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The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM /ˈwʊzəm/) is the largest international scout organization and was established in 1922.[1][2] It has 176 members.[3] These members are national scout organizations that founded WOSM or have subsequently been recognised by WOSM, which collectively have around 43 million participants.[5] Its operational headquarters is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia while it is legally based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Quick Facts Headquarters, Country ...
World Organization of the Scout Movement
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Headquarters
World Scout Bureau: Geneva, Switzerland

Secretary General's Office: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CountryWorldwide
Founded1922[1][2]
Membership
  • 176 organizations[3][4]
  • which have around 43 million participants (2021)[5]
ChairDaniël Corsen
Vice-ChairsJulius Kramer
Mori Cheng
Secretary GeneralAhmad Alhendawi[6][7]
Website
http://www.scout.org
 Scouting portal
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WOSM's current stated mission is "to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Scout Law, to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society".[8][9]

WOSM operates through conferences of its member organization representatives, its committee and its full-time bureau, structured into regions. It is associated with three World Scout Centres. A World Scout Jamboree is held approximately every four years under its auspices and it organizes World Scout Moots for 17- to 26-year-olds and previously organized World Scout Indabas, a gathering for Scout leaders. The World Scout Foundation is a separately governed fund, supported by donations, for the development of WOSM associated programs.

WOSM is the counterpart of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).[further explanation needed][citation needed] It is a non-governmental organization with General Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).[10]

History

In 1920, a conference held during the 1st World Scout Jamboree at Olympia, London agreed to create a Boy Scouts international bureau. An office was established at 25 Buckingham Palace Road, London and The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom International Commissioner, Hubert S. Martin, was appointed as honorary director. The bureau's principal task was to co-ordinate discussions and prepare a second international conference in Paris in 1922.[1][2] At the 1922 Paris conference, The International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement and its committee were constituted and took over the bureau in London.[2]

In 1961, the organization's conference reconstituted the organization under the name World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). It's International Conference of the Boy Scout Movement became WOSM's World Scout Conference ("conference"), its Boy Scouts International Committee became WOSM's World Scout Committee ("committee") and its Boy Scouts International Bureau became WOSM's World Scout Bureau ("bureau").[11]

Member Organizations

See: WOSM members

WOSM's membership consists of its remaining founding member organizations and organizations recognized by WOSM as national scout organizations. WOSM's rules permit only one member organization in each country. Where a country does not already have a WOSM member organization and there is more than one association, they can form a federation for recognition as a WOSM member. Several such federations exist, some with different component groups divided on the basis of religion (e.g., France and Denmark), ethnic identification (e.g., Israel), or language (e.g., Belgium). Canada is the only country to have two distinct recognized associations, which are divided by language but this still occurred with only one organization being a member and the second organization affiliating with the member organization. The basis for WOSM membership includes adherence to WOSM's aims and principles and independence from political involvement on the part of each member organization.

WOSM has members in some non-sovereign territories.

Non-national members

WOSM historically recognized some non-national Scout organizations:

  • "National" organizations operating outside their original homelands. WOSM's conference admitted and recognised the exile Russian Scouts as the "Representatives of Russian Scouting in Foreign Countries" on 30 August 1922 and the Armenian Scouts in France were recognized as a "National Movement on Foreign Soil" on 30 April 1929.[11]
  • Small, non-voting associations. The International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone, a group in Panama with Scouts that claimed British and not Panamanian nationality was originally placed under the Boy Scouts of America's American Scouting overseas but, in 1947, was transferred under WOSM's bureau.[12] The group had over 900 members in 1957 and existed as a directly registered group until the late 60s.[citation needed] The Boy Scouts of the United Nations began in 1945 and for years there was an active Boy Scouts of the United Nations with several troops at Parkway Village in New York City but only 14 members in 1959.[citation needed] Both the International Boy Scouts of the Canal Zone and the Boy Scouts of United Nations have long since disbanded.
  • Directly registered "mixed-nationality Troops" were registered after discussions concerning such troops took place at WOSM's 3rd conference in 1924[13] at which WOSM's bureau was authorized to directly register such groups. It seems that the discussion at WOSM's 1924 conference was, at least in part, prompted by a letter to Baden-Powell from the Scoutmaster of one such troop in Yokohama, Japan.[14] Janning's troop became the first troop directly registered by WOSM's bureau.[15] Only a few troops were directly registered and the practice was soon discontinued with new "mixed" groups being encouraged to join the WOSM member organization of their country of residence. In 1955, only two such groups were still active, a troop in Iraq that disbanded that year,[16] and the first group to be so registered, the International Troop 1 in Yokohama.[17][18] The only remaining directly registered Troop is the International Boy Scouts, Troop 1 located in Yokohama, Japan.[citation needed]
  • Temporary recognition was extended to Scouts in displaced persons camps after World War II. In 1947, at WOSM's 11th conference the "Displaced Persons Division" of WOSM's bureau was established to register and support Scouts in displaced person camps in Austria, Northern Italy, and Germany.[19] These Scouts did not receive the right of WOSM membership but gained recognition as Scouts under WOSM's bureau until they took up residence in a country that had a recognized national Scouting organization, which they could join.[20] The D.P. Division was closed on 30 June 1950.[21]

WOSM associate members are recognized but not full members.

