Title: Huey's Charm

When Huey came back from NZ she bought me this little charm... so here's what's inscribed on it... yes, my life is kinda sad... hahaha

恋繪「え」馬「ば」　緣むすび　

巡「めぐ」り合「あ」う小さな恋　幸せ夢見る　二つの愛はいつしか結「むすば」ばれ仲「なか」むつまじく

Translation:
love endlessly tied together

A chance meeting, a small spark of love, a happy dream is seen, the love of the two persons, without noticing are bound together endlessly in this relationship..
**

okay, the direct translation sucks.. here's a better worded one.. or so I hope...

A chance meeting ignites a small spark of love like a happy dream. Unaware, the love of the two people, are bound together endlessly...

**

I really want to brush up on my Japanese.. sigh..... so many things to do, well wish to do, so little time, and money.. sigh....

On another note, I'm changing departments the day after tomorrow!! from Corporate Finance to Litigation... Hope all goes well.. not to mention that I'm starting my Legal Aid soon... it's where lawyers in Malaysia provide free legal counsel to people who can't afford it, we are the only ones in the world where it's supported fully by lawyers.. no Government help!! well we have a legal aid bureau run by the government, but they don't help just anybody who deserves it, so here we are...

Legal aid is compulsory for all chambering students, and we have to serve at least 14 days at the legal aid.. I think that's quite cool... since I already do stuff like scouting... i.e. volunteer stuff...

Speaking of which, I had a really eventful weekend...

On Friday I helped out a bit at school, as we had a Scouts camp... well I didn't stay that late.. but the whole of Saturday I was there from morning till like 4 am... gosh by the time after our "supper" at ming tien.. in which a hilarious thing happened (will mention it below) and getting home and showering, drying hair etc.. by the time I went to bed.. It was about 5 am..

I wanted to try to wake up at 730 or 8 and get back to school to help out.. but I'm getting too old for this haha.. and well maybe my bed was too comfy... I couldn't bring myself to wake up and go haha... Sorry Alwin!! :p

And I slept till about 2pm!! woke up, had a quick brunch and headed of the residence of the British High Commissioner for my University's Alumni gathering.. it was High Tea with the University's Vice Chancellor and the head of the law school!!

and seriously.. the Scones were to die for.. and I mean seriously.... No where in Malaysia can you find scones that delicious.. (yet....)

I loved the ones in the UK, and the journey to find some nice ones here failed.. but oh.. I really loved those... *sluurp..*

Oh well, met up with some of my old University mates, had a nice chat with the head of the Law School and then we left.... my poor dad was my driver of the day.. so I brought him as a guest there. Hopefully he didn't get bored... =.=' Seemed like he spent most of his time talking to my university mates...

Oh yes, the amusing thing that happened at supper at ming tien, when I was with the other scouters.. haha.. well typing it out here, loses the touch of it... I'll have to tell it in person for you to get the joke.. seriously....

but basically, it was just my junior Alwin being kind of mischievous, and I went along with him... and of the whole table.. there was 8 of us.. only the 2 of us were laughing so hard.. cause only both of us knew what was going on... haha.. aahh~.. that was hilarious.. for me... I'll tell the full story to any interested party in person if so requested... ahh~.. I really laughed till my stomache hurt..

So yes, that's been my weekend.. a very busy one at that as well.. but an enjoyable one..

Somehow, I still love scouting I guess, and well having friends there, made it all the more enjoyable :)

Today at work... Well didn't have much since I'm changing departments, but I drafted an agreement today!! I think I sort of like drafting agreements :p (provided I have a proper term sheet with me haha.. XD)

-Oracl3-

二十八日二月二零零九年：土曜日

The use of the colour purple today, is because the colour purple [and white] is the the colour of the World Scout Emblem.

Today, there was a woodbadge course, and finally, [after years, of promising myself that I would go] I went for it.. so now I finally have my MK1... [just because it's something promised to myself, by myself, that doesn't mean I don't have to fulfil it right? haha, I think it's even more important to fulfil promises we've made to ourselves, before we can fulfil promises we've made to other people] though I think maybe now it's called an induction course... but am not sure... stuff has changed, and I didn't keep myself updated....

