Scout Practices

IDEAS FOR SCOUT LEADERS

SCOUTING IN PRACTICE

World Scout BureauP.O. Box 241,1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland

World Organizationof the Scout MovementOrganisation Mondialedu Mouvement Scout

STHIS DOCUMENT I S A

S T R A T E G YPART OF THE IMPLEMEN-TATION OF THE STRATEGY

Copyright 1996, World Scout Bureau.Reproduction is authorized to nationalScout associations which are membersof the World Organization of the ScoutMovement. Others should requestpermission from publishers.Revised edition, 1997.

Scouting in practice - Page 1

SUMMARY

Foreword p. 3

Portrait of a Scout leader p. 4

Adults servingyoung people p. 8

The aim: the full developmentof the individual p. 11

An approach toeducation p. 17

An educational system p. 20

Conclusion p. 38



FOREWORD This publication is for all Scoutleaders worldwide. It aims tohighlight the essence of Scout-ing for everyone involved inusing the Scout Method as ameans of contributing to thedevelopment of children andadolescents.

It is intended to be of direct useto leaders, wherever they maybe, in their day-to-day activitieswith young people by provid-ing them with the essential ele-ments that they need to know inorder to practise Scouting. Theseelements form the core thatneeds to be common to Scout-ing in all parts of the world andin all cultures.

Evidently, at national level, theseelements have to be adapted tothe country’s culture, socioeco-nomic conditions, etc., in orderto meet young people’s needseffectively. Likewise, at locallevel, each leader has to adaptthese elements to the character-

istics of the young people in hisor her group, in accordancewith how they have been inter-preted at national level.

In order to be able to adaptsomething, however, one mustfirst fully understand what thatsomething is. It is thus theseuniversal elements - the corewithout which what is practisedis not Scouting - that are pre-sented in this publication.

Where examples are used, theyare only illustrations. They arenot universal and cannot claimto be representative of the ex-treme variety of situations to befound within our world move-ment.

We hope that this booklet willbe of use to all Scout leaderswho want to practise qualityScouting, close to young peo-ple and adapted to today’sworld. We also hope that theywill derive a lot of enjoyment inthe process.

The Scoutmaster has to be neitherschoolmaster nor commandingofficer, nor pastor, nor instructor.He has got to put himself on thelevel of the older brother, that is,to see things from the boy’s pointof view, and to lead and guide, andgive enthusiasm in the right direc-tion.

B-P


PORTRAIT OF ASCOUT LEADER

Michael is thirty-five. He is acomputer specialist who worksin a shop which sells computersand consumer software andprovides after-sales service. Heis also the leader of a Scouttroop of twenty-five boys andgirls aged between fourteen andseventeen. He runs the troopwith the help of two assistants,both slightly younger than him-self.

Like many others, he becameinvolved in education throughactive experience, by raising hisown children, now aged eightand ten. He is in no way aprofessional “educator”, but sim-ply someone with a concern foryoung people and their futureand who has decided to dosomething.

He was once a Scout himself.Based on his own experience,he felt that Scouting could teachyoung people to cope with life,and decided to become a Scout

leader. He is not trying to relivewhat he himself experiencedtwenty years ago as he realizesthat things change. Even so, hefeels something special whenhe is with his Scouts.

When he thinks of his ownchildren, of what they do and ofwhat could happen to them, hefeels directly responsible, di-rectly involved. If somethingwent wrong, it would be hisfault and he would feel guilty.He therefore has to be carefulnot to take any risks.

He also feels responsible for hisScouts, but not in the same way,and he does not have the samefears. Of course, he is dealingwith young people, but they arenot dependent on him. The re-lationship is different becausehe finds it easier to stand back.Basically, he does not expectthem to succeed where he didnot, he simply expects them tofulfil themselves.


Everyone knows that it is easierto deal with other people’s chil-dren than with one’s own. Scoutleaders know this too, andMichael is no exception. This isperhaps why he can have adifferent kind of relationshipwith them. In specialist circles,this would be called an “educa-tional relationship”. For Michael,though, it is simply about theway he is with the young peo-ple.

If one were to analyse the edu-cational relationship, it wouldappear quite complex - and it is.Michael, however, does notspend all his time thinking howto make the relationship “edu-cational”, as basically it comesquite naturally. In fact, it stemsfrom the simple idea that edu-cation (i.e. the development ofa person), is a process - in otherwords, a phenomenon markedby gradual changes, as opposedto something that occurs instan-taneously.

According to the experts, thisprocess comprises four phases:

First, there is awareness. Forexample, I can (I am permittedto or am physically able to)walk, run or climb.

This awareness thus transformsa potential (I can) into a capac-ity, i.e. into something possible.I then try and thus experiencewalking, running, climbing, orwhatever.

I then draw conclusions fromthat experience: it is easy, diffi-cult; it requires an effort, train-ing; it involves risk.

On the basis of these conclu-sions, I decide either to aban-don the whole thing or to de-velop this capacity (i.e. I prac-tice and train; I improve myskills and performance). If Ichoose to develop this capac-ity, then it will become part ofmy life experience.

While this may all seem compli-cated, it is in fact a naturalprocess, a path that we have alltaken many times. As a Scoutleader, Michael simply accom-panies the young people underhis responsibility along this path.He would certainly not put itquite like this, but he does infact create the conditions forthis process of awareness, ex-perience, analysis, improvementand integration to take place. Inorder to help young people, hehas a method at his disposal,the Scout Method.

Michael realizes that the devel-opment of the person shouldlead to the emergence of some-one who is autonomous (i.e.able to make his own deci-sions), as well as supportive(who takes the interests of oth-ers into consideration whenmaking choices or decisions).

Michael also knows that Scout-ing proposes a certain number


of educational objectives whichare adapted to the various ageranges. Michael understandsthose objectives, and his role asa Scout leader is to motivate andguide the young people towardsachieving them. However, heknows that for this to happen,each young person has to ac-cept the objectives, find his ownways of trying to reach themand his own way of expressingthem. The details vary from oneperson to the next. What countsis the general guidance. When-ever Michael, as a Scout leader(or father), has forgotten or ig-nored this, he failed in what hewas trying to do.

For the leader, there is thereforea general direction to be fol-lowed with educational objec-tives to be achieved. It is a start,but it does not explain how togo about achieving them. If itwere only a question of select-ing a well-conceived activity inorder to achieve an objective

every time, it would be so easy!The activity is a vehicle but nota guided missile!

Activities are only one of theelements of the Scout Methodneeded to help reach the objec-tives, and it is Michael’s job as aScout leader to apply these ele-ments intelligently.

To take the example of howMichael runs the group (theexperts would call it his “leader-ship style”), it is clear that thishas to be consistent with theobjectives. If Michael wants hisScouts to learn the importanceof listening to other people’spoints of view and of findingsolutions which are acceptableto all, then he cannot imposehis choices and decisions onthe group. Otherwise, a situa-tion would arise whereby every-one is equal but some peopleare more equal than others! Thegroup’s projects and activities,rules and regulations therefore

have to be the result of dialogueand reflect respect for others.

The Scout leader cannot com-promise. He has to practise whathe preaches, for fear of destroy-ing the trust placed in him bythose he has chosen to accom-pany and whom he wants tohelp to grow.

The way in which the youngpeople live as a group, how themembers of the group interactwith each other and what theyexperience through life as agroup form another aspectwhich plays a role in the educa-tional process, in the same wayas the educational objectives,the leadership style and activi-ties. Why invent a “negotiation”or “active listening” activity whileignoring these aspects in the lifeof the group?

Indeed, providing an educa-tional content to the activities ofeveryday life and using them asan integral part of the educa-


tional process is one of theessential characteristics of Scout-ing. This is why, when on anexcursion or at camp, Michaelgives his Scouts time to settle in,to prepare a meal, to set upcamp - in other words, to livetogether. Unfortunately, someScout leaders try to gain time for“real activities” by, for example,arranging for outside cateringor providing sandwiches!