Countries without a WOSM member organization

In 2020, WOSM listed twenty-five potential member organizations. Ten of these were served by oversea branches of WOSM member organizations (see #Countries and territories with Scouting run by overseas branches of WOSM member organizations).[22]

In 2020, WOSM listed five countries as without Scouting; the Vatican City, is also without Scouting.[22]

Structure

Conference

WOSM's conference is its general meeting of member organizations' representatives which meet every three years, hosted by a member association. Each member organizations may send six delegates. The conference is usually preceded by the World Scout Youth Forum.[23][24]

More information Date, Number ...
DateNumber Location CountryMember Countries Host Candidate Countries
1920Retrospectively referred to as the "First International Conference" London  United Kingdom 33
1922First International Conference (retrospectively referred to as the "Second")[2] Paris  France 30
1924Third International Conference Copenhagen  Denmark 34
1926Fourth International Conference Kandersteg   Switzerland29
1929Fifth International Conference Birkenhead  United Kingdom33
1931Sixth International Conference Baden bei Wien  Austria44
1933Seventh International Conference Gödöllő  Hungary31
1935Eighth International Conference Stockholm  Sweden28
1937Ninth International Conference The Hague  Netherlands34
193910th International Conference Edinburgh  United Kingdom27
194711th International Conference Château de Rosny-sur-Seine  France32
194912th International Conference Elvesæter  Norway25
195113th International Conference Salzburg  Austria34
195314th International Conference Vaduz  Liechtenstein35
195515th International Conference Niagara Falls, Ontario  Canada44
195716th International Conference Cambridge  United Kingdom52
195917th International Conference New Delhi  India35
196118th International Conference Lisbon  Portugal[25]50
196319th World Scout Conference Rhodes  Greece52
196520th World Scout Conference Mexico City  Mexico59
196721st World Scout Conference Seattle  United States70
196922nd World Scout Conference Espoo  Finland64
197123rd World Scout Conference Tokyo  Japan71
197324th World Scout Conference Nairobi  Kenya77
197525th World Scout Conference Lundtoft  Denmark87
197726th World Scout Conference Montreal  Canada81
197927th World Scout Conference Birmingham  United Kingdom81
198128th World Scout Conference Dakar  Senegal74
198329th World Scout Conference Dearborn United States 90
198530th World Scout Conference Munich  West Germany93
198831st World Scout Conference Melbourne  Australia77
199032nd World Scout Conference Paris  France100
199333rd World Scout Conference Sattahip  Thailand99
199634th World Scout Conference Oslo  Norway108
199935th World Scout Conference Durban  South Africa116
200236th World Scout Conference Thessaloniki  Greece125
200537th World Scout Conference Hammamet  Tunisia122  Hong Kong
200838th World Scout Conference Jeju-do  South Korea150
201139th World Scout Conference Curitiba  Brazil138  Australia,  Hong Kong,  Switzerland
201440th World Scout Conference Ljubljana  Slovenia143  Italy
201741st World Scout Conference Baku  Azerbaijan169[26]  Malaysia
202142nd World Scout Conference Digital 170[27]
202443rd World Scout Conference Cairo  Egypt[28] 176  France,  Mexico
202744th World Scout Conference London  United Kingdom[29]  Rwanda,[30]
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Committee

WOSM's committee is its executive governing body, composed of elected volunteers and its secretary general, which is responsible for the implementation of the resolutions of its conference and governs the organization between meetings of its conference. The committee meets at least twice a year. Its steering committee, consisting of the chairperson, two vice-chairpersons and its youth advisor and secretary general meet as needed.[31]

The committee has 21 members. Twelve, each from a different country, are elected for three-year terms by WOSM's conference. The members, elected without regard to their nationality, represent the interests of the movement as a whole, not those of their country. The Secretary General, the Treasurer of WOSM and a representative member of the board of the World Scout Foundation and the chairpersons of the regional Scout committees are ex-officio members of the committee. From 2008 to 2021 six Youth Advisors to the WSC were elected by the World Scout Youth Forum. The Youth Advisors participated in all of the WSC meetings and were also part of the governing structure between the meetings.[32] There will be no Youth Advisors from 2024.