Had my mind refreshed. and learnt a few new things. Also realised [possibly, yet again] that the saying is true: once a scout, always a scout.. And whether we realise it or not, some or almost all of us [scouts/ ex-scouts etc] live by the scouting ways.... whether at home, work, friends.. etc.. [especially those who had a geunine love for scouting during their time.. ]

Which is good, scouting values, are true to the altruistic nature of people, I wonder if Lord Baden Powell was truly an altruistic person? He must have been [and he must have been charismatic as well] to have set up such a great movement, which is already more than a century old.

Guess, maybe that's why I love scouting :)

Promise

On my honour I promise that I will do my best
To do my duty to God, and the Queen
To help other people at all times
To obey the Scout Law

Laws

1. A Scout's honour is to be trusted.
- A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him.

2. A Scout is loyal to the Queen, his country, his Scouters, his parents, his employers, and those under him.
- A Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation.

3. A Scout's duty is to be useful and to help others.
- A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others, whenever possible [and without detriment to himself] without expecting payment or reward.

4. A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout.
- A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their beliefs and customs are different from his own.

5. A Scout is courteous.
- A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows that using good manners makes it easier for people to get along.

6. A Scout is a friend to animals.
- A Scout knows there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. Without good reason, he does not harm or kill any living thing.

7. A Scout obeys orders of his parents, Patrol Leader, or Scoutmaster without question.
- A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobeying them.

8. A Scout smiles and whistles under all difficulties.
- A Scout looks for the bright side of life. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.

9. A Scout is thrifty.
- A Scout works to pay his own way and to help others. He saves for the future. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.

10. A Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed.
- A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He chooses the company of those who live by high standards. He helps keep his home and community clean.

A good source, which explains each of the laws thoroughly, though this is American.. well, it has 2 extra scout laws...

まあ〜　チンちゃん、きみしないで、きみしない、送ってない，送ってない。。あれはあんたのせじゃね、もう頑張りますでしょう？諦めないよ！！頑張って．我慢できるよ、我慢！！この世はいろいろの事と人が有るですから。きみしないで、きみしない。頑張って！！

-Oracl3-

Title should read as netsu meaning fever... I think that's how the kanji looks like...

Anyway.... Just a little notice.. Amoeba here has fallen ill.. Had a fever today.. but still went to work.. sigh.... [training from young, on not to miss a day of school, has carried on?? o_O']

Been feeling not so good since yesterday.. So guess I've fallen ill since yesterday... And today it's not any better but worse...

Yesterday it was a slight fever and today it's a higher fever,though not yet a high fever...

Meetings to attend.. aiii... Alumni and Scouter Council =.='

Translations to do, Proof reading to do...

-Oracl3-

"Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven't found meaning. Because if you've found meaning in you life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can't wait until sixty-five."

Another thing which I dug out while cleaning... This was written by me for the Taylor's law school newsletter i.e. Lexicon, which in the end they said was too long, so they edited it and cut it short.. the one I'm about to type here, is the one used by a friend that I met during the programme, who so happens to be in the same college, and he said he needed it for his SAM book? or something... He took my super long report and cut it down to a mere 2 pages... which made it didn't sound very smooth flowing any more.. and it looks like he edited some of my grammar, into what I personally feel is wrong grammar..

Well whatever it is.. It's written by me. And I'm archiving it here... well with grammar as correct as possible, and well it's sort of altered... but the structure of the body remains the same..

My thoughts will be at the bottom... marked after the * so you can skip the report if you aren't interested....

Report on JUST's 4th Young Leadership Programme

This programmes was held from 22-25 September 2005 in Genting Permai Park and Resort, Genting Highland. It was attended by 28 participants from various NGOs. It was under the theme "Youth: Empowerment for Change"

On the first day, there was an introductory remark by one of the speaker of JUST and on that night they had the first session, the speaker, Mr. Augustine Loorthusamy, who shed some light on the things that people seem to loose sight off. Regarding the imbalance between the developed and underdeveloped world, how people are now living with all the negative influences brought about by the media etc.

