Non-aligned Scouting and Scout-like organisations
Encyclopedia
Non-aligned Scouting and Scout-like organizations are Scouting organizations that are not affiliated to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS) and the World Organization of the Scout Movement
(WOSM). The Scout movement has led to the formation of many Scouting
organizations around the world. The mainstream Scout movement is now served by the WAGGGS and WOSM, who only recognize one Scouting organization per country, although that organization can be a federation of several organizations that serve the youth of that country.
Terminology used in this article:
Scouting organisations that are not a member of WAGGGS or WOSM are non-aligned organisations. Youth organisations whose origin was the mainstream Scout Movement but are no longer associated with it are breakaway organisations; a breakaway organization may also be a Scouting or Scout-like organization. Scout-like youth organisations have been created both prior to and after the origin of the Scout Movement, and are characterized by use or mimicry of part of the Scout Method
.
to 216 countries and territories around the world. There are at least 520 separate national or regional Scouting associations in the world and most have felt the need to create international Scouting organisations to set standards for Scouting and to coordinate activities among member associations.
Six international Scouting organisations serve 437 of the world's national associations, plus a seventh that is just for adults. The largest two international organisations, WOSM and WAGGGS, count 362 national associations as members, encompassing 38 million Scouts
and Guides. Other multinational Scouting organisations include the Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme
, Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe
, and World Federation of Independent Scouts
.
Additionally, there are over 80 Scouting associations or umbrella federations that are not aligned with any international Scouting organisation, including the Eclaireurs Neutres de France
. There are also many single groups that are not affiliated with any regional or national association and the majority of these are in Germany, where Scouting is very fragmented. Membership in non-aligned Scouting organizations worldwide is roughly 300,000 to 500,000 individuals.
's Adventure Corps, Adventism's Pathfinders
, the Nazarene Caravan, and the Pentecostal
Royal Rangers
, as well as faith-wide groups like the neo-pagan SpiralScouts International
. Other groups such as the Camp Fire USA
, YMCA
, YWCA
, Sokol
, Rotaract
, Boys' Brigade
and Girls' Brigade
also have similarities with Scouting, although some of those actually predate the foundation of Scouting. The TUXIS
and Trail Rangers movements were similar organisations which originated about the same time as Scouting; however, these organisations were unable to recover from the disruption of World War II
and post-war competition with the Scouting movement. The Future Farmers of America and 4-H
are also sometimes seen as Scout-like organisations.
South Africa's Voortrekkers
are an Afrikaner
youth movement founded in 1931 as some Afrikaners found it difficult to participate in a movement founded by their Boer War
opponent, Lord Baden-Powell.
, which gave birth to the Pioneer Movement
, still existing in some fashion in the People's Republic of China, Cuba
, North Korea
and Vietnam
, and has been turned into a nationalist movement in Tajikistan
-the King Somoni Inheritance. Currently, there are no externally recognised Scout organisations in Cuba
, North Korea
, Laos
, Myanmar
, and the People's Republic of China
(except Hong Kong
and Macau
, which each have a Scouting organisation).
In many parts of Europe there exists the socialist Red Falcons
forming the International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International (IFM - SEI). The Woodcraft Folk
is the UK branch of IFM-SEI. These organisations adapt many of the methods of Scouting in a socialist orientation. Examples are the Children's Republic, camps run by the SJD-The Falken in Germany in the 1920s, however unlike the concurring Pioneer Movements, IFM – SEI works to further democracy.
Other politically based youth movements still in existence include Fianna na hÉireann
, an Irish republican
youth movement.
In the parliamentary democracy of Andorra
, Scouting does not exist, though not because of any bans on such organisations.
Prior to World War II
, Germany
, Italy
, Japan
, Hungary
and Romania
disbanded Scouting. Germany created the Hitler-Jugend
(Hitler Youth) organisation; Mussolini had a fascist youth organisation, the Balilla
; and Romania under the Iron Guard
had the Străjeria.
and the creation of a supranational Scout organisation, the World Organization of the Scout Movement, fifteen years had passed and millions of copies of the appealing handbook had been sold in dozens of languages. By that point, Scouting was the purview of the world's youth, as from the outset Baden-Powell had not intended Scouting to be containable by any one school of thought.
Many groups have formed since the original formation of the Scouting "Boy Patrols." Some maintain that the WOSM is currently far more political and less youth based than ever envisioned by Lord Baden-Powell. They believe that Scouting in general has moved away from its original intent, because of political machinations that happen to longstanding organisations, and seek to return to the earliest, simplest methods. Others are a result of groups or individuals who refuse to follow the original ideals of Scouting but still desire to participate in Scout-like activities
.
