education to males and females at the same school facilities

Foundation

Main article: Scouting

Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts as an organization in 1908, a few months after the first scout encampment at Brownsea Island Scout camp in 1907. Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide Youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical mental and spiritual The Brownsea Island Scout camp was a boys camping event on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, southern England organised by Lieutenant-General Baden-Powell ^[1] Baden-Powell got the idea from his experiences with the British Army in South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa To advance his ideas, Baden-Powell wrote Scouting for Boys for boy readership, which describes the Scout method of outdoor activities aiming at developing character, citizenship, and personal fitness qualities among youth. Scouting for Boys A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908 The Scout method is the informal educational system used by Scouting. ^[2] Many boys joined in Scouting activities so that the movement grew rapidly to become the world's largest youth organization.

The Boy Scout program is designed to develop youths who have a high degree of self-reliance, initiative, courage, helpfulness, integrity and resourcefulness. Boy Scouts should be helpful; understand their society, heritage, and culture; have respect for the rights of others; and be positive leader-citizens. ^[3][4]

Over time, the Boy Scout program has been reviewed and updated in many of the countries where it is run, and special interest programs developed such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, outdoor high adventure, Scouting bands and rider scouts, but the same core values and principles as Baden-Powell originally envisaged still apply. Air Scouts are members of the international Scouting movement with a particular emphasis on flying-based activities For the frogman-detector sonar system see NuvoSonic. Sea Scouts are members of the international Scouting movement with a particular High adventure is a type of outdoor experience It typically is meant to include activities like backpacking, Hiking, Kayaking or Canoeing.

Age groups and sections

Main article: Age Groups in Scouting and Guiding

Originally, the Boy Scout program was aimed at 11-16 year old boys. National Scouting and Guiding organisations are divided into different age groups in order to deliver the Scouting and Guiding programmes for a full range However, the younger brothers of Boy Scouts started to attend Troop meetings, and so the Wolf Cub section was started. A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons mainly boys normally aged 8–10 It was also evident that young girls wanted to participate in similar activities, but the Edwardian values at the time would not allow young boys and girls to "rough and tumble" together, causing the Guide Movement to be created. This is an article about the young person in the Scouting movement

While most Boy Scouts may join a troop after finishing Cub Scouts, this is not required. As Scouts get older, they often seek more challenging and diverse activities. He may later join another affiliated program for older boys, such as Exploring, Venturing or Rovering. Rover Scouting is a service division of Scouting for young men and in some countries women

Activities

Main article: Scout method

Boy Scouts at a campfire ring at summer camp

A Boy Scout learns the cornerstones of the Scout method, Scout Promise, and Scout Law. The Scout method is the informal educational system used by Scouting. 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 Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908 all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement These are designed to instill character, citizenship, personal fitness, and leadership in boys through a structured program of outdoor activities. ^[5][6] Common ways to implement the Scout method include spending time together in small groups with shared experiences, rituals, and activities; as well as emphasizing good citizenship and decision-making that are age-level appropriate. Cultivating a love and appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor activities are key elements. Primary activities include camping, woodcraft, first aid, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports. Definition Camping describes a range of activities Survivalist campers set off with little more than their boots whereas Recreational vehicle travelers arrive equipped The term woodcraft denotes skills and experience in matters relating to living and thriving in the woods — such as Hunting, Fishing, and Camping First aid is the provision of initial care for an Illness or Injury. The word 'hiking' is understood in all English-speaking countries but there are differences in usage Backpacking (in US tramping, trekking, or bushwalking in other countries combines Hiking and camping in a single Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively

Scouts are known throughout the world for performing acts of public good and sometimes acts of heroism. For example, a boy Scout foiled an assassination attempt on Maldives' President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom by "grabbing an attacker's knife as the man leapt from a crowd and lunged at the leader. The Maldives ( or, or Maldive Islands) officially the Republic of Maldives, is an Island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ( Dhivehi: މައުމޫނު އަބްދުލް ގައްޔޫމް (born 29 December 1937 has been the President of the Republic of Maldives "^[7] The scout, Ibrahim Jaisham, a male member of the co-educational The Scout Association of Maldives, sustained minor injuries during the intervention and was subsequently treated. Maldives has 5072 Scouts served by The Scout Association of Maldives ( Divehi ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ސްކައުޓް އެސޯސިއޭޝަން which was ^[8][9]

Fellowship

Camping most often occurs on a unit level, such as in the troop, but there are periodic camporees and jamborees. A camporee is a local or regional gathering of Scouting units for a period of camping and common activities In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level Camporees are events where units from a local area camp together for a weekend. These occur a couple times a year and usually have a theme, such as pioneering. Pioneering is the art of using ropes and wooden spars joined by lashings and Knots to create a structure Jamborees are large events on a national or international level held every four years where thousands of Scouts camp together for 1-2 weeks. Activities at these events include games, scoutcraft competitions, patch trading, aquatics, woodcarving, archery, and rifle and shotgun shooting. Scouting memorabilia collecting is the hobby (and in many cases the study of preserving and cataloguing Boy Scouting and Girl Guiding items for their historic aesthetic