On the second day, during the morning session, all the young leaders were required to discuss about the topic delivered by the previous speaker. The questions such as "What can we do?", "What will this demand for me?" and "How do I make this possible?" was to be answered by the young leaders.

In the afternoon, another session under the heading "The Family, Career and Social Responsibility" was delivered by Dr. Arujunan Narayanan took place where participants were required to answer questions such as "In what way is the family an essential part of one's becoming as a person?" and "Why is the institution of marriage so essential to society today?". These questions were deeply scrutinized.

In the evening the participants were required to watch a movie with the title "Tuesdays with Morrie." It was a story about a man who was stuck in a rat race, his profession being a sport journalist. He later found out that his professor whom he hadn't seen for 12 years, since the time of his college days, was on his death bed. He started to visit him on Tuesdays every week, and that was where he got his final lecture, about the meaning of life. He later led a more insightful life having been enlightened about life and death..

On the very morning of the 3rd day, Dr. Asma Abdullah enlightened the young leaders with the discussion on "Religion, Culture and Plurality". She elucidated the trend of Malaysia's culture and how to manage the similarities and difference in a pluralistic society in order to purse a harmonious Malaysian Nation.

Prof Amriah Buang had really triggered the sense of the young leaders when she tried to come out with a verdict on how people should loot at materialism and the concept of it. She was given the topic "Materialism, Lifestyle and Resources Management". The young leaders started to argue when she pointed out that materialism from al different corners is a bad concept to the extent that one should leave all material possessions behind.

One of the journalists from Malaysiakini, well more like the editor himself, Mr Steven Gan presented the young leaders with a talk entitled "Politics, Conflict and Justice". He spread a new dimension about Malaysia's politics to the young leaders, especially on how it was developed from and independant's journalist point of view. He also shared with his avid listeners, some happenings of the Malaysia political realm.

On the last day, there was a hearty moment when Dr. Chandra Muzzafar gave a profound impact to the young leaders with a speech entitled "Servanthood, Leadership". Dr Chandra outlined 7 characteristics of a good leader. It was during his last speech that he deeply expressed his thoughts to the young leaders that there must be a sense of empathy between all the different races in Malaysia.

During the last session of the programme, Mr Haridas and Mr Ram Karthugasu
resourced the discussion on "Empowerment". His experience on the journey of the soul gives the young leaders an understand that man must be sincere, and the first person that we need to be sincere with, is with one's own self. This was followed by yet another inspirational shrot movie on how successful people are internally motivated.

In conclusion, the 4 day programme was a very thought- provoking experience that demanded a revision of the Malaysian preconceived ideas. inter-ethnic dialogue was actively promoted, as the presenters believed that Malaysians should be more constructively engaged, physically, intellectually and most of all, emotionally, to ensure a harmonious community, and a better future for the next generation...

*****

my personal thoughts? well 2 years ago.. to me, all there was to life was going to class, and going home, going for piano classes, and walking the dog.. I really couldn't be bothered about the politics, or what was going on with the world, I lived in my own little world..

As long as I had food on the table, clothes on my back and a roof on my head (well anime and manga too).. I really couldn't be bothered if half of the earth decided to fall off.. That was how bad, or more like how ignorant I was, back then... Naive as well.. But well, I had nothing, and no one to spark my interest...

To be honest, I actually found that most of the time, during the speeches I was being bored half to death.. I really couldn't be bothered about the issues they were talking about... if only I've gone for the programme now...

I survived pretty well at the programme, using whatever opportunity I had to step out of the speeches for a while.... But well, that was the me then.. IF I went to that programme now.. I think I would have too much to say now haha :p
~~

Time changes a person... as we grow we gain more experiences, and our views on things changes... Even a minute or a second is enough for someone to grow, for example i might be discussing something with you know, and say something, but a minute later, i get a realisation.. and it's a new idea totally contradicting with the first.. i would still call that growth, we are growing both physically and mentally, every second, every hour, every day....