Scouting is a school of life.Michael knows full well that itwas by walking that we learnedto walk. Of course, we had totake the risk of falling flat on ourfaces, but in fact there werealways outstretched arms tosupport us.

This is an image, of course, butthis is how Michael perceiveshis role as a Scout leader, i.e. tocreate an environment whichstimulates the young person tobecome aware of what he cando, to provide the conditions of

security needed for him to feelfree to try and to learn, to helphim to find ways and means ofmaking progress and of makingthe experience personally mean-ingful so that it can become partof his life experience.

Michael is attentive to the glo-bal and balanced developmentof each young person and makessure that, over a period of time,the activities and the daily life ofthe group help each person todevelop physically, intellectu-ally, emotionally, socially andspiritually.

Michael knows that his Scoutsdo not expect him to be aperfect human being, but theydo expect him to play by thesame rules. After all, he couldhardly expect them to developa sense of responsibility, forexample, if he avoided respon-sibility himself!

“Any fool can command, canmake people obey orders, if hehas adequate power of punish-ment at his back to support him incase of refusal. It is another thingto lead, to carry men with you ina big job”.

B-P


ADULTS SERVINGYOUNG PEOPLE

Scouting is first of all a youthmovement, an environment inwhich young people can ex-press and assert themselves, ex-periment, discover thingsthrough activities that they en-joy, make room for themselveswithin the group and play anactive role in it, and developconstructive relationships withother young people and adults.

Men and women who are will-ing to listen to young peopleand to their aspirations andneeds are there to support them,to accompany them for a timeon their path of life, and toensure that the activities that thegirls and boys want to take partin contribute to their physical,intellectual, emotional, socialand spiritual development.

The adult is not there to behavelike a young person, nor toprolong his own youth. As anadult in an environment ofyoung people, he has to remain

the adult that he is in order tocarry out his role, while beingable to listen to them and un-derstand them.

To be a leader, it is essential torecognize each young personas an individual. A child is not ablank page to be filled as theadult wishes. Nor is a child ablock of raw material that anadult can trim and model as hewants. A child is a living, uniquebeing, with particular capaci-ties, destined to developthroughout his existence.

The role of the adult is to stimu-late this growth process, to setpointers to enable the youngperson to find his way andmake informed decisions, andto create an environment thatcan help each person to de-velop.

After all, you cannot make aplant grow by pulling on thestem!


• An environment

We live in a number of differentenvironments. The work envi-ronment, for example, involvesa number of specific character-istics - place, setting, atmos-phere, people, perception ofoneself and of others - whichare not the same as those of thefamily environment, which alsocomprises a setting, an atmos-phere, people, and a percep-tion of oneself and others. Bothof these differ from the leisureenvironment, for example.

When we define Scouting as anenvironment for young people,this is what we mean. This en-vironment comprises a numberof specific characteristics whichdifferentiate it from other envi-ronments in which a young per-son develops.

In the Scout environment, eachperson has to take on real re-sponsibilities to make the ac-tivities and projects happen, and

to ensure the welfare of thegroup. When the young personfeels that his efforts make adifference and are appreciated,he will gradually develop theself-confidence that will enablehim to feel more integrated, toassume more responsibility, etc.

Having a meaningful role toplay is essential for develop-ment and it is one of the mainfunctions of the Scout environ-ment. Other environments, suchas the family or school, do notoffer this possibility to the sameextent, precisely because of theirdifferent characteristics.

The family environment is oftenfull of ambiguities and undercur-rents. It can sometimes be abattle field of power strugglesin which relationships are reallybased on relative positions ofpower between individuals,between individuals and sub-groups and between subgroups.It is an environment in which

everyone has plans for othersand where roles and life scriptsare predestined to a large extent(“you will be a man, my boy!”).Of course, not all families arelike that… or are they?

The school environment, on theother hand, fulfils a function ofsocial integration. This institu-tion often gets trapped in theambiguity of what it claims todo, namely to educate (equalopportunities and developmentof everyone’s qualities), andwhat it does in practice, namelyselecting the “best”, i.e. thosewho are able to enter the sys-tem and “succeed” by conform-ing to the demands placed onthem.

There is no doubt that the fam-ily and the school play an irre-placeable role, and there is noshortage of examples showinghow personal development isaffected and compromisedwhen either is lacking.

People need environments in which theycan do and experience things that thefamily, school, work, etc., do not offer.Scouting must be one of those environ-ments!


Unfortunately, however, neithercan totally overcome its internalcontradiction.

• A relationship

In Scouting, the educational re-lationship between the adultand the young people is aboveall a partnership. Both “part-ners” acknowledge each oth-er’s qualities and both have anequally important contributionto make to their common project.

In the case of Scouting, theproject is to lead a “happy,active, useful” life. Both youngpeople and adults are commit-ted to pursuing this project aspartners in the process of livingand each is enriched by therichness of the other.

This relationship implies mu-tual trust and respect, a willing-ness to listen to each other, andto accept that the other “part-ner” may have different hopes

and needs and may see theworld in a different way.

The relationship is also basedon the acknowledgement of thefact that each of us faces deci-sions and choices that we alonecan make. No one can put him-self in someone else’s shoes…even if he is a wise adult withlots of experience!

This kind of relationship be-tween a young person and anadult is quite rare, but if youreally want to be a Scout leader,this is what you have to strivefor.

“To be a successful Scoutmaster,(…) a man must have the boy spiritin him and must be able to placehimself on a right plane with hisboys as a first step; he must realisethe needs, outlooks and desires ofthe different ages of boy life; hemust deal with the individual boyrather than with the mass; and hethen needs to promote a corporatespirit among his individuals togain the best results.”

B-P

As an adult in Scouting, you have made acommitment: to place yourself at theservice of young people, and to devotetime and effort to ensuring that this typeof environment exists and that this kindof relationship can be established.


THE AIM:THE FULLDEVELOPMENTOF THEINDIVIDUAL

1. FROM DEPENDENCE TO AUTONOMY

Each human being is unique.Each of us comes into the worldwith a unique set of individualcharacteristics and the ability todevelop them. It is by develop-

ing these characteristics that wedevelop ourselves. This growthprocess is obviously not re-stricted to the periods of child-hood and adolescence. It takes

place throughout life, from birthto death.

DEPENDENCE

• I can't cope bymyself.

• I can't decide formyself.

• I don't dare to assertmyself.

• I don't understandthe meaning of life orthe world.

AUTONOMY

• I stand on my owntwo feet.

• I decide what is goodfor me.

• I can assert myself.

• I develop and clarifymy own values.

LIFE SPAN

AUTONOMY

DEVELOPMENTPERSONAL

DEPENDENCE


2. FROM SELF-CENTREDNESS TO CONCERN FOR OTHERSLife is change. Life is the movement of thebody, of thought, of emotions, of rela-tionships, of the soul. Living means de-veloping continuously. Developing meanschanging, moving progressively from de-pendence to autonomy in all areas - physi-cally, intellectually, emotionally, sociallyand spiritually. Developing also meansdiscovering that other people exist, too,and growing from self-centredness toconcern for others.

SELF-CENTREDNESS

• I am the centre of theworld.

• Others must take careof me.

• I want!... Now!...

LIFE SPAN

CONCERN FOR OTHERS

DEVELOPMENTPERSONAL

SELF-CENTREDNESS

CONCERN FOR OTHERS

• I am not the only person inthe world.

• Whatever happens toothers concerns me.

• I reject whatever mightdemean others.

• I take an active part insociety, I commit myselfalongside other people.

