Scouts owe their birth to a retired general of the British army named Baden-Powell in the year 1907. When he was in South Africa, he put his practical experience in the field of surviving in the wilderness, techniques that he used to teach his soldiers, in writing and printed a book on military scouting. Upon his return to England, he saw that the youth of England really liked his manual, and his manual was being used extensively by teachers to teach his methods to the young boys.
It was suggested to him by many to re-write his manual to suit the needs of the youth. Keeping in mind the youth movement, Baden-Powell came out with a revised manual called €œScouting for boys€. He first removed the military contents of the old manual and then added new chapters like survivability and personal and mental education.
The scout movement gathered momentum and spread far and wide wherever there was British control. At the start, the program was just meant for boys between the ages of eleven to eighteen but soon there was a need felt for seniors also to be incorporated as they would be able leaders. Therefore, a new program was started to specially train seniors to take up leadership roles.
These days, programs are designed for age groups as varied as 6 years to 25 years. Scouting is taught using the scout method. This method is a combination of outdoor activities, informal education and stress on practical applications.
Today over 160 countries and approximately 28 million youth both boys as well as girls, are a part of this great movement called scouts.
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