It's just like what xian ai said...Yesterday, I went back to my high school i.e. SMK Taman SEA, as there was a recruit camp.. and well, in a little chat, we jokingly brought up the idea of establishing a rovers section for our troop... it was brought up 2 years ago, and we kicked the idea out... what with the red tape and all...

When I was talking about it with xian ai, she said.. don't you remember that 2 years ago you were against it.. I was like... " I was?" and she said "Yea"...

so okay..., it's no point denying it then, even if I don't remember.. I could have been against it, thinking of the circumstances back then...In fact, it was highly likely, that I was really against it then... So what she said isn't wrong...

but well, circumstances change.. etc.. you can't expect me to keep saying the same thing then and now.. That would mean that I've never moved on and was still stuck as the old me 2 years ago who was ignorant, naive me...(not that i'm not anymore, but less..)

Time moves on... View's change, people change, I've changed, I know..
Oh yeah, I very well know how much I've changed...

-Oracl3-

"As you know, You learn more. If you stayed at 22, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at 22. Ageing is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it." -Tuesdays with Morrie-

十三日三月二零零八年：木曜日

On the 12th of March while i was in class, (in the evening.. yes, my classes are in the evening..).

I received a text/SMS, from Tuck Loong.. I was like... ok... that's very rare.... and proceeded to read the message..

Looks like the scouter council is going to have a barbeque, and I'm invited...

Having been out of action in the scouting scene for so long.. no thanks to CLP or I would definitely still be scouting!! I decided to go for the barbeque...

I felt so old.. the scouts are becoming scouters.. and they are all boys... forgive me for being sexist, but what happened to the girls? or is the troop currently dominated by boys instead? well it's a mystery, seeing that i havent been with the troop for almost two years

I miss scouting, and i miss that time where it was so damn fun.. but that's life, we move on.. unfortunately for miss smarty here, she forgot her camera.. although i told myself countless of times, to bring a camera, i still forgot.. oh well let's hope tuck loong will post them up on facebook or mail them out or something... and i can then post them here.. but till then.. that's all there is to it...

I went to the barbeque with xian ai, and wei hao dropped by... may suan and fung chuan where there.. there were some juniors.. and probationary scouters which i don't know.. aun wei was there, as well as tuck loong.. but that's all i know...

They have an EGM next wednesday.. at 830pm but i have class.. so most probably they won't see me there.. sigh.. CLP takes my life away... leaving me with nothing but depression.. but that's life...

so that's all for this post..

-Oracl3-

十四日十二月二零零七年：金曜日

Today i went to watch the movie Enchanted with my cousins Ben and Ling, it was a really nice movie, humorous, romantic and with a happy ever after ending.. a nice change from those teary dramas that i have been watching lately...

i finally figured out why i like shows like タイヨウのうた、ヘレン子狐、一リットル涙、電池がきれるまで [taiyou no uta, heren ko kitsune, ichi rittoru namida, denchi ga kireru made] (song to the sun, helen the baby fox, one litre of tears, till the battery runs out)

why you may ask, all these shows, are about how precious life is, most of us take living for granted, we think that just because life doesn't go the way we want, it's not worth living, but this shows are different.. terminally ill people, children and animals, all strive to survive... i guess it's human not to appreciate what we have till we lose it, but shows like this, wakes us up, to tell us that, life is precious...

anyway, i totally side tracked.. sigh.. about enchanted.. i went to bandar utama with my cousins to watch, and wow, maybe it's because it's a friday and it's the school holiday, but there was a lot of people, and it was so hard to find parking, in the end we managed to find parking, and the line for the tickets was absurd, but we managed to get the tickets at 9.20pm.. our movie time? 9.20pm haha.. but knowing the advertisements and all, we still made it in time..

