Dissertation BP

Scout movement

How Baden Powell, the scout movement founder's, created this international movement ?

I) Baden Powell, the founder

A) His childhood

Robert Powell was a British general and founder of the scout movement. He was born in London, In Paddington the 22 February 1857, in a big family, he was the 12th. His mother was Henriette Grâce Powell and his father, Revered Baden Powell, died 3th years later, was a professor of geometry at Oxford University. BP was awarded a scholarship to Charterhouse, a prestigious public school. He doesn't liked school and he preferred go to the wood behind the school. He discovered in this wood the hunting and the life in the country side. This excursions have inspired all his life. BP was spent his holidays with his brothers in countryside too. He failed his university exam's for enter so he tries at the military academy where he passed splendidly his exams. He was send in Afghanistan, India, South Africa as intelligence officer in colonial army.

B) His life during the movement's creation

In the army, he was scouting. A scout is a person, especially a soldier, ​sent out to get ​information about where ​enemies are and what they are doing. BP became famous in a mission in South Africa. He sits 217 days in Mafeking against Boers. He came back in England, stopped his military career to create a new movement, scouting for boys. After retirement, in 1938, he returned to Africa where he lived in Kenya. He died on January 8th, 1941, at 83 years. He was buried in Nyeri in sight of Mount Kenya. On his head stone are the words “Robert Baden-Powell, Chief Scout of the World” surmounted by the Boy Scout and Girl Guide Badges.

II) Evolution of movement

A) The first movement

BP took an interest in the education and the formation of boy. He developed news techniques and gave his attention on the scouting because in his military trip all around the world, he was scout. He thought the people who do that were smart. His victory in South Africa,  enabled concept to develop and had credibility in the eyes of the British people. They gave more importance to the old men who was considered as wise and experienced. BP was not agree with old men who don't know how to train young people.

He came back in England, stopped his military career to create a new movement, scouting for boys. Lots of boys write to Baden Powell for have advices. He is surprised to see that his military book is a success.

In August 1907, on a small island of the South of England, Brownsea, he gathered 22 teenagers to live the first scout camp. His way to do fascinated the participants: they lived in four patrols(indicated at first by a color: yellow, blue, red, green; then by a name of animal). Everybody helped to the common life, they learnt gestures to live in the nature, they played team games, competitions and they sang. BP, as everybody called him, was funny, attentive and he is a confident. After the success of his camp, he wrote "scouting for Boys". This book explain the four part of his movement : he thinks the movement must have a goal, he thinks activities must be attractive, the scout boy must respect a law, finally, an organization and competent chief must be gather. This book gathers methods use in the first camp. For the emblem, he choose the fleur-de-lis because it represents peace and purity. First, all the boys are in groups of 32 boys divide in group of 8 .

B) Its evolution

Baden Powell pronounced 40 conventions in England. Everywhere, boys asked for more scouting and camps. In 1909, there was 100 000 boys scouts in England. 10 000 of them gather in front of the Crystal Palace in London and with them, girls who wanted to do scouting as their brothers. BP called them guides, they were 6000 in  one year. BP was chief of Boy scout and his wife was chief of Girls Guides. For psychological reasons, BP divided children into 3 groups; wolf cub (8 to 11 years old), scouts (12 to 17 years old) and lorry driver (17 and more). BP choose the wood's man uniform for symbolize the fraternity. The American version of the Boy Scouts began in London in 1909. Chicago publisher William Boyce was lost in the fog when a Boy Scout help him. After guiding Boyce to his destination, the boy refused a tip, explaining that as a Boy Scout he would not accept payment for doing a good thing. This anonymous gesture inspired Boyce to organize several regional U.S. youth organizations incorporated in 1910, the movement soon spread throughout the country. In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of America in Georgia.

III) The impacts of the scout movement in the world

A) The movement and worlds wars

Scouts contributed to the war effort in England in many ways; the Sea Scouts helped coast-guardsmen. The Boy Scouts' Association was one of the first youth organizations to support the British war effort. The Boy Scouts are guarding a railway and bridge in Britain.

This picture is a photo, we can see 2 teenagers, there are scout, they are surveying a railway. On the bridge, we see others scouts who are maybe do the same thing later. This photo is exposed in the Imperial War Museums of London. This photo was taken by Horace Nicholls, an English photographer. He would like to show the involvement of the scout during the War.