Scouts on the march

The scouting movement is enjoying a revival as it nears its centenary, writes Carl O'Brien, Social Affairs Correspondent

It's almost 100 years since the founder of the modern scouting movement, Robert Baden-Powell, sat down to write a series of small booklets containing a rag-bag of stories of adventure, heroics and practical advice on outdoor skills.

A scout was expected to learn about nature, camping in the open and tying knots, as well as good health practices, first-aid and patriotism. It would be an exciting and challenging way to become a useful member of the community. "You need not wait for war in order to be helpful as a scout," Baden-Powell, then a major general in the British army, wrote. "As a peace scout there is lots for you to do, wherever you may be."

Today, a century later, in a dramatically changed world, Scouting for Boys (1908) seems naive and idealistic, and resembles an unarmed paramilitary expression of the British empire.

However, against all odds, the movement remains one of the most influential guides to the education of young people in the 21st century.

Many of its defining themes are more relevant now than they ever were. The scouting movement's emphasis on the environment foreshadowed the ecological movement by decades.

Its emphasis on volunteering and helping others in the community, meanwhile, is precisely what the Taoiseach's taskforce on active citizenship is trying to emphasise as it travels around the country.

Scouting Ireland, the national scouting association for Ireland, says its numbers are rising at around 3 per cent each year, following a period of several years of decline. Its total membership across Ireland is 40,000, according to the organisation.

"It's fantastic," says Garrett Flynn, Scouting Ireland's communications director. "Our messages are beginning to resonate with more and more parents who are a bit concerned about this decline in good citizenship. The good citizenship business is where we see ourselves."

The numbers are growing, particularly strongly in commuter belt areas around the capital, such as in counties Meath and Kildare. However, Flynn points out, the increase in membership hasn't happened by accident.

The scouting movement has undergone substantial changes in structure and focus which has helped to bring it to the point where it is today.

The creation of a new all-Ireland scout association in December 2003 resulted in a multi-denominational association, replacing the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scouting Association of Ireland, which was perceived as predominantly Protestant.

Scouting Ireland, which is open to boys and girls, has moved well away from the militaristic hues of the founding organisation to one which places its emphasis on appreciation of the environment and being a good citizen.

"We're a movement that moves with the times," says Flynn. "If the world is using computers, we should be doing the same thing. But the main thing is still an appreciation of the environment and nature. Camping and hiking are still by far the most popular pursuits for people involved in scouting."

The association has also moved into the modern era by appointing a team of professional staff who look after the day-to-day running of the movement. "Marketing" and "branding" are buzzwords you hear in the organisation, which is trying to reach new members all the time.

The image of scouts among many image-conscious teenagers is a problem, Flynn concedes.

"The perception among some is that it's all short trousers and tying knots and 'dib, dib, dib'. When we hear that, or see it in the media, we tend to wring our hands. But it's up to us to communicate what we're about.

"It's notoriously difficult to get the message out. Major brands spend millions doing it. We don't have that, but we do have knowledge and expertise. And we're dusting off our own knowledge of what it was like when we were teens - 150 years ago," jokes Flynn.

The results include slickly-designed posters and marketing literature which sometime resemble ads for army recruitment or energy drinks.

"Looking for an adrenaline rush?" asks one ad. "You've got two hours to cover six miles, undercover, in darkness, with opponents hot on your trail. What do you do?" questions another.

It also involves publicity stunts and marketing brain-waves, such as running "tent help" sites at the Electric Picnic music festival in Co Laois last month.

For €5, teams of scouts helped pitch tents and deal with any camping-related crises. They also collected unwanted tents at the end of the weekend for recycling and sent some to scout groups in Africa.

It's a long way from the work of scouting organisations which first began to raise their heads in Ireland in 1908. The militaristic hallmarks of the Baden-Powell scouts meant that with the outbreak of the first World War, boy scouts - the majority of whom at that time were from middle-class, Protestant backgrounds - helped in the war effort by conveying telegrams, coast-watching and even taking firing practice. Education authorities even granted permission for boys engaged in "official duties" to count their work with the military as equivalent to school attendance.

In his recently published book, Scouting in Ireland, J Anthony Gaughan writes that in the aftermath of the Easter Rising, there were records of scouts being attacked and weekly meetings being provided with police protection.

After the war, however, most jingoistic forms of scouting gave way to a conscious brotherhood. In the 1930s, the first great celebrations of multi-racial harmony were expressed in scout jamborees. By the 1970s scouting groups were beginning to diversify into other activities, such as going to international soccer matches.

Despite changes, the core messages of the scouting movement remain much the same, with its emphasis on outdoor life and service to others. Its enduring appeal, even at a time of distractions such as computer games, TV and the internet, may prove to lie in its ability to answer the craving of boys and girls for fun and adventure.

Scouting in Ireland by J Anthony Gaughan is published by Kingdom Books (€25). On sale at the Outdoor Adventure Store, Middle Abbey Street, Dublin, The Scout Shop, MacCurtain Street, Cork, and some general bookshops

Scout & About

Beaver scouts: for boys and girls aged six to eight. Beavers usually meet weekly and activities centres on games, arts and crafts and other activities designed to stimulate the imagination.

Cub scouts: aimed at boys and girls aged from eight to about 11. They meet weekly and once a month go hiking, swimming, camping or to the cinema. A pack of cubs runs on a "gang system", where each pack is broken into smaller groups called sixes. Each six has a leader called a sixer. With the help of sixers, the leaders in a group plan what activities and games to get involved in.

Scouts: designed to appeal to people in the 11 to 15 age group. It involves more challenge and more responsibility. Each scout troop has a number of patrols and each patrol has between six and eight members, including a patrol leader.

Venture scouts: involved in a diverse range of activities and can involve trekking in foreign countries or exploring the lesser-known parts of Ireland. It's aimed at people aged between 15 and 21.

To find out where your nearest scouting organisation is based, contact Scouting Ireland's national office on 01-4956300, or on the internet at www.scouts.ie