after that met, ccy, yoong xiong, leonard, simon and wei hao outside the cinema.. they were going to watch enchanted too... simon has already actually watched enchanted 3 times.. OMG.. well it is a good movie, i don't mind watching it a second time, but not so soon.. anyway, next on my list of movies is the golden compass (though i've been hearing that it isn't good) and i am legend.. watched the trailer in Croatia, and Desmond said that it's a good movie.. and it looked good, so i'm up for it.. and oh, yes also i want to watch Elizabeth, haha i love this costume like movies.. :p

an interesting thing.. usually people buy food BEFORE the movie, but my cousins and i, went against the norm, and bought food AFTER the movie.. haha ...well the three of us were after the corn anyway :p and they dropped by my house for water/milk, and to eat the corn and chat.. it was fun hanging out with them as usual :p

~~~

二十九日十一月二零零七年 - 五日十二月二零零七年

on the above stated date, there was a goodwill camporee organised by the Persatuan pengakap Kuala Lumpur.. i think.. (Kuala Lumpur Scout association)

well i was told it's done by KL, so i will trust my source..

earlier, a few months back to be exact, xian ai was telling me about the camp, and was looking for people to help out with the camp, so since i liked helping out in camps, and well since not much, actually no scouting skill was required (yes, i admit, my scouting skills are crap..), i thought that i would help out, since i had nothing much to do, and it's effective for depression also haha, find something to do ;p

so on the 29th, the start date of the camporee, i went with xian ai, and met up with some juniors.. and we were assigned to contingents... the scouts that came were mainly from Malaysia, those out of state, scouts from Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia..

i volunteered to work as an international service team (IST) with the Singapore group, mainly because i wanted to avoid any communication barriers, and since i speak, English, Malay, mandarin, Cantonese and hakka with varying fluency, i thought that Singapore would be a piece of cake of me..

i mean i don't speak a word of thai actually, and my malay, well... let's say it's not that good anymore haha..

so i was assigned to help the Singapore contingent settle in, when they arrived, there was quite a lot of work, and some small matters arose but were settled.. (getting tents, camp beds, settling inquiries, boundaries...) and the Singapore contingent, had an activity right after arriving.. talk about tiring.. they had to do a gotong royong (community service to clean up an area) in a nearby kampung (village, though it isn't really a village.. we just call it that..)

after a 6 hour bus ride, and setting up camp, now they have to do community service.. must have been really tiring..

anyway the gotong royong, was hideous...well not ugly in that sense, but woah, there was like a heap of rubbish, and it really stank, and oh my god.. i saw a spider almost as big as my fist... ==' freaked me out...

one thing i must say is that, the girl scouts in the Singapore contingent. .(there were 61 scouts including the scout leaders... i think in their contingent.. 5 were girls) really had guts.. they bravely came forward to help with that heap of rubbish...

after that they came back and rested.. and we sent them off for dinner, and their free time.. unfortunately for the other days of the camp, i had class and wasn't around, but they were sent for their camp activities anyway, where i was not needed.. on the last day, i met up with them again, to ask them how were things, did they enjoy the camp.. (though truth be told i think they were just being polite, cause to me camp sucked. will bitch about it below..)

and they were so nice, they gave me some souvenirs from the Singapore scouts.. a badge and a pin.. so nice of them :)

also i had a very good workout, at the camp walking back and forth, there were some amusing moments.. as we helpers sat down and shared our experiences, and complaints, we laughed together and learned together, i met a scout leader and some rovers from titiwangsa, and one from Sabah(?) who was studying n KL though... and they were a nice bunch, i sure do hope that they keep in contact with me.... :) it was nice hanging out with them...

and now for some pictures which i have just received from the Singapore contingent leader. it was so nice of Mr Supra to send the pictures to me..

they were taken on the last day of the camp, when i came to bid them farewell

from left is xian ai, yong peng, yuen herng, mr supra, and me (sorry if i spelt anyone's name wrong.. ) yuen herng is actually my 2nd cousin from my dad's side.. you guys know pn loh? well, meet her son hehe.. small world..

close up of the picture above.. same people.. lazy to relabel haha

mr Supra and i.. darn should have rolled down my sleeve =='