This process of growth does notfollow a straight path. We all gothrough stages of developmentwith spurts of growth that are

mant periods. It may also stopaltogether for someone who de-cides that there is nothing moreto learn.

more rapid and more intense insome areas than in others. Ourdevelopment goes throughhighs and lows, as well as dor-


Naturally, the two precedingdiagrams are simply a generalillustration of the process. Theydo not describe the process indetail, nor do they show all theareas of development.

The development ideal pursuedin Scouting is that of a happy,well-balanced person who isboth autonomous and support-ive - autonomous in the senseof being resourceful, being ableto make decisions, and to assertoneself as a unique and respon-sible person; and supportive,i.e. being capable of sharing,genuinely caring about others,doing something for them, pro-moting a cause. Both are essen-tial, although neither is easy toachieve.

It is nonetheless this dual ca-pacity for autonomy and con-cern for others that fits the term“character” used so often by B-P.A person of character, in otherwords, is someone on whom

one can count to consciouslyuse all his available resources ina given situation, acting respon-sibly towards himself and oth-ers.

Autonomy, in the sense meanthere, has nothing to do withselfishness or self-centredness.A selfish person thinks only ofhimself and acts only in accord-ance with his own desires withno concern for others, as if hewere the only person in theworld. A self-centred personsteers everything towards him-self, and considers himself to bethe centre of the universe. Eve-rything must be organized tosuit him, and others only existinsofar as they can be of use tohim. An autonomous personcares both about himself andothers, and deals with situa-tions that arise to the best of hisown interests, while respectingothers.

Developing our personal au-

tonomy in all areas enables usto have more open and moreauthentic relationships with oth-ers, as an autonomous personaccepts others and respects themas they are. He refuses to ma-nipulate them to suit his ownpurposes.

When we talk about “develop-ment in all areas”, we are refer-ring to the various dimensionsof the person, i.e. physical, in-tellectual, emotional, social andspiritual. We can develop ineach of these dimensionsthroughout our lives.

However, just as we can strivefor greater autonomy in each ofthese dimensions, so too wecan find ourselves in a state ofdependence on someone orsomething in any of these di-mensions. A state of depend-ence in any of the dimensionshinders the autonomy of theperson as a whole. We there-fore need to break away from


dependence in order to achievea greater degree of self-control.

Self-control does not mean ig-noring, censuring or repressingone’s emotions, feelings andurges, but having control overthem - in other words, manag-ing them, expressing themwhenever necessary (while re-specting the integrity of others),to ensure one’s own equilib-rium.

Let us take a few examples toillustrate what form this evolu-tion from dependence to au-tonomy can take in differentareas of development.

The simplest example is obvi-ously in terms of physical de-velopment, as this is somethingtangible and easy to observe.Developing one’s physical au-tonomy means developing one’sability to move, to use our legs,arms and muscles. In normalconditions, i.e. in the absenceof illness or disability, physical

autonomy is acquired fairlyrapidly. Although a baby is to-tally dependent on others tomove, eat and look after hisbody, the essential functionsare nevertheless acquired withinthe first years of his existence.Nonetheless, there is still a longway to go to improve thosephysical abilities, to remainhealthy and in good shape.Moreover, physical autonomydoes not only concern mobilityand the ability to do sport, butalso involves choices concern-ing our diet, the consumptionof alcohol, the use of tobacco ordrugs, etc. It also means beingable to live with our own physi-cal limits, finding ways of deal-ing with them and overcomingthem - in other words, refusingto remain dependent.

Intellectual development, mean-while, is the ability to under-stand and interpret situationsand ideas, to judge things forourselves, and to retain our own

free will. For example, I canlisten to what someone else istelling me and think about it,but I retain the freedom to formmy own opinion. It is also theability to handle information, toanalyse it and use it to work outone or more possible solutionsto a given problem. Today, theability to innovate and create isall too often compromised. It isdifficult to escape being condi-tioned by society, fashion andthe media, not to mention eve-rything that aims to prohibit,control, and direct the way wethink and act so as to bring us inline with what is considered byothers to be “politically correct”or in line with fundamentalistthinking of one kind or another.

Achieving emotional autonomyinvolves first of all being able toacknowledge, recognize and ex-press our feelings and emo-tions. Thus, accepting pleasureand joy, or pain and sorrow,without hiding behind an ap-


pearance of composure andrationality is a sign of emotionalautonomy. Someone who doesnot know how to recognize andexpress his emotions severs him-self from an essential faculty,and his life is impoverished ac-cordingly. Furthermore, theemotions that we reject or arenot able to accept for what theyare will have an even greaterhold over us, precisely becausewe are not aware of them.

Naturally, expressing our emo-tions does not exclude respect-ing the integrity of others. Want-ing to hit someone and sayingso is one thing (expressing feel-ing and emotion), but wantingto hit someone and actuallydoing so (carrying out the ac-tion) is quite different. The feel-ings and emotions that are acti-vated by a situation (fear, anger,etc.) are natural, spontaneousand legitimate reactions. Self-control does not mean ignoringor repressing them so that they

surface later, in a stronger andpotentially destructive manner;rather it means managing themin a dynamic and positive way,in our own interests and in theinterests of those around us.

Is there such a thing as socialautonomy? Is it not a contradic-tion in terms? Clearly not,because autonomy does notmean ignoring others, andbehaving as if one were theonly person in the world. Beingautonomous also means recog-nizing and accepting others, asthey are - in other words, differ-ent, but not worse or better. Itmeans recognizing the fact thatwe are interdependent, actingin solidarity with others, with-out abandoning what we areand without denying or neglect-ing our own needs. Being au-tonomous means relating to oth-ers and communicating withthem because we want to, ratherthan because there is no otherchoice. It means choosing to

cooperate, to support each otherand to take the lead when nec-essary. And finally, it meansmoving from an imposed codeof behaviour to a freely ac-cepted value system on whichbehaviour which is responsi-ble, respectful of others and ofthe common culture can befounded. In other words, itmeans moving from sham con-formism to profound adherenceto common rules which we havepersonally recognized as beingvalid and which we freely ac-cept.

In spiritual terms, autonomymeans first of all acknowledginga dimension beyond us (i.e. thatwe are not the beginning andend of everything), accepting toexplore this dimension and totranslate what we find mean-ingful into our everyday livesand into the ways in which wegrow in all the other areas ofdevelopment. The spiritual di-mension gives meaning and di-


rection to all the rest and helpsus reach an ever higher level ofconsciousness.

If we look at the fundamentalprinciples of Scouting and inparticular at the three dimen-sions referred to as “duties”(Duty to God, Duty to Othersand Duty to Self) on whichScouting is based, it is easy tosee that we are dealing with thefull development of the indi-vidual. At the heart of Scouting(and in the heart of its Founder),this is the crux of the matter. Ifwe want to contribute to thecreation of a better world, im-proving society inevitably takesplace through “improving” theindividuals who make up thatsociety, and this improvementcan only come from the integraldevelopment of each individual.

Of course, Scouting could neverclaim to bring people to fullyachieve these ideals, i.e. to fullydevelop their personality, as this

is the object of a lifetime! Wealso realize that Scouting is notthe only agent of educationwhich influences a young per-son’s life. The family, schooland religious institutions repre-sent other agents of education,each of which uses its ownways and means, and has itsown strengths, weaknesses andlimits. There are other elements,too, which we should not forgetsuch as other boys and girls, thepeer group or “gang”, the me-dia, etc., all of which also repre-sent “educational factors”, gen-erally of a less formal nature,but which often exert more in-fluence than the others.

It is for all these reasons thatScout leaders should feel ratherhumble, and accept that theyare not the only agents. Theyshould not, therefore, assumethat they can “shape a youngperson’s soul”. However,Scouting can and often doesplay an important role, because

the effect of a particular experi-ence on a person’s develop-ment is related not only to theduration of that experience, butespecially to its intensity.

Scouting’s strength lies preciselyin this area. It enables a youngperson to live through intenseand meaningful experiences,both individually and as part ofa group. Insofar as they areintegrated by the person intohis personal life history, theseexperiences become formativeelements of his character.

