Michigan Eagle Scouts in 1929, including President
Gerald Ford at age 16
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout
Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began
in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was
formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1912 by
the grant of a royal charter. The Boy Scout Association was renamed as The
Scout Association in 1967.
The stated aim of The Scout
Association is to "promote the development of young people in achieving
their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as
individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and
international communities".
The roots of The Scout
Association come from the fame of Robert Baden-Powell following his exploits
during the Second Boer War. In 1907, "B-P", as he is known to members
of the Movement, ran a camp on Brownsea Island for boys of varying backgrounds.
These boys came from Eton College and Harrow School, Parkstone, Hamworthy, and Bournemouth.
This camp is now considered to be the start of the Movement.
The following year, Baden-Powell
wrote a series of magazines, Scouting for Boys, setting out activities
and programmes which existing youth organisations could make use of. The
reaction was phenomenal, and quite unexpected. In very short time, Scout
Patrols were created up and down the country, all following the principles of
Baden-Powell's book. By the time of the first census in 1910, there were over
100,000 members of the Movement.
The Boy Scout Association was
created in 1910 in order to provide a national body which could organize and
support the rapidly growing number of Scout Patrols. It was also the wish of
Baden-Powell to wrest control of Scouting from his book's publishers as it was
felt the Movement was not given the status it deserved as the publishers
controlled membership of Scouting. |
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