overall, the camp.. was crap, poor planning, imagine the day before was only when they had asked for portable toilets for the camp.. there was no specific allocated place for the scouts to get drinking water,(worse was they had to pay for drinking water..) and there was not enough lighting in the campsite.. no place for them to charge their cameras..

even the administration was a mess.. imagine only on the second last day did i get my nametag, and well each helper was supposed to get a t-shirt, scarf and badge, and we didn't get it until the last day, and we didn't get a scarf, so it was replaced with a cap.. which i swapped with a singaporean scout..

erghh the planning drove me up the walls.. how could you do that, when scouts from other countries are coming? it was as if there were not enough funds as well, they made the scouts walk around the whole of KL and the only transportation for them is a DBKL truck lined with chairs??? what are they? illegal immigrants?? i mean walking is still fine, as a scout, (but not really for scout leaders... some of them aren't young anymore haha) but get a bus for christ sake...

it crossed my mind a lot of times during the camp, that if i were the one organising it, and if i had enough time and man power this wouldn't happen..

for this camp, i would say they had enough time.. they jsut didn't utilise it, and yes i would say they had enough staff as well.. and the best part? no one wanted to take responsiblity there, they kept pushing it left, right and left again.. when my contingent asked me a query.. for example... for lighting, in their campsite.. i was directed to guy A, who directs me to guy B, who directs me to guy C, who directs me back to guy A.. a nice round circle...

it was like a treasure hunt searching for these people.. call? they either don't answer, or their phone is crap/dead.. and talking on the phone gets you no where, you have to talk to the person.. that made my blood pressure boil... and well i got my real good excercise from my "treasure hunts" lucky i had win han ahha.. if not i don't think that i would be able to manage ;p

i mean if you are some people will look for you, then stay at the station.. if it's that boring and you want to walk.. then answer your bloody phone and go meet the person at the station to settle the problem.. erghh.. you know if i were a foreign scout, i don't think i would like to come again.. thought i might hoping it's better.. but such lousy planning, and time management.. though the singporean scouts told me that they would attend camporees again, cause it was nice to make foregin friends.. note they said camporee, haha whether it's held here again.. is another matter i guess..

and oh the worse part for the camp in overall was the in-fighting.. that was the worse.. as a scout you should finish what you started, how can you be so irresponsible and just leave? i'm not blaming the scouts, but the person that made that decision.. after you see teh job through, then only kick people's ass.. it was horrible.. too horrible to describe.. overall, i was thanking god that i was not a particapant, but a mere helper, who can come and go as i please...

-Oracl3-

Title reads as gakkou mou hajimaru... don't know bout my grammar for my japanese, but i meant it to say that school has already started...

so yes school has already started for me... again.... not even back for a month and now i have to attend classes again..

yes, yes, i know soome people are saying.. " i thought you graduated already?"

yes i have graduated already, and i am a law graduate, no longer a law student... need to update my friendster profile haha.. anyway.. as a law graduate, in order for me to practise as a lawyer i need my license, thus i am now in a course called the certificate of legal practise aka CLP, whic is the malaysian BAR. cause i cant afford UK BAR... too expensive... and since i intend to practise in malaysia, might as well take the malaysian bar...

the info on my blog... like the reading time and my location etc.. i will change it next week when i have time..

have to pack for my trip soon as well....

what trip? well fyi for some friends and well... errr.. family i guess from the 13th till the 23rd of september 2007 i will be in perth... yes travelling again, this time with a purpose, i m going to perth to attend my cousin's wedding.the cousin which i was staying with in London, and with whom i celebrated chinese new year with this year :) yup, that's her, am going to attend her wedding :)

which reminds me i haven't called my aunt to ask her what would be appropriate for me to wear.. hmm better do it tomorrow after class...

tomorrow, class??? yes i know a lot of people have raised their eyebrows to this.. for the CLP our classes are all on saturday and sunday, with occasional tutorials on fridays... and the timing is so damn insane.. 6 hours straight of classes,, imagine, classes from 9-2pm...???? arghhh.... over the years we have gotten so used to having at the most 2 hours or 3 hours of classes, a day, and even then we had breaks in between, this is like back in school you know, going to school by 725am and ending at 105pm with a 20 minute break, but i think school was better, cause we changed subject every 40 min or hour and a half... insane...