“Individuality over-developedmeans self let loose, which is theopposite of what we want. Indi-viduality with character is anotherthing, it means a man with self-discipline, energy, ability, chiv-alry, loyalty, and other qualitiesthat go to make a good man.”

B-P


AN APPROACHTO EDUCATION

According to one definition:

“Education is an activity exer-cised by the adult generation onthose who are not yet ready for lifein society. Its aim is to arouse anddevelop certain physical, intellec-tual and moral states in the childthat society as a whole and theenvironment to which he specifi-cally belongs require of him.” (E.Durkheim, 1911).

According to another definition:

“Education is a series of methodswhich enable a child to go throughthe periods of development whichlead him to as full a personal de-velopment as possible in terms ofthe opening that society offershim.” (S. Lebovici, 1979).

The first stems from the Latinword “educare” (to “shape” or“form”, i.e. to give shape to some-thing that has none), and thesecond from “educere” (to “blos-som”, i.e. to draw out or bring tolife something that is latent).

In both cases, two dimensionsare inevitably present: the in-dividual dimension and thecollective one (the person andsociety), as it would be futileto claim to educate withouttaking both the individual andthe society in which he livesinto account.

Baden-Powell’s Scouting in-corporates both of these di-mensions. Its aim is both per-sonalist and community-re-lated. It aims to help the indi-vidual to develop, so that heor she will take an active partin society. Through its Method,it endeavours to accompanyeach young person along theroad of his own personal de-velopment and advocates“education from within” as op-posed to “instruction fromwithout”. It is a matter of de-veloping what is good and ofmaking what is latent grow ina positive and responsible way.


This explains its enormous suc-cess from the outset, in a periodwhen the tendency to “mould”the individual clearly dominatedthe world of youth education.

Apart from the fact that in thisapproach the young person isconsidered as a unique and re-sponsible being who is able toorganize his life, the advantageis that education is consideredto be an on-going process andnot something that one goesthrough, emerging at the otherend as a whole person, or“adult”, at long last ready to startliving. Each individual is a wholeperson at all stages of life. Itdoes not do credit to human-kind to consider the adult stageof life (assuming one knewwhen this stage begins and ends)as the only “complete” stage ofthe personality, before whichone would not yet be, and afterwhich one would no longer be,a whole person.

When we say that Scouting is aschool of life, we mean thatyoung people learn to live bet-ter, i.e. to live in an ever moreconscious, fulfilled and respon-sible manner, in each of the fivedimensions that we have al-ready mentioned: physical, in-tellectual, emotional, social andspiritual.

Viewed from this perspective, aperson is a complex, wholebeing which cannot live in iso-lation from relationships. Theseare: relationship with self (body,emotions, will, desires, aspira-tions, etc.), relationship withothers (individuals or groups),relationship with the world (na-ture, environment, society), re-lationship with God (life, death,the hereafter, etc.).

Of course, such “relationships”develop progressively, in ac-cordance with a set of values towhich the person has chosen toadhere and which give mean-

ing to his life. Indeed, ultimately,living means experiencing allthese relationships in an in-creasingly conscious and uni-fied manner.

A person’s relationship with hisbody is not independent fromhis relationship with others orfrom his relationship with God.It is clear that my physical ap-pearance, the way I dress, myhealth, and the care that I takeof my body influence the wayothers perceive me and the wayI interact with them. The oppo-site can also occur, whereby myrelationship with others influ-ences my physical condition andmy relationship with my body.Why bother to keep myself ingood health if that relationshipends?

The same applies in the spir-itual area. If my faith makes mybody “the temple of the Spirit”this inevitably leads to a searchfor purity, which is expressed in


my actions, the way in which Iperceive my body and take careof it, as well as by respecting thebodies of others.

In this approach, education (i.e.the development of the person,related to the flow of life, to thedevelopment of a conscious,active and responsible personwho is both autonomous andsupportive), cannot take placein a sequential order. There isno automatic link between thestages of development, as de-velopment follows the flow oflife - itself linked to the uniquecharacter of each person andhow he chooses to exercise hisfreedom.

For the most part, each persondevelops as a result of his expe-riences. Life experience is, infact, a set of linked experienceswhich have an effect on theperson as a whole. Thus, anintellectual experience can trig-ger feelings, emotions and physi-

cal sensations, modify an indi-vidual’s perception of himselfand others, and be at the root ofa spiritual experience.

However, it is the person who“decides” (not rationally, but onthe basis of what he feels physi-cally and emotionally) what hewill retain and what he willreject from his experiences.Whatever he decides to retainwill then become part of his lifeexperience and therefore be-come part of him. In otherwords, I am, to a certain extent,what I do, what I feel, what Iexperience.

As far as education is concerned,this puts the educator or men-tor, in his place - he or sheproposes and the person dis-poses… if given the means todo so!

“The two main methods of train-ing are:

(1) By Education: that is by“drawing out” the individual boyand giving him the ambition andkeenness to learn for himself.

(2) By Instruction: that is by im-pressing and drumming knowl-edge into the boy.

In the Scout Movement we useNumber 1.”

B-P


AN EDUCATIONALSYSTEM

So far, we have presented theprinciples on which Scouting isbased, and what it seeks toachieve. This all forms part ofan educational system whichalso comprises a set of concreteeducational tools without whichthese ideas, despite their ap-peal, could not take shape.

There are other institutions in-volved in contributing to thedevelopment of well-balancedand competent people who areactively involved in their com-munities. Scouting is not theonly organization that aims atthe “full development of theindividual”. However, it is un-doubtedly the only WorldMovement with this as its mainaim. This is one of the mostspecific characteristics of Scout-ing.

Another of Scouting’s specificcharacteristics relates to theparticular Method that it uses inorder to reach this aim. This

Method is a combination of el-ements that cannot be dissoci-ated. Of course, some of theelements are used elsewhere(an active learning approach,for example), but in Scouting allof the elements are entirely in-terdependent and form a sys-tem.

If any of the components ofScouting’s educational systemwere missing, the nature of thesystem would change, and itwould no longer be Scouting.

This explains the originality ofan approach that could be de-scribed as a rocket designed tolaunch (i.e. to separate fromthe original vessel) a personwho is autonomous (i.e. ableto make his own decisions andto manage his life); supportive(i.e. who actively cares aboutand for others); responsible(i.e. able to make decisions andassume the consequences, tokeep his commitments and to


complete what he undertakes);and committed (i.e. who seeksto live according to his values,and supports causes or an idealwhich he finds are important).

This is what Baden-Powellmeant by a “happy, active anduseful citizen”, a person ofcharacter.

In the three stages of the rocket,the booster engines are:

1. A PROPOSAL

2. A METHOD

3. DYNAMICS

These three stages are describedin detail below.

1. A PROPOSAL

Scouting’s proposal is made di-rectly to young people and fortoday. The young person is pri-marily invited to be (startingnow), not simply invited to be-come (later). This proposal in-cludes:

• A personal commitment:A voluntary commitment to agrowth ideal.

• Taking charge of one’s life:Asserting one’s rights and as-suming one’s duties, setting per-sonal objectives and overcom-ing obstacles, developing one’sresources, being responsible.

• Taking action today:Experiencing responsibility,commitment, the acquisition ofskills, personal development,and relationships with others.

• Progressive self-education:

Being free, autonomous, re-sponsible, fulfilled, open andsupportive today, in order to bea fulfilled, responsible, capableadult tomorrow.


2. A METHOD

The Method used by the Scoutleader to implement Scouting’sproposal comprises seven ele-ments which are closely linkedand in continuous interaction.

In accordance with Scouting’sproposal, which invites theyoung person to experience lifetoday and thus be better pre-pared for the future, the ele-ments of this Method constituteboth a way of living today, aswell as a preparation for tomor-row.