The first schism within Scouting occurred during November 1909, when the British Boy Scouts, was created, initially comprising an estimated 25 percent of all Scouts in the United Kingdom
, but rapidly declining from 1912 onward. From 1932 onward it was called the Brotherhood of British Scouts, but returned to the name British Boy Scouts in 1983. It was allied to Scouting organisations in the United States, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and India in 1911, and formed what was known as the Order of World Scouts
. The organisation was formed by Sir Francis Vane
because of perceptions of bureaucracy
and militaristic
tendencies in the mainstream movement. Initially in the United Kingdom, with several smaller organisations, such as the Boy's Life Brigade Scouts they formed the National Peace Scouts federation. The British Girl Scouts were the female counterpart of the British Boy Scouts.
In 1916 a group of Scoutmasters in Cambridge, led by Ernest Westlake and his son Aubrey, who believed that the movement had moved away from its early ideals and had lost its woodcraft character, founded the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
. The order survives to this day in England.
In the years following the First World War
, the Commissioner for Camping and Woodcraft John Hargrave
, broke with what he considered to be the Scouts' militaristic
approach and founded a breakaway organisation, the Kibbo Kift
, taking a number of similar-minded Scoutmasters and troops with him. This organisation was the direct antecedent of the Woodcraft Folk.
were formed in 1970, initially in the United Kingdom
but now also elsewhere, when it was felt that the "modernisation" of Scouting was abandoning the traditions and intentions established by Baden-Powell. Another modern breakway group is the Christian
American Heritage Girls
, formed in 1995 in response to the perceived growing liberalism in the Girl Scouts of the USA
. In Canada and to some extent in the United States, there is a Traditional Scouting movement, seeking to take Scouting back to the way it was in Baden-Powell's days.
camps.
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout...
(WAGGGS) and the World Organization of the Scout Movement
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...
(WOSM). The Scout movement has led to the formation of many Scouting
Scouting
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 development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
organizations around the world. The mainstream Scout movement is now served by the WAGGGS and WOSM, who only recognize one Scouting organization per country, although that organization can be a federation of several organizations that serve the youth of that country.
Terminology used in this article:
Scouting organisations that are not a member of WAGGGS or WOSM are non-aligned organisations. Youth organisations whose origin was the mainstream Scout Movement but are no longer associated with it are breakaway organisations; a breakaway organization may also be a Scouting or Scout-like organization. Scout-like youth organisations have been created both prior to and after the origin of the Scout Movement, and are characterized by use or mimicry of part of the Scout Method
Scout method
The Scout method is the informal educational system used by Scouting. The aim of Scouting is character training with the goal of helping participants become independent and helpful,and thereby become "healthy, happy, helpful citizens"....
.
Aligned and non-aligned Scouting organisations
Since its inception in 1907, the Scout Movement has spread from the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to 216 countries and territories around the world. There are at least 520 separate national or regional Scouting associations in the world and most have felt the need to create international Scouting organisations to set standards for Scouting and to coordinate activities among member associations.
Six international Scouting organisations serve 437 of the world's national associations, plus a seventh that is just for adults. The largest two international organisations, WOSM and WAGGGS, count 362 national associations as members, encompassing 38 million Scouts
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
and Guides. Other multinational Scouting organisations include the Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme
Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme
Known in English as the Confederation of European Scouts, the Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme was formed in Brussels, Belgium on November 12, 1978, and is based in Belgium. CES stresses the European dimension of their Scouting program and that CES provides the "authentic Scouting of...
, Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe
Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe
The International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe is a traditional faith-based Scouting organization with 20 member associations in 17 European...
, and World Federation of Independent Scouts
World Federation of Independent Scouts
The World Federation of Independent Scouts is the non-governmental international organization which governs 82 affiliated Scout Organizations in 41 countries, with an estimated 200,000 members in 3562 Scout Groups...
.
Additionally, there are over 80 Scouting associations or umbrella federations that are not aligned with any international Scouting organisation, including the Eclaireurs Neutres de France
Éclaireurs Neutres de France
The Éclaireurs Neutres de France is a non-aligned French Scouting association, founded in 1947 by Marcel Lepage and serving 3,000 to 4,000 members of both genders....
. There are also many single groups that are not affiliated with any regional or national association and the majority of these are in Germany, where Scouting is very fragmented. Membership in non-aligned Scouting organizations worldwide is roughly 300,000 to 500,000 individuals.
Scout-like youth organisations
There are also some similar organisations linked to movements such as organised churches, such as Salvation ArmySalvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
's Adventure Corps, Adventism's Pathfinders
Pathfinders (Seventh-day Adventist)
The Pathfinder Club is a worldwide program organized and directed by the Youth Department of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
, the Nazarene Caravan, and the Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
Royal Rangers
Royal Rangers
Royal Rangers is a worldwide ministry of the Assemblies of God and is designed to provide youth with challenging activities while providing them with Christian instruction. Royal Rangers International is open to participation of both boys and girls, while the US only allows boy participation in...