The 2021-2024 the committee set up work streams to address the top strategic priorities, as defined by WOSM's conference, which at present include:[33]

  • Educational Methods
    • Boosting Volunteers (Adults in Scouting Project)
    • Earth Tribe Coordinating Team
    • Gender Mainstreaming Coordination
    • Life Skills Initiative
    • SCENES Coordination Team
  • World Events
    • Evolution of its conference
    • Innovation of all World Events
  • Good Governance
    • Growth, Recovery and Resilience - Enabling Capacities for Growth
    • GSAT Review and New Partner On-boarding
    • Safe from Harm 1 - Compliance Mechanism Build, Pilot and Implementation
    • Safe from Harm in World and Regional Events
    • Strengthening Consultants Support in Financial Management
    • WOSM Consultants 2.0

Task forces include:

  • Youth Engagement in Decision-Making
  • Sustainability

Workstream Coordination Group

  • Project management support
  • Volunteer management support
  • Monitoring and evaluation support

Standing committees include:

  • Audit
  • Budget
  • Constitutions
  • Ethics
  • Honours and Awards
  • Steering

Current committee members

More information Name, Country ...
Name Country Position until
Daniël Corsen  Curaçao Chairperson 2027
Mori Chi-Kin Cheng  Hong Kong Vice Chairperson 2027
Julius Kramer  Sweden Vice Chairperson 2027
Victor Atipagah  Ghana Voting member 2027
Elise Drouet  France Voting member 2027
Callum Kaye  United Kingdom Voting member 2027
Steve Kent  Canada Voting member 2027
Nour Elhouda Mahmoudi  Algeria Voting member 2027
Martin Meier  Liechtenstein Voting member 2027
Mohammad Omar  Egypt Voting member 2027
Christine Pollithy  Germany Voting member 2027
Sahali Ycossie  Côte d'Ivoire Voting member 2027
Rubem Tadeu Cordeiro Perlingeiro  Brazil Chair, Interamerican Region 2025
Matthias Gerth   Switzerland Chair, European Region 2025
Abdullah Mohammad Al-Turaiji  Kuwait Chair, Arab Region 2025
Maina Kiranga  Botswana Chair, African Region 2025
Dale Corvera  Philippines Chair, Asia-Pacific Region 2025
Hong Leng Chay  Singapore Treasurer
Ahmad Alhendawi  Jordan Secretary General
Jennifer Hancock  United States World Scout Foundation
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  • Note: In 2008, WOSM's conference decided that, starting at the conference in 2011, elected committee members will serve for only three years but be eligible for re-election for one additional term. Due SARS-COV2 (COVID-19) pandemic, WOSM's conference was rescheduled from Aug 2020 to Aug 2021.

Bureau

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WOSM's World Scout Bureau has six regional divisions:
  European Region: Geneva, Switzerland; Brussels, Belgium and Belgrade, Serbia
  Arab Region: Cairo, Egypt
  Africa Region: Nairobi, Kenya; Cape Town, South Africa; and Dakar, Senegal
  Asia-Pacific Region: Makati, Philippines; Australia; Nepal[citation needed]; and Tokyo, Japan
  Interamerican Region: Ciudad del Saber, Panama
  Eurasian Region: Kyiv, Ukraine
  grey areas such as Laos and Cuba have no Scouting

WOSM's bureau is its secretariat that carries instructions of its conference and committee. The bureau is administered by the secretary general, supported by a staff of technical resource personnel.[23][34]

A bureau was established in London, England in 1922, moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1959, Geneva, Switzerland after 1 May 1968[35] and Kuala Lumpur after August 2013.[36]

Directors / secretaries general and deputies

More information Title, Years ...
TitleYearsNameCountry
Director1920–1938Hubert S. Martin United Kingdom
Director1938–1951John Skinner Wilson United Kingdom
Director1951–1965Daniel Spry Canada
Director1965–1968Richard T. Lund United Kingdom
Secretary General1968–1988László Nagy  Switzerland
Secretary General1988–2004Jacques Moreillon  Switzerland
Deputy Secretary General1991–2004Malek Gabr Egypt
Deputy Secretary General1991–2004Luc Panissod France
Secretary General2004–2007Eduardo Missoni Italy
Deputy Secretary General2004–2007Dominique Bénard France
Deputy Secretary General2004–2007Luc Panissod France
Secretary General2007–2012 France
Secretary General2013–2016Scott Teare USA
Secretary General2017–incumbentAhmad Alhendawi Jordan
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[6][7]