• Law and Promise

This is the central element ofthe Method.

The Law is the law of the group,but it is also a way of life, a setof “values in action” to whichthe young person commits him-self through the Promise.

For the leader, the Law there-

fore represents a life ideal forevery member of the Move-ment, young person or adult, aswell as an educational tool - away of learning the meaning ofthe concepts through direct ex-perience.

The Promise also encompassesthese two dimensions; in otherwords, it is a commitment tolive according to the Scout Law,law of the group and life ideal,but it is also an educational tool,a way of learning about themeaning of personal commit-ment and keeping one’s wordthrough direct experience.

Michael realizes that what countsis not that his Scouts can recitethe Law by heart, but that it isreally integrated into their wayof life, guiding them both withinthe group and outside of it.

Whenever the opportunity arises- which is frequently the case -he refers to the Law to makethem think about somethingthey did, the way they treatedsomeone, or whatever. The Lawprovides an excellent evalua-tion tool, a set of criteria withwhich the young people cancompare what happened in aparticular situation to whatshould have happened if theLaw had been applied, whetherit be to do with the youngpeople’s relationships with eachother, the life of the group, oran activity.

Thus, when a patrol did notshow up at a scheduled meet-ing point during an excursion,simply because the Scouts

Adhering to the Law means experiencinga code of living today and developing theability to keep to freely accepted rules fortomorrow.

Adhering to the Promise means experi-encing voluntary commitment today and,for tomorrow, learning to keep one’sword.


changed their minds, discus-sion with the patrol focused onmutual trust and respect forothers – in this case, of Michael,who was anxious when thepatrol did not turn up at therendez-vous.

For Michael, it is not a questionof making the Scouts feel guilty,but simply of making themaware of the consequences oftheir hasty decision. Becomingan adult also means foreseeingand assuming the possible con-sequences of the decisions thatone takes.

As for the Promise, Michael doesnot consider it as the investitureof an ideal, perfect Scout. It is acommitment that one makes infront of one’s peers, acknowl-edging that one has understoodthe rules of the group and theScout ideal, and that one wantsto “do one’s best” to followthese rules with the others andlive according to this ideal inone’s daily life.

Michael considers that the mo-ment of making the Promise isan important occasion. He triesto make it a meaningful eventfor each Scout, a milestone inhis personal life, but certainlynot an initiation rite or sacra-ment!

• Small group operation

What Baden-Powell called the“patrol system” is a fundamen-tal element of Scouting.

The small group (team, patrol,etc.) is the basic grouping inScouting. It comprises seven oreight young people together -slightly less in the younger agegroups - with one of them as the“leader”. Quite simply, it makesuse of the natural dynamics ofyoung people, their tendency toform groups of friends and dothings together. Several of thesegroups together - usually four orfive - form a troop, which issupported by an adult leader.

The system works well whenthis system is respected, i.e.when the initiative comes fromthe patrol, when the young peo-ple have a real say in the choiceof activities and in the decisionsthat concern them, and whenthe adults involved are trulysupportive and stand alongsidethe young people to help themto succeed.

In other words, the “patrol” isnot a subdivision of the troop,and the “Patrol Leader” is not achannel through which the adultleaders communicate their or-ders and decisions.

Through working together ontheir activities and organisingtheir life within the small group,a bond is created between themembers. Each member dis-covers the others, gets to knowthem well with their strengthsand limitations. Each personknows how far he can count oneach of the others, and in whatareas, and each person also


discovers the contribution thathe can make to the life of thegroup. It is indeed an experi-ence of life that the Scouts sharewithin the small group, with itsjoys and good times, as well asits difficulties and, perhaps,break-ups.

For Michael, this is not alwaysan easy course to follow, as heoften thinks that he would gaina lot of time by taking the deci-sions himself. After all, he is anadult, he has already gonethrough all that, and his experi-ence should suffice to convincehis Scouts. Unfortunately, it doesnot work like that, and “experi-ence is a torch which shedslight only on the person carry-ing it”.

What the Scouts get out of theexperience of operating as asmall team is invaluable. Michaelrecalls that when he started hisScout group a few years ago, ittook almost a year for the pa-trols to form. But it was worththe time it took! Once the pa-trols had really become estab-lished, they were close-knit,capable, able to take decisions,to share out tasks and organizethemselves.

If Michael himself had formed

the patrols and divided the maingroup up from the start, hewould never have achieved allof this. This experience helpedhim to realize the validity ofwhat B-P knew intuitively, i.e.of making constructive use ofthe child’s natural playingmechanisms, and of young peo-ple’s dynamism, natural tenden-cies and capacities.

• Learning by doing

Initially, and in the minds ofmany, learning by doing quitesimply means substituting theo-retical, book-related teachingwith concrete practice of thetechnique or skill to be devel-oped. However, learning bydoing is far more than acquiringtechnical know-how (such astying a knot in order to learnhow to tie a knot). It can beused in all the areas of develop-ment. Thus, group life enablesthe person to learn to relate toothers, the Promise teaches a

Finding one’s niche in the group and play-ing a real role. Expressing one’s point ofview, participating in decisions, influenc-ing the course of events, today.

Talking problems through, listening toother points of view, accepting that oth-ers can have different ideas and opinions.

Being actively involved in what happens.

Learning through experience what it meansto really listen, to participate, to livedemocratically, to be responsible, and torespect commitments, for tomorrow.

Experiencing solidarity and interdepend-ence, attention and respect towards oth-ers, developing one’s sense of servicetoday, for tomorrow.


sense of commitment, and thepractice of service creates anawareness of solidarity.

“The school of life” has a dou-ble meaning, as it means learn-ing to live (i.e. acquiring usefulknowledge, abilities and atti-tudes so as to lead an autono-mous, supportive and responsi-ble life) as well as learning fromlife (i.e. learning from every-thing that happens in the group,the activities and the situationsthat each person encounters inthe group).

Scouting is about enriching theeveryday activities of life withan educational content. Theleader needs to observe every-thing that happens and to inviteeveryone to take part in anevaluation, encouraging reflec-tion and providing feedback soas to get everything out of theexperiences that can contributeto the development of eachperson in one area or another.

Getting actively involved in hobbies, get-ting up and doing things that one is inter-ested in today, and thus stimulate for thefuture the spirit of discovery, the curios-ity to experiment and the desire to par-ticipate rather than to watch.

Getting involved in the action so as todevelop in every area.

Developing useful skills, finding ways ofdealing with situations, today. Develop-ing the resources to be able to take onchallenges and developing the desire tocontinue to develop skills for the future.

those activities can be madeinto learning experiences is usu-ally the last thing on their minds.Ensuring that there is an educa-tional content to their adven-tures is Michael’s job, althoughit does not necessarily need tobe made totally explicit fromthe outset and throughout theentire activity.

Another problem Michael facesis to ensure that, over a periodof time, there is a balance in theactivities so that, taken as awhole, they contribute to the“full development” of the youngpeople.

All of us, including Michael,know of “macho troops”, inwhich most activities focus onphysical development, sport,physical challenges, etc., ignor-ing any other dimension. As acomputer specialist, Michaelcould easily be tempted to thinkthat new technology is whatScouting should be concentrat-ing on today and, given his

For Michael, enriching whattakes place in the group is apermanent challenge. Thismeans ensuring that the activi-ties and everything that hap-pens within the group contrib-ute to the development of theyoung people in one area oranother.

Naturally, when the young peo-ple come up with ideas on whatthey want to do, their thoughtscentre mainly around adven-ture, challenge and fun. How


professional skills, he couldeasily get his Scouts to spendmost of their time doing allkinds of computer-related ac-tivities. Michael knows, how-ever, that if there is not a bal-ance in what they do, the out-come would be a troop of weak-armed technical wizards. It isnot always easy to be a Scoutleader!

