Scouts' Day

Scouts' Day or Guides' Day is a generic term for special days observed by members of the Scouting movement throughout the year. Some of these days have religious significance, while others may be a simple celebration of Scouting. Typically, it is a day when all members of Scouting will re-affirm the Scout Promise.

Scouts' Day
Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout Movement

Founders' Days

Worldwide in nearly all Scout associations, Founders' Day is celebrated on February 22, the birthday of Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell (born in 1857), the founder of Scouting, and coincidentally also of his wife Olave Baden-Powell (born in 1889).[1] In Kenya, the grave of Baden Powell has become a pilgrimage site,[2] and each year, the members of the Kenya Scouts Association and Kenya Girl Guides Association celebrate Scouting at the grave.[3]

Individual associations also celebrate their own founding on other dates, although these are generally restricted to "major" anniversaries, such as a decennial. Girl Scouts of the USA celebrate Founders Day on 31 October, the birthday of Juliette Gordon Low.

World Thinking Day
See also: World Thinking Day

Thinking Day is celebrated on 22 February. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) chose the date as it was the birthday of Scouting and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell. It is thus celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts associations. SAGNOs (those associations which are part simultaneously of WAGGGS and WOSM) usually take part in it. It is also celebrated by some boy-oriented scout associations belonging to WOSM (i.e. Greece, where it is called Imera Skepseos),

Saint George's Day
Portuguese Scout postcard casting Scout as modern-day St. George slaying the dragon

Saint George is the patron saint of Scouting. The nearest Sunday to 23 April is observed as a celebration in some countries, for example, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Brazil and Spain. After Founder’s Day, it’s the biggest celebration in National Scout Organizations.

In the UK many Scouting Districts celebrate the day with a parade of the groups and sections to a church or other suitable venue, often outdoors, where a service is held where the Scout sections all re-affirm their Scout Promises.

However, it is becoming more difficult to encourage participation by the youth membership, so many Districts forego the parade and church service in place of a more family oriented day. The focus of the day is still the affirmation of the Promise by all members.

Windsor and Queen Scouts Each St. George's Day is also marked by a service in St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, which is open to all recipients of the Queen's Scout Award in the previous year.

See also: Saint George's Day

Scout Sunday, Scout Jumuah, and Scout Sabbath (Boy Scouts of America)
Scouts on Scout Sunday in Philadelphia, 1949

The Boy Scouts of America have designated the Sunday preceding 8 February, or 8 February if it is a Sunday, as Scout Sunday, the following Friday as Scout Jumuah, and the following Saturday is designated as Scout Sabbath.[4] The United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA) celebrate Scout Sunday on the second Sunday of February as not to conflict with their Transfiguration Sunday.

The day is meant to mark the founding of the Scouts in the United States. Observation varies by unit and locale. Scouts go to their places of worship in uniform and help with the service.

In the United States, Scouting has been used by churches, temples, synagogues, and many other religious organizations as part of their youth ministries. Approximately 50 percent of all Scouting units are chartered to religious groups. These observances offer an opportunity for congregations to honor Scouts and Scouters, as well as to learn more themselves about the value of Scouting as a youth program.[5]

Girl Scout Week (Girl Scouts of the USA)

In the Girl Scouts of the USA, the equivalent holiday is Girl Scout Sunday or Girl Scout Sabbath, celebrated in Girl Scout Week the week that includes 12 March, the day the first Girl Scout troop was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia in 1912.[6]

Scout-Guide Week (Canada)

In Canada both the Guides and the Scouts celebrate Scout-Guide Week which is the week (Sunday-Sunday) in which 22 February falls (not including the first Sunday). It is often used to have joint events between the two groups.[7]

Africa Scout Day

Africa Scout Day is a day of celebration for Scouts in Africa and is held annually on 13 March. At the 62nd ordinary session of the Council of Ministers of the then OAU, (currently African Union) in Addis Ababa in 1995, a resolution was passed that Scouting in Africa must be recognized and as such 13 March would be celebrated as Africa Scout Day.[8]

World Scout Day

World Scout Day commemorates the first Scout Camp on Brownsea Island in 1907.[9]

Scout Service and Public Relationship Week (Sri Lanka)

Scout Service and Public Relationship Week is held annually on June–July. Scouts will call on the public during this week in uniform. The event began with the participation of Scouts from all 37 districts simultaneously numbering approximately 40,000 between the ages of 7 and 18. A Patrol consisting of four Scouts or more in uniform will carry an official card given by Sri Lanka Scout Association for public contributions. Scouts find money for their Scout Group through the Service and Relationship week each year. They go to houses and work places and help their owners with small work they can do. People give them work and then give some amount of money for their effort. The association requests the public to contribute to them generously as this is the main fund raising project for them.