, as well as faith-wide groups like the neo-pagan SpiralScouts International
SpiralScouts International
SpiralScouts International is a youth organization in the United States for children of neo-pagan faiths . It was created in 1999 as a loosely organized children's program, at the Aquarian Tabernacle Church...
. Other groups such as the Camp Fire USA
Camp Fire USA
Camp Fire USA, originally Camp Fire Girls of America, is a nationwide American youth organization that began in 1910. The organization has been co-ed since 1975 and welcomes youth from pre-kindergarten through age 21. Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in...
, YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
, Sokol
Sokol
The Sokol movement is a youth sport movement and gymnastics organization first founded in Czech region of Austria-Hungary, Prague, in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner...
, Rotaract
Rotaract
Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International youth programme in 1968 and has now grown into a major Rotary-sponsored organisation of over 8,700 clubs spread around the world and 200,000 + members. It is a service, leadership and community service organisation for young men and women between...
, Boys' Brigade
Boys' Brigade
For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
and Girls' Brigade
Girls' Brigade
The Girls' Brigade is an international and interdenominational Christian youth organization. It was founded in 1893 in Dublin, Ireland. The modern organization was formed as the result of the amalgamation of three like-minded and similarly structured organizations in 1964...
also have similarities with Scouting, although some of those actually predate the foundation of Scouting. The TUXIS
TUXIS
TUXIS was a boys’ program similar to the Scouting movement promoted by Canadian Protestant churches. There are a number of variations of what the acronym "TUXIS" is said to stand for...
and Trail Rangers movements were similar organisations which originated about the same time as Scouting; however, these organisations were unable to recover from the disruption of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and post-war competition with the Scouting movement. The Future Farmers of America and 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
are also sometimes seen as Scout-like organisations.
South Africa's Voortrekkers
Voortrekkers (youth organization)
The Voortrekkers is an Afrikaans language youth organisation founded in South Africa in 1931.-Mission, values and principles:In the words of its mission statement, "Die Voortrekkers empowers the Afrikaner to be successful as positive citizens and dependable Christians."Its Values are encapsulated...
are an Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
youth movement founded in 1931 as some Afrikaners found it difficult to participate in a movement founded by their Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
opponent, Lord Baden-Powell.
Political and military Scouting substitutes
Scouting has been banned in certain nations and remains banned in some of them. Some countries that have banned Scouting replaced it with youth organisations that are not considered part of the Scouting movement. The USSR banned Scouting in 1922, creating a separate Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet UnionYoung Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union
The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, also Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, also Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, also Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer...
, which gave birth to the Pioneer Movement
Pioneer movement
A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically joined the Young Communist League...
, still existing in some fashion in the People's Republic of China, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and has been turned into a nationalist movement in Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
-the King Somoni Inheritance. Currently, there are no externally recognised Scout organisations in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(except Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, which each have a Scouting organisation).
In many parts of Europe there exists the socialist Red Falcons
Red Falcons
Red Falcons was the name of various socialist youth organizations, popular in Europe and the United States, especially between the first and second world wars, but of which many are still active today...
forming the International Falcon Movement - Socialist Education International (IFM - SEI). The Woodcraft Folk
The Woodcraft Folk
The Woodcraft Folk is a UK-based educational movement for children and young people, and registered charity no. 1073665. The constitutional object of this youth organisation is "to educate and empower young people to be able to participate actively in society, improving their lives and others'...
is the UK branch of IFM-SEI. These organisations adapt many of the methods of Scouting in a socialist orientation. Examples are the Children's Republic, camps run by the SJD-The Falken in Germany in the 1920s, however unlike the concurring Pioneer Movements, IFM – SEI works to further democracy.
Other politically based youth movements still in existence include Fianna na hÉireann
Fianna Éireann
The name Fianna Éireann , also written Fianna na hÉireann and Na Fianna Éireann , has been used by various Irish republican youth movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries...
, an Irish republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
youth movement.
In the parliamentary democracy of Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
, Scouting does not exist, though not because of any bans on such organisations.
Prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
disbanded Scouting. Germany created the Hitler-Jugend
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
(Hitler Youth) organisation; Mussolini had a fascist youth organisation, the Balilla
Opera Nazionale Balilla
thumb|240px|A young balilla in [[Piazza Venezia]].Opera Nazionale Balilla was an Italian Fascist youth organization functioning, as an addition to school education, between 1926 and 1937 .It was named after Balilla, the moniker of Giovan Battista Perasso,...
; and Romania under the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
had the Străjeria.
Breakaway organisations
Between the first publication of Scouting for BoysScouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder...
and the creation of a supranational Scout organisation, the World Organization of the Scout Movement, fifteen years had passed and millions of copies of the appealing handbook had been sold in dozens of languages. By that point, Scouting was the purview of the world's youth, as from the outset Baden-Powell had not intended Scouting to be containable by any one school of thought.