Kandersteg International Scout Centre

Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland, operated by The KISC Association is the only WOSM activity centre.[37]

Programmes

The Better World Framework combines the Scouts of the World Award, Messengers of Peace and World Scout Environment Programmes as programme initiatives administered by WOSM's bureau. [38]

WOSM emblem

Quick Facts WOSM emblem, Owner ...
WOSM emblem
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OwnerWorld Organization of the Scout Movement
Created1955, minor redesign August 2024
 Scouting portal
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WOSM's emblem and trademark is a purple circular logo with a white fleur-de-lis in the center with a purple five-point star in each outer lobe, surrounded by a circle of white rope tied with a reef or square knot at the base.

Symbolism

The fleur-de-lis, commonly with a five-point star in each of outer lobe, is a more widely used symbol of the Scout Movement. The fleur-de-lis represents the north point on a map or compass and is intended to point Scouts on the path to service. The three lobes on the fleur-de-lis represent the three parts of the Scout Promise: duty to God, service to others and obedience to the Scout Law.[39] A "bond", tying the three lobes of the fleur-de-lis together, symbolizes the family of Scouting.[40] The two five-point stars stand for truth and knowledge, with the ten points representing the ten points of the Scout Law.

The WOSM emblem adds an encircling rope, tied with a knot at the base, which symbolizes the unity and bond of the Scout Movement[citation needed] and uses purple and white colours. In heraldry, the white of the fleur-de-lis and rope denotes purity and the royal purple denotes leadership and service.[40]

WOSM emblem history

For the origin of the fleur-de-lis as a more widely used Scout symbol see: Scout Movement.

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1939–1955 WOSM emblem

From its origin in 1922 until 1939, WOSM did not have its own emblem. In 1939, its director, J. S. Wilson, introduced an international Scout badge, a silver fleur-de-lis on a purple background containing the five continent names in silver framed between two concentric circles. Wearing of the badge was confined to WOSM committee members and bureau staff and their past members. The design became WOSM's logo and a purple flag containing the design followed, the flying of which was restricted to WOSM international Scout gatherings.

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1955–2024 WOSM emblem.

In 1955, WOSM's emblem was redesigned in mid-century minimalist style, dropping the continent names and circles and replacing them with a circle of tied rope in the style of family clan emblems. The redesign was introduced at WOSM's 8th World Scout Jamboree by former Boy Scouts of Greece National Commissioner Demetrios Alexatos.[41]

In August 2024, WOSM introduced the current minor redesign of its emblem.

Use by WOSM member organizations

WOSM's emblem is worn by Scouts and Scouters of several of its member organizations, which determine the manner in which WOSM's emblem is worn.

The Scout Association (United Kingdom)

The Scout Association refers to WOSM's emblem as its "Membership Award"[40] and uses it as its joining badge for its Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorer Scouts and Scout Network, with progressing requirements intended to help the member understand their commitment to scouting.[42][43][44][45]

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) refers to WOSM's emblem as the World Crest. It may be worn on BSA uniforms as an emblem of worldwide Scouting. BSA first used the badge as an award for Scouts and Scouters who participated in an international Scouting event from early 1956 through 1991 with requirements devised by each council. In 1991, BSA made it part of the uniform for all Scouts and its International Activity Patch replaced the World Scout Crest as an award.[46]

Scouts South Africa

Scouts South Africa uses the WOSM emblem badge when new members join as a Cub, a Scout or an Adult Leader. The badge is worn on the left front pocket of the uniform, over the heart.[citation needed]

Further reading about WOSM emblem

  • Wilson, John S. (1959). Scouting Round the World (PDF) (First ed.). Blandford Press. p. 210.

Awards

Bronze Wolf Award

WOSM's Bronze Wolf Award is given for exceptional services to world Scouting. It was first awarded to Robert Baden-Powell by a unanimous decision of the committee on the day the award was instituted in 1935.[citation needed]

Scouts of the World Award

See article:Scouts of the World Award

Inter-religious forum

See also: Religion in Scouting

WOSM's Inter-religious Forum of World Scouting serves as a working-group for eight main religious groups:[47]

Publications

Publications of WOSM include:

Countries and territories with Scouting run by overseas branches of WOSM member organizations

Ten of these overseas branches of accredited National Scout Organizations are considered "potential members" by the WOSM (marked by *).[48]

Sovereign countries

Served by the Boy Scouts of America

Served by The Scout Association (UK)'

Served by Scouts Australia

Non-sovereign territories

Australia

Denmark

France

New Zealand

United Kingdom

United States

Antarctica

See also

References

Further reading

External links

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