See also: Scouting and Guiding in Sri Lanka

Dates celebrated by country
DateEnglish nameLocation/local nameRemarks
1 JanuaryScouts' DayBurma
8 February Scouts' Day United States Marks the founding of the Boy Scouts of America in 1910[10]
22 FebruaryThinking Dayworldwide (Guides) Marks shared birthday of Scouting's founders
22 FebruaryFounder's Dayworldwide (Scouts) Marks shared birthday of Scouting's founders
5 MarchScouts' DayRepublic of China (Taiwan)
12 MarchGirl Scout BirthdayUnited StatesMarks founding of first Girl Scout troop in the United States
18 AprilScouts' DayArmeniaSocial and Scouting work take place in one of the central parks of Yerevan[11]
19 AprilGuides' DayGeorgiaanniversary of the first national Girl Guide conference in 1997
19 AprilScouts' DayAzerbaijan[11]/regional_and_national_events_of_eurasia_region
23 AprilSt. George's DayUnited KingdomParade of Queen's Scouts at Windsor Castle
23 AprilSt. George's DayDenmarkParades and recommitting to the Scout's promise[12][13]
23 AprilScouts' DayMexico
23 AprilScouts' DayBrazil
24 AprilSt. George's DayCzech RepublicCelebrated on April 24 because April 23 is the feast of Czech national saint Adalbert of Prague
19 MayScouts' DayCroatiafirst training in 1950
22 MayGirl Scout DayJapan
30 MayNational Scout DayMaldivesScouting began in First Male' Scout Group, Majeediyya School
31 MayVietnamese Scouting DayVietnam
late MayScout Movement Week[14]LiberiaIn 2009 was 25–30 May
1 JulyScouts' DayThailand Scouts pay homage to King Rama VI, and take part in parades
3 JulyScouts' DayNepal 2009 was 57th Scout Day
1 AugustWorld Scout Dayworldwide (Scouts & Guides) World Scout Day is named officially by the WOSM. And World Scout Scarf Day was not officially recognized by any Scout Association.
1 AugustWorld Scout DayAustralia Day that Scouts Australia announce and celebrate Adult Recognition Awards for the year nationwide
14 AugustPramuka DayIndonesia Honors the national scouts of Indonesia (Pramuka) first public parade in 1961
5 SeptemberScout and Good Action DayArgentina Celebrates the scout and good act day doing charity work, donations and personal good action.
OctoberScouting MonthPhilippinesThe Boy Scouts of the Philippines was chartered by Congress on 31 October 1936.
variableGirl Guides DayBruneiFirst was 6 October 1985, chosen to be near their royal patron's birthday[15]

See also
  • "A Scout is Reverent: Scout Sunday Religious Observances". Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  • "A Scout Is Reverent: Scout Sunday Observance". scouting.org. Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  • "St George Day". stgeorgesdayevents.org.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  • "St George Day". stgeorgesday.com. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  • "Scout Sunday in the United States". cimarron bsa. Retrieved 21 February 2019.

Further reading

References
  1. Nyawira, Lydiah (24 February 2019). "Scouts from all over the world mark Founders Day in Nyeri". The Standard Group. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. Wendell, Bryan (11 April 2014). "Scouting family takes pilgrimage to Baden-Powell's grave in Kenya". Bryan on Scouting. BSA. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. "Historic shrine that's home to boy scouts and girl guides". Daily Nation. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. Wendell, Bryan (9 January 2017). "Scout Sunday 2017, Scout Sabbath 2017 and Scout Jumuah 2017: Everything you need to know". Bryan on Scouting. Scouting Magazine: BSA. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  5. "Scout Sabbath". Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008.
  6. "Girl Scout Days". GSUSA. Archived from the original on 8 December 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
  7. "Canadian Events". Scouts Canada. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  8. "GSA celebrate Africa Scout Day in Kumasi". The Ghanaian Journal. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  9. "World Scout Scarf Day". Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  10. "Happy 105th birthday, Boy Scouts of America". Bryan on Scouting. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  11. "Events". World Organization of the Scout Movement. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010.
  12. Joseph A. Brunton, Jr. (April 1965). "A Scout is a Brother to all Scouts". Boys' Life. BSA. p. 37. Retrieved 21 February 2019. ... boys of Denmark and Norway will promise "Jeg lover paaa min aere ..."
  13. William Hillcourt (1946). "Hiking with Green Bar Bill". Boys' Life. BSA. p. 14. Retrieved 21 February 2019. Vaer Beredt
  14. "Liberia observes scout movement week". Liberian Broadcasting System Online. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  15. Awang, Nela; Finaz Daniel (12 November 2007). "Her Majesty graces Girl Guides Day ceremony". The Brunei Times. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2009.
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