For many Scouts and Scouters, the highlight of the year is spending at least a week in the summer as part of an outdoor activity. This can be a long event such as camping, hiking, sailing, canoeing, or kayaking with the unit or a summer camp operated on a council, state, or provincial level. Scouts attending a summer camp, generally one week during the summer, work on merit badges, advancement, and perfecting scoutcraft skills. Some summer camps operate specialty programs, such as sailing, backpacking, canoeing and whitewater, caving, and fishing. Sailing is the art of controlling a Sailing vessel. By changing the Rigging, Rudder and dagger or centre board a Sailor manages the force Canoeing is the activity of paddling a Canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip Sport, or transportation. Whitewater is formed in a Rapid, when a River 's gradient drops enough to disturb its Laminar flow and create Turbulence, i Caving or spelunking is the recreational Sport of exploring Caves In contrast Speleology is the scientific study of caves and the cave For the computer security term see Phishing. Fishing is the activity of catching Fish.

Personal progression

A large part, compared to younger and older sections, of the activities are related to personal progression. All Scouting organizations have an advancement program, whereby the Scout learns scoutcraft, community service, leadership and explores areas of interest to him. Scoutcraft is a term used to cover a variety of Woodcraft knowledge and skills required by people seeking to venture into wild country and sustain themselves independently This Badge system or Personal Progressive Scheme is based on two complementary elements:

• Proficiency (Merit) badges, which are intended to encourage the Scout to learn a subject which could be his work or hobby, so cover many different types of activities, not always related to the Scouting game.
• Class badges or Progress system, which symbolize increasingly difficult levels or successive stages.

Most Scouting associations have a highest badge that require mastering scoutcraft, leadership, and performing community service. This is a list of highest awards in Scouting for youth members in the various national Scouting organizations Only a small percentage of Scouts attain them.

Unit affiliation

Troop

Main article: Scout troop

A group of Australian boy and girl Scouts hike along a fire trail in a national park. The Scout troop is a unit of Scouts Boy Scouts Girl Guides and Girl Scouts that usually meet weekly Note that Australian scout youth members generally do not wear uniforms except on formal occasions

The troop is the fundamental unit of the Boy Scouts. This is the group a Boy Scout joins and via which he participates in Scouting activities, such as camping, backpacking, and canoeing. The troop leadership, youth and adult, organizes and provides support for these activities. It may include as few as a half-dozen boys, or as many as seventy or more. Troops usually meet weekly.

Patrol

Each troop is divided into patrols of six to ten Scouts and use the patrol method, where the Scouts divide into smaller groups within the troop. A patrol's independence from the troop varies among troops and between activities. For instance, a troop typically holds ordinary meetings as a unit. Patrols' autonomy becomes more visible at campouts, where each patrol may set up its own cooking area. However, on a high adventure trip which only a small part of the troop attends, divisions between patrols may disappear entirely. Patrols may hold meetings and even excursions separately from the rest of the troop, but this is more common in some troops than in others. ^[10] Each patrol has a Patrol Leader (PL) and Assistant Patrol Leader (APL). Some troops mix older and younger Scouts in the same patrols, so that the older boys can teach the younger ones more effectively, other troops group boys by age, so that the boys in one patrol have more in common.

Group

Main article: Scout Group

In most countries a local organisation, a "Scout Group", combines different sections together into a single body. The Scout Group is the local organisation for Scouting in most countries where it is active Scout Groups can consist of any number of sections of the different Age Groups in Scouting and Guiding. National Scouting and Guiding organisations are divided into different age groups in order to deliver the Scouting and Guiding programmes for a full range Scout Groups can be single sex or have boys and girls in separate and/or co-ed sections depending on the group and the national organization. In some countries, the different sections are independent of each other, although they might be sponsored or chartered by the same organisation, such as a Church.

Uniforms

The Scout uniform is a specific characteristic of Scouting. The original uniform, which has created a familiar image in the public eye and had a very military appearance, consisted of a khaki button-up shirt, shorts and a broad-brimmed campaign hat. A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body Originally an item of underwear worn exclusively by men it has become in American English a catch-all term for A campaign hat (also Stetson, drill instructor hat, drill sergeant hat, round brown, ranger hat, sergeant hat,

Uniforms have become much more functional and colorful since the beginning and are now frequently blue, orange, red or green, and shorts are replaced by long trousers in areas where the culture calls for modesty, and in winter weather. T-Shirts and other more casual wear have also replaced the more formal button-up uniforms in many Scouting regions. In Clothing and Fashion design, a button is a small plastic or metal disc- or knob-shaped typically round object usually attached to an article of Clothing

To show the unity of all Scouts, the World Membership Badge (World Crest) or another badge with a fleur-de-lis is a part of all uniforms. The World Scout Emblem is the emblem of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and is worn by Scouts and Scouters around the world to indicate their Neckerchiefs and Woggles (slides) are still quite common, but some Scouting associations do not use them. A neckerchief is a type of Neckwear associated with Scouts and Sailors It consists of a triangular piece of cloth or a rectanglular piece folded into a Patches for leadership positions, ranks, special achievements, patrol- animals, colors or names, troop- or group- numbers or names, and country or regional affiliation are standard.

See also

• Scouts (Australia)
• Scouting Ireland Scouts
• Scout Section (UK)
• Boy Scouting (Boy Scouts of America)

• Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting

References