• Symbolic framework

Right from the beginning, Scout-ing has had a symbolic frame-work (that of the backwoods-man, the lover of the great out-doors, the explorer) which hastriggered the imagination of theyoung people - and met theirneed for something wonderful.

How many young people inEngland in 1907 could runthrough the countryside inshorts, knead dough on theirjackets on the ground, make afire, follow trails, and sleep in

tents? At that time, being a Scoutsymbolized being free to roam,living in the wilderness, findingall kinds of creative solutions topractical problems, getting awayfrom a pre-set way of living,through which the person’squalities, enthusiasm and abil-ity to play an original and activerole in society could developfreely.

Later, in other places and forother age groups, other sym-bols were used - life in thejungle: the “Man cub” and thesocial organization of the packfor Cub Scouts, based on theJungle Book; the myth of theknight and crusader: spreadingthe ideals of service, generosity,courage and selflessness; themyth of the Red Indian: life innature, courage, the tribe, thesimplicity of the customs, theoriginality of Scouts among or-dinary people; the myth of thecommando and liberator:strength of character, ability to

survive in a hostile environ-ment full of enemies, but adefender of the good cause, ofjustice and freedom; or the mythof the pioneer: the discoverer ofa new world and a pioneerfaced with real challenges,“builds bridges across valleys”.

Other symbolic frameworks andother myths have also charac-terized the Movement, and natu-rally vary according to the cul-ture in which they are set.

Each of these myths correspondsto a stage in the history of theMovement and of the society inwhich they emerged. What theyall have in common is that, forthe boys and girls concerned,they give a tangible form to anideal. They stimulate their crea-tivity and encourage them toinvent the activities, objects andmental images that will turnthem, for a moment in time, intoheroes within this symbolicframework.


had nothing to do with Sundaycross-country skiing excursionswith the family. Here, it was aquestion of survival, in the windand the cold, at night, under thestars and snow. Everyonereturned home with a story totell and the feeling of havingreally achieved something. Itwas not a question of beingable to boast, but simply ofbeing able to say: “That night, Ireally tested my limits. It was anamazing experience, and the“polar bear” helped me.”

• Progressive scheme

Through the activities and grouplife, each Scout makes progressin one area or another. Eachperson progresses towards ob-jectives related to the variousareas of development. Enrichedwith an educational content,the activities are conceived soas to support this personal de-velopment.

Freeing the imagination in a world offiction to stimulate the ability to create,invent and to marvel - for a richer, moreintense life.

Experiencing playing a real role in a teamtoday, based on the person’s currentinterests and level of development.

Learning to deal with real life throughfiction.

Living the dreams and myths of one’s ageto the full, so as to have a better adult lifetomorrow, with no regrets of missedexperiences which have vanished for ever.

It is not a question of escapingreality, but of projecting oneselfinto the future or into anotherenvironment, of preparing one-self by facing challenges in thisimaginary, exciting, dynamicworld, to confront the challengesof life as it is and of people asthey are.

Here again, B-P intuitively knewthe importance of capturing theinterest of young people throughtheir capacity for wondermentand their ability to totally im-merse themselves in a differentworld. For the young people,though, what they experiencein their imaginary world is notso far removed from what theydeal with in real life and oftenconstitutes a helpful route toreality. This is one of the essen-tial strengths of children’s natu-ral games. Banning children andyoung people from being he-roes in make-believe settingscan quite simply bar the way todealing with real life.

Last week’s troop weekend inthe mountains was “the polarbear challenge”. With snow-shoes on their feet, Michael andhis Scouts walked in the snow,built igloos for the night, andpicked dry wood from underthe trees to make a fire. The Juramountains, thirty kilometresfrom Geneva, had become theFar Canadian North, and as faras the Scouts were concerned, itwas a great adventure which


Even if, as far as the youngpeople are concerned, the em-phasis is on the activity, withthe challenges and opportuni-ties it offers, and the pleasurethey get out of being immersedin the heart of the action, theactivity is, in reality, directedtowards an aim that does notnecessarily have to be explainedat the start. The activity simplyneeds to appeal to the youngpeople. Its value will be discov-ered later.

When a Scout makes his Prom-ise, he makes a commitment to“do his best”. The real criterionin evaluating progress is there-fore the progress made by theperson himself in terms of wherehe personally started from. Incertain activities, competition issometimes a factor of stimula-tion and motivation, but “whodid what the best, fastest...” iscertainly not a criterion for evalu-ating personal progress.

In Scouting, if the project wereto climb Mount Kenya, the maingoal would be to reach the top,but not necessarily to be thefirst to get there, nor to succeedat the first attempt. And at grouplevel, collective success is moreimportant than individualachievements. It is the wholepatrol which reaches the sum-mit, as everyone has helpedeach other, with the strongerones supporting the weakerpatrol members.

In Scouting, progress is oftenrecognized through badges.These are intended to show thatthe Scout has acquired a skillthat can be put to the service ofthe group. It is not a question ofcollecting badges, but of achiev-ing personal progress.

For Michael, who is aware ofthe aims of the Movement andof the educational objectives, itis not always easy to get hisScouts to take responsibility for

ELEMENTS OF THE SCOUT METHOD


themselves and to set their owngrowth objectives. He realizesthat it is not because the asso-ciation has taken great pains tocarefully establish these objec-tives that they will become areality and be adopted by theyoung people themselves. Whenall is said and done, each per-son decides on the directionthat he wants to take and thegoals he wants to reach and hewill continue to do so through-out his life. No one can do thisin his place. All that anyone elsecan do is to awaken and arousehis interest, and accompany himon his path towards his chosenobjective, offering him themeans to achieve it and helpinghim to succeed.

Michael realized that Mark, whowas relatively new to the group,was having trouble in reallyfeeling part of the group. Michaelcould see how Mark cautiouslystood back from the other youngpeople. Michael thought about

it, and remembered that Markloved playing the drums. At arecent troop meeting, Mark wasgiven an opportunity to showwhat he could do with a drumkit. The group band asked himto join and their jamming ses-sion got a roaring applause.When the time came for a groupevaluation meeting, Mark hadchanged. He was glad he hadsomething to offer the groupand was much more at ease. Hefinally felt he belonged.

• Adult-Youth relationship

Scouting is a youth movementin which adults play an impor-tant support role. Both the youngpeople and the adults share thesame ideal and the same com-mitment. They are united by thesame Promise and observe thesame Law. They are thereforepartners, committed to the samegoal: the full development ofthe individual. Naturally, eachretains his identity and specifi-

city. It is not a question of theadult playing the young person,nor vice versa with the youngperson ignoring his own con-cerns or interests and viewinghis youth and adolescence as astage to be got through as rap-idly as possible, so as to be ableto get on to the “serious things”.

Young people need adult menand women to help themachieve what they undertake,develop their confidence inthemselves, discover their lim-its, face moving on to anotherstage in life, and find referencepoints - adults they can talk to.

Adults need young people whochallenge them and bring themto question the validity and au-thenticity of their personalchoices and commitments.Young people help them toretain the freshness and curios-ity of people who are discover-ing things for the first time.

Taking responsibility for oneself today,setting growth objectives in the variousareas of development, and measuring thedistance covered. Measuring personalprogress in terms of change in oneselfover a period of time, rather than compar-ing oneself to or competing with others.

Developing one’s skills in order to be ableto play an active part in the life of thegroup and of the broader community as oftoday.

Developing curiosity and a desire to learnand discover today, so that tomorrow onecan continue to be equipped to live in aworld of progress and change.


On such a basis of mutual lis-tening and respect, of partner-ship and sharing, the Move-ment helps to increase real com-munication between the gen-erations, without power strug-gles, fears, and designs on oth-ers. Each person - young per-son or adult - accepts the otheras he is. This does not implyleniency in terms of behaviour;it simply means having a posi-tive attitude in terms of accept-ing and listening to the person.

