Scouting was born out of the belief of our founder, Robert Baden-Powell, that all young people should be empowered and encouraged to think and act for themselves, to help others and to ‘do their best’. But just how did it all start?

In 1899, during Baden-Powell’s military career, he was responsible for defending the South African town of Mafeking from 9000 Boers during the Boer War. During the nine month siege, children in the town ran errands and messages as an aid to the 1000 British soldiers stationed there. This provided Baden-Powell with the idea that would ultimately grow into the largest educational youth movement the world has ever seen.

In July 1907, Baden-Powell set up an experimental camp on Brownsea Island in Dorset. The camp comprised boys from mixed backgrounds who were taught scouting skills, told yarns and shown the value of working together as a team. From these beginnings, the Scout Movement began to gain momentum and the next five years set the foundations for almost a century of fun and adventure.

The start of the following year saw the publication by Baden-Powell of ‘Scouting For Boys’ in six fortnightly parts. Suddenly, groups of boys all over the country were forming themselves into troops and literally dragooning adults to act as their leaders. By 1909, the Boy Scouts were firmly established in Britain. An early census revealed a membership of around 100,000, Scouting for Boys had already been translated into five languages, Chile was the first country to adopt Scouting (as a result of a holiday there by Baden-Powell), the Sea Scouts were established and a rally was held at Crystal Palace in London. 11,000 Scouts attended. Two years later, Scouting had started in the United States and Canada. 26,000 Scouts attended a spectacular rally in Windsor Great Park to salute the King, Queen and B-P. King George V granted Royal Patronage the  Scout Movement in 1912.

Girls were also eager to get involved and many attended the first Crystal Palace Rally. As a result of the social climate of the time however, it wasn’t appropriate to have mixed gender troops and so B-P established the Guide Movement under his sister’s (and later his wife’s) leadership.

Following the Great War, younger children were clamouring to join their older brothers in this great game. Thus, in 1916, the Wolf Cub section was established and, by using the ideas of the Jungle Book written his friend Rudyard Kipling, B-P was able to provide an imaginative background to activities for 8—11 year olds. In 1918, a section for older boys was started, called the Rover Scouts. From it’s very beginnings, Scouting was able to change and adapt.

Over the years, scouting has continued to develop. In 1982, the Beaver Scout section for 6-8 year olds was established. In the 1990’s, mixed gender groups were allowed. Activity badges in the movement have changed to reflect the activities that young people engage in today. The uniform has changed to achieve a more informal look in keeping with the wishes of today’s youth. Virtually every county in the world now has Scouts as a form of educational movement—a worldwide membership of 28 million.

For all the changes, the principles that bought about the first Brownsea Island camp remain as true today—all young people should be empowered and encouraged to think and act for themselves, to help others and to ‘do their best’.