Many groups have formed since the original formation of the Scouting "Boy Patrols." Some maintain that the WOSM is currently far more political and less youth based than ever envisioned by Lord Baden-Powell. They believe that Scouting in general has moved away from its original intent, because of political machinations that happen to longstanding organisations, and seek to return to the earliest, simplest methods. Others are a result of groups or individuals who refuse to follow the original ideals of Scouting but still desire to participate in Scout-like activities
Scout method
The Scout method is the informal educational system used by Scouting. The aim of Scouting is character training with the goal of helping participants become independent and helpful,and thereby become "healthy, happy, helpful citizens"....
.
The first schism within Scouting occurred during November 1909, when the British Boy Scouts, was created, initially comprising an estimated 25 percent of all Scouts in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but rapidly declining from 1912 onward. From 1932 onward it was called the Brotherhood of British Scouts, but returned to the name British Boy Scouts in 1983. It was allied to Scouting organisations in the United States, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and India in 1911, and formed what was known as the Order of World Scouts
Order of World Scouts
The Order of World Scouts founded in 1911, was the first international Scouting organisation. It is headquartered in England, with the administration headquarters in Italy...
. The organisation was formed by Sir Francis Vane
Francis Vane
For the murder exposed by Major Sir Francis Fletcher Vane, see Francis Sheehy-SkeffingtonSir Francis Patrick Fletcher-Vane, 5th Baronet was an early aide of Lord Baden-Powell's and a Scout Commissioner of London before Baden-Powell ousted him from the Scout Association...
because of perceptions of bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
and militaristic
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
tendencies in the mainstream movement. Initially in the United Kingdom, with several smaller organisations, such as the Boy's Life Brigade Scouts they formed the National Peace Scouts federation. The British Girl Scouts were the female counterpart of the British Boy Scouts.
In 1916 a group of Scoutmasters in Cambridge, led by Ernest Westlake and his son Aubrey, who believed that the movement had moved away from its early ideals and had lost its woodcraft character, founded the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
Order of Woodcraft Chivalry
The Order of Woodcraft Chivalry is a Scouting-like movement operating in the United Kingdom, which was founded in 1916 by Ernest Westlake. Like Scouting, it was inspired by Ernest Seton's Seton Indians, and Seton was its honourary Grand Chieftain...
. The order survives to this day in England.
In the years following the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Commissioner for Camping and Woodcraft John Hargrave
John Hargrave
John Gordon Hargrave , nicknamed 'White Fox', was one of the leading figures in the Social Credit movement in British politics.-Early life:...
, broke with what he considered to be the Scouts' militaristic
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
approach and founded a breakaway organisation, the Kibbo Kift
Kibbo Kift
The Kindred of the Kibbo Kift was a youth organisation in England from 1920 to 1951.-Origins:The organisation was founded by the charismatic Englishman John Hargrave , artist, author and Boy Scout Commissioner for Woodcraft and Camping, who had become disenchanted with the increasingly militaristic...
, taking a number of similar-minded Scoutmasters and troops with him. This organisation was the direct antecedent of the Woodcraft Folk.
Traditional Scouting
Baden-Powell ScoutsBaden-Powell Scouts
The Baden-Powell Scouts' Association is a youth organisation found in the United Kingdom, with affiliations in various countries. Baden-Powell Scouting focuses on the importance of tradition in the Scout movement...
were formed in 1970, initially in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
but now also elsewhere, when it was felt that the "modernisation" of Scouting was abandoning the traditions and intentions established by Baden-Powell. Another modern breakway group is the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
American Heritage Girls
American Heritage Girls
The American Heritage Girls is a Christian Scouting organization founded in 1995 by Patti Garibay and other parents from West Chester, Ohio, who were unhappy that the Girl Scouts accepted lesbians as troop leaders, allowed girls to substitute another word more applicable to their belief for "God"...
, formed in 1995 in response to the perceived growing liberalism in the Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
. In Canada and to some extent in the United States, there is a Traditional Scouting movement, seeking to take Scouting back to the way it was in Baden-Powell's days.
Scouts-in-Exile
Scouts-in-Exile groups formed overseas from their native country as a result of war and changes in governments. For the Scouts-in-exile groups, serving the community outside their homelands, there is resentment that they were not recognised during their nations' totalitarian periods. These groups often provided postal delivery and other basic services in displaced-personsDisplaced person
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration.- Origin of term :...
camps.
See also
- List of non-aligned Scouting organizations
- Scouting controversy and conflictScouting controversy and conflictScouting has sometimes become entangled in social controversies such as the civil rights struggle in the American South and in nationalist resistance movements in India...