In educational terms, the atti-tude of the leader consists inlistening to the young people,being prepared to talk withthem, valuing what is good,instilling confidence, reassur-ing them, and creating a safeenvironment in which the youngpeople can experiment and dis-cover. The adult needs to en-sure that everything that hap-pens is evaluated and put intoperspective, so that the skillsand knowledge acquired and

the progress achieved are clearlyidentified and integrated intoeach person’s life experience.

“I feel guilty about what hashappened to my daughter. If Icould take her place, I woulddo so, believe me.” This doesnot mean that Veronica lackeda “home”, “good advice”, or“discipline”, but that the lack ofcommunication and the “non-presence” of adults had resultedin an existential void, enormousinner turmoil, and a total loss ofreference points - leading to theirreparable.

Obviously, this was a news itemabout an extreme situation, butMichael was bothered by theimportance that the lack of con-tact with adults played in thisaffair. He realises the impor-tance of his involvement withthe young people in his group,to whom he offers support andthe source of reference of anadult willing to listen to them,as well as to set limits andrequirements. The role he playsamong them is not easy andrequires a great deal of him, but

Enjoying greater communication in everyday life with people from a differentgeneration.

Experiencing a positive and rewardingrelationship with adults, based on au-thenticity and trust, dialogue, listening toeach other and a shared commitment to-wards common values.

Developing for later a sense of mutualrespect between young people and adults,feeling comfortable in communicating withother generations.

On 11th March, in that morn-ing’s newspaper, Michael readabout two adolescents, Veronicaand Sebastian, who had beenaccused of murdering anotheryouth. According to Veronica’slawyer, what had emerged fromthe initial discussions was “thetotal lack of communication withadults, including her family.”Further down in the same arti-cle, Veronica’s father had stated:


on the basis of what he read inthe newspaper, and what canhappen to other young peoplewithout adults they can talk to,he feels that it is most certainlyworth the effort!

• Life in nature

Nature is an ideal setting forScout activities. In the begin-ning, B-P, who himself was usedto living in the outdoors, totravelling the length and breadthof the vast spaces of SouthernAfrica, and to bivouacking andtracking, drew from his ownpersonal experience and ad-ventures, in order to offer en-joyable activities to young peo-ple.

Quite clearly, nature is a settingin which we are really forced toface reality. Nature will not letus cheat. In nature, the cold, theheat, the rain, the snow and thewind are all elements fromwhich we cannot escape. We

have to adapt to them and findappropriate solutions. Moreo-ver, if we try to live in harmonywith nature, we inevitably re-discover how little we reallyneed in order to live. How su-perfluous the gadgets of townlife then seem! It was, after all,in the desert that many proph-ets and mystics met God! Na-ture can therefore be a temple.

When we talk of “nature” and ofthe “outdoors”, we are talkingabout real nature – the country-side, forest, desert and bush -and not just the school play-ground or local campsite. Evenif circumstances do not alwaysmake it easy to truly get intonature, and even if not all Scoutactivities take place in contactwith nature, camps and treks innature remain indispensable.Without them, there can be noreal Scouting.

Living in nature also means liv-ing in harmony with nature,

respecting and protecting it. ForScouts, the very first “environ-mental protection” activity is torecognize and observe the ba-sic rules of camping and hikingin harmony with nature. It isonly later that specific activitiesto protect the environment areundertaken to enrich the “na-ture” side of Scouting.

For Michael and his group, twoweeks at camp in summer, anda weekend camp every monththroughout the year, whateverthe weather, is the bare mini-

Beholding the intricate and awesomeworld of nature. Discovering our trueselves through life in nature, our illusionsblown away by the winds. Recognizingour limits and using all our capacities tosurvive the sun, rain and snow.

Experiencing the interdependence of thenatural world and the need to preserve it.Developing a responsible attitude andbehaviour which respects the balance ofnature today and for tomorrow.


mum. The locations are alwayschosen with care and checkedout in advance so as to offer asmany opportunities as possiblefor activities, discoveries, chal-lenges and “responsible camp-ing”. In this setting, everyonehas to use his capacities to thefull, relying on his own resourcesand those of the group to over-come obstacles. There is noth-ing superfluous at camp. Townlife is left behind and it is amatter of discovering how tolive comfortably with few re-sources.

Michael appreciates these op-portunities for his group and forhimself to get back to the essen-tials of life for a time, puttingaside everyday worries andthings that one takes for granted.In nature, the group becomescloser knit. Sharing and cooper-ating take on more meaningand are thus reinforced, as isthat special feeling of belong-ing to a group which is so

different from groups of friendsat school or in town.

3. DYNAMICS

The dynamics of Scouting’s edu-cational system refers quite sim-ply to how everything needs towork together so as to facilitatethe development of young peo-ple in practice.

The dynamics of Scouting in-volves four interrelated and in-terdependent elements. All ofthese elements interact with eachother and all of them, like forcesof energy, must push in thesame direction, i.e. the devel-opment of young people. Theseelements are:

• Educational objectives

• Activities

• Structure and functioning

• Group dynamics

Within an association, each ofthese aspects and how they

interact need to be borne inmind at all levels, even thoughthe way of looking at them andthe kind of action that will needto be taken will be different atnational level and at local level.

At national level, it is a matter ofensuring that the dynamics arean integral part of the thinkingprocess not only in terms ofeducation per se but also interms of support structures.

It is of course at local level thatthe dynamics actually come intoplay - in the real life situation ofa unit. The leader must, there-fore, understand the dynamicsand be able to make adjust-ments when needed.

At national level:

Youth Programme design


At national level, educationalobjectives cover both the final


not directly applicable to eachperson nor to each local unit.

Nonetheless, they may serve asinstruments for measuring theeducational quality of a unitand for verifying that the asso-ciation’s youth programme isrelevant to the needs of youngpeople at a given time and in agiven situation.


Every national association de-fines a structure, organizationcharts, lines of responsibility,the systems of assemblies andcouncils, the decision-makingmechanisms, the role and lead-ership style of adults, etc. foreach level of the associationand for all levels together.

However, if we are to be con-sistent in what we are trying tooffer young people, the way inwhich the association is struc-tured and functions (including

leadership styles) matters.

The structure and methods offunctioning of the associationput in place by the nationallevel can serve as a model allthe way down to grassrootslevel. Structure and functioningare an important component ofthe dynamics at local level, too,and need to facilitate, not hinder,personal development.

It would, for example, be verydifficult to stress the importanceat local level of each youngperson learning to take part inthe decision-making process, ac-cepting responsibility for them-selves, developing autonomy,etc., if all the decisions are takenat the top and conveyed to thebottom for execution.

The structure and functioningmust therefore be consistentwith the other elements of thedynamics, the Scout Method,the educational proposal andScouting’s purpose.

objectives (what a young per-son could be expected toachieve in terms of growth ineach area of development bythe end of the oldest age sectionoffered by the association); andintermediate objectives (whata young person could be ex-pected to achieve in terms ofgrowth in each area of develop-ment by the end of a specificage section).

Educational objectives expresswhat we are trying to achieve ina tangible and measurable man-ner. They also give meaningand direction to what we do inScouting (in other words, theyare why we do what we do andguide how we go about thingsto achieve a particular result).

We need to bear in mind, how-ever, that while the educationalobjectives defined by the asso-ciation at national level consti-tute part of the framework ofthe youth programme, they are


• Activities

In Scouting, activities are amedium used to achieve objec-tives and thus, ultimately, tofulfil Scouting’s aim. However,the nature of an activity doesnot make it a Scout activity andthe way in which it is carried outis just as important as the activ-ity itself.

For example, you can camp ina way that has nothing to dowith Scouting, and many peo-ple do so. Despite the fact thatit is “outdoors”, the school play-ground has nothing to do withthe “nature” that B-P had inmind as an ideal setting forScout activities.

We should not forget either thatone of the essential features ofScouting’s educational systemis that it seeks to enrich thenatural and spontaneous activ-ity of children and young peo-ple with an educational content(making full use of their dyna-

mism, their curiosity, their de-sire to be part of a group, theirtaste for adventure, etc.), aswell as to enrich the everydayactivities of life, such as feedingoneself, finding shelter, keep-ing warm, cool, etc..

Evidently, the activities mustalso be conceived so as to offeropportunities for learning ex-periences to occur, heading inthe general direction of the edu-cational objectives. Otherwise,there is a danger of organizingactivities simply for the sake ofkeeping young people occu-pied.

However, it is not enough foran activity to be well-conceived,consistent with the objectives,useful to the community, well-prepared, etc. - it must alsoappeal to the young people.

If an activity is to serve anypurpose at all, it must thereforebe developed on the basis ofwhat young people want to do.


• Group dynamics

Group dynamics refers to howpeople in a group act, react,interact, the roles played, etc.and the effects that all this hason the group - constructive ordestructive. At national level itis important to recognize thecrucial role that this elementplays in the success or failure ofa group and in the developmentof young people.

It is primarily through group lifeand the relationships that de-velop that the young peoplecan learn to communicate on adeeper level, play a meaningfuland responsible role, help eachother out, realise the need towork out their conflicts in anon-aggressive way, understandthe importance of keeping com-mitments, and so on.

While the group dynamics ineach unit cannot be determinedat national level, what the asso-ciation can do is to ensure that

the structure and functioningthat it proposes facilitates con-structive group dynamics. Con-siderations include the size ofthe patrols, gender of the mem-bers, the span of ages within theunit, the distribution of rolesand responsibilities, the deci-sion-making process and in-stances, relationship betweengroups, degree of independ-ence and autonomy, support toadult leaders, a strong identityor not, etc..

At local level:

Programme implementation


For each member of the groupand for the group as a whole,the educational objectives indi-cate the direction and destina-tion, but it is up to each youngperson and the group, with theassistance of the adult leader, to


formulate the objectives that theyset themselves, and then toevaluate how far the youngpeople have come in terms ofachieving them.

It is up to the adult, over acertain period of time, to checkthat the objectives set by theyoung people with his or herassistance correspond to thedifferent areas of growth, andthereby to ensure the full andharmonious development of theindividuals and of the group asa whole.


The level of sophistication (i.e.the level of simplicity or com-plexity) of the structure andfunctioning put into place willreflect the group’s history andlevel of maturity.

The various components willneed to be introduced progres-sively in a newly constituted

group so as not to overwhelmthe young people (or the leader)with complex structures andways of working which they arenot yet ready for. For example,a new group which is not verytightly-knit will have troubleacting in an independent andresponsible manner. Ensuringthe success of an activity byadopting a more directive atti-tude may therefore contributeto the unity of the group andhelp it to mature through actionand become more responsibleand more autonomous.

In contrast, the directive atti-tude of an adult towards a groupwhich is able to assume respon-sibility for itself can only lead torebellion or cause the group toregress to a greater state ofdependence.

In the same vein, attention needsto be paid to ensuring a corre-lation between the kind of ac-tivity proposed and the needs

of the group at a given time (e.g.there is little use in organisingan evaluation session at a timewhen the group needs to ex-pend physical energy).

There is therefore a need toensure coherence between ac-tivities, group dynamics and theway in which the group func-tions. And all three of theseelements of the dynamics needto be coherent with the educa-tional objectives sought.

• Activities

While the programme certainlyhas a number of permanentfeatures, the choice of activities,the way in which they are car-ried out, the result obtained andtheir impact on the group andon each member are specific toeach group. Standard activitiesconceived at national level forthe “average” group may serve


as a model or help a group toget started. However, thegroup must then assume re-sponsibility for its own activi-ties, conceiving and imple-menting activities which ap-peal to its members, taking theconditions in which it is oper-ating into account.

It is up to the adult leader toenrich what the young peoplewant to do in terms of activi-ties, so as to give them anexplicit “educational” content- in other words elementswhich will contribute to thegrowth of the each young per-son and to the achievement ofthe objectives set.

It is also up to the leader toensure that the variety of ac-tivities undertaken covers asufficient range of objectivesto ensure the full and harmo-nious development of eachperson.

• Group dynamics

The quality and richness of thegroup dynamics determine thequality of the activities under-taken.

Moreover, without needing tohave recourse to specific “ac-tivities”, it is in the group thatthe young people can learnabout relationships, respect, dia-logue, responsibility, listening,etc.

National and local levels

In the light of all this, it is clearthat the youth programme de-veloped by an association doesnot really take shape until placedinto the reality of unit life.

The role of the leader is ofparamount importance, as hehas to have a clear understand-ing of the youth programmeand be able to implement it,while taking the reality of hisgroup into account.

If the leader is not thoroughlyfamiliar with the association’syouth programme, he willclearly not be able to adapt it -you cannot adapt something ifyou do not understand it - andwill improvise something thatmight well work but will havelittle to do with Scouting. Theart of the leader is to put Scout-ing into action and to ensurethat it works; i.e. to ensure thatwhat takes place in the unitreally helps the young peopleto develop in terms of autonomyand solidarity.

“Our method of training is toeducate from within rather thanto instruct from without; to offergames and activities which, whilebeing attractive to the boy, willseriously educate him morally,mentally, and physically.”

B-P


CONCLUSION In writing this publication, we hadin mind every Scout leader in his orher unit. We have written it for animaginary person working in a set-ting and conditions which are spe-cific to him or her. Quite clearly, itis the purpose, method and spirit ofScouting which are universal. Theconditions and sociocultural envi-ronment in which this purpose,method and spirit are implementedare not, however, universal. In prac-tice, they have to be adapted to theparticular society and to the age ofthe children or young people withwhom one is working.

Thus, for example, we have made“Michael” a “computer specialist”.Not everyone is a computer spe-cialist, but this is not what counts.What does count is the reasons thathave driven him to become in-volved in Scouting to work withyoung people, and the way in whichhe goes about it.

Elsewhere, the leader might becalled Ahmed, Jane, Kim, Carlos,

Manuela or Koffi, and might be acivil servant, a shopkeeper, a crafts-man, teacher, or whatever. Thegroup might not be mixed, and itcould just as well be a group of CubScouts aged ten to twelve ratherthan adolescents aged fourteen toseventeen. This does not alter any-thing essential in this publication,and it is up to each reader tointerpret what he or she reads inaccordance with the conditionsunder which he or she is working.

Young Cub Scouts would certainlynot participate in decision-makingin the same way as older Scouts. Ifthe leader wants to practise Scout-ing, what matters is being able tounderstand that he or she has tofind ways of allowing the Cubs,within the limits of their capabili-ties, and at a level corresponding totheir stage of development, to havea part in the decision-making proc-ess. If the leader wants to practiseScouting, he or she has to developresponsibility in the young peoplethrough opportunities to practise

responsibility; i.e. by entrustingthem with real responsibilitieswithin the unit.

Had we attempted to take intoaccount all the variations and allthe social, cultural and other differ-ences, we would have had to writetwenty-five such publications (atleast)! However, we are confidentthat those who read this publica-tion will realize that: “Naturally, thedetails of how I live and work donot correspond to those describedin this publication… Naturally, mytroop is different from the onedescribed… Of course, it neversnows in my country, and we couldnot therefore build an igloo… Butit is the ideas that count. I now havea better understanding of whatScouting is and of everything thathas to be done to lead a group ofyoung people in accordance withthe Scout Method.”

We hope that we have achievedour intention.

The quotations of Baden-Powell contained in this publication have been takenfrom:

p. 3 : Aids to Scoutmastership

p. 7 : Life's snags and how to meet them


p. 16 : Rovering to Success

p. 19 : Headquarters Gazette


Documents

Scout Practices