but we had no choice, the timing caters to our lecturers who are practising lawyers, and i guess for the price we pay... can we really complain?? well we can, but who else would teach us...

arghh man it sucks.. but no choice... today was the first day of class, and it was an intro, and i guess maybe it was cause it was the holidays and we 3 months off... but we... well i don't know bout the rest, but i was like really mushed up.. and almost fell asleep....

the lecturer was telling jokes and all.. as well.. so ermm it was kind of interesting, but i felt really tired.... and hungry... reminds me of the time back in high school where i would go to the canteen to buy something to munch on in class cause i was hungry ahha.. guess i have to do teh same here... ;p

i think i will get fat at that rate 0_o'

so ermm either than that, nothing much really..

when i got back from the UK as mentioned i had jet lag, but i've already managed to get over it, i mean i ve been back for almost 3 weeks already....

and well attended marlyn's party, met a few old mates there, had a blast, my new cupboard came, so i cleaned my entire room, and rearranged and kind of tried to decorate it a bit... took me a few days... =='

went back to my hometown.. finished watching goong.. well am missing 3 episodes.. but will try to download those soon.. hopefully i manage to. cause i have to use megaupload to download it, and well megaupload is totally and absurdly stupid in malaysia. unlike UK we can download almost how much we want, but here in malaysia we are set a quota, and we even need to download this stupid megaupload tool bar, which doesn't work for MAC!!!!so yes.. you know my woe without me saying anymore....

finished watching blood + as well.. although it was 50 episodes, but it's really nice.. keeps you on your toes, and if you are like me, curious, you will keep asking for more, cause the way the episodes are structered are, in the way where the answer seems to want to come out in the next episode.. so i go on watching, but i guess i was really tired, cause it took me a few days to finish it...

been doing nothing much but going out a bit, at one point i went down to brickfields with mel and xian ai, cause xian ai needed to register and i wanted to ask some questions... then went with the said two just a few days ago to a law firm in KL called Albar & partners, for their open day, was interesting, found out what some of the areas of law entails when we come out to practise...

on the 4th huey came over to my house, had dinner in my house and we basically hung out and chatted :) showed her my new yukata :)

i hope next year i can make it to bon odori...

oh finally my much awaited broadband from maxis came yesterday.. before i went to SRK Puay Chai, to help out as a scouter :p we made a little campfire hehe.. was quite fun to get back into the scouting scene, although intially when i first arrived felt a little awkward since i've forgotten quite a lot of stuff hehe, but seing my juniors again, and chatting and hanging out with them was really fun :)

oh wait, was talking about my maxis... broadband.... well... err i still don't have wireless yet, but guess my dad will settle that in due time, as for now, am trying the download rate... and it's 7 -8 times slower than the UK but aiya, anything la, as long as i can download la... slowly lor... :p

considered that i m no longer vomitting blood over checking my mail... hahha... in a way i guess its ok... i really must stop comparing to the UK... but i cant help it.. ==' it's just like in the UK i couldn't help myself from comparing some things from malaysia... it's the same la, when you have experience better facilitties..

i think if, a country had weather like the UK, transportation system like the tube in london, and price err, dollar to dollar but in malaysian money.. it's £1.50 imagine if its RM1.50 right :p so it's cheap right? hehe malaysian efficency in the technological part and for public utilities ermm... malaysian culture and food, evrything in english, fast connection like the UK, but lee way for piracy like malaysia haha.. ;p well there is a lot more la... but i would say that wouldn't be a bad country haha... :p

at least when we walk outside we won't feel so hot, and internet will be fast, transportation, cheap and efficient. using public utilities like the luggage trolley at the airport wouldn't be such a pain (at least when you push it straight it goes straight and not left or right...) Malaysia is rich in culture, so we will have clubbing, drinking but we will also have mamak, and hang out places, malls that close at 10pm :p haha.. but oh well.. that's life la, we can't have everything....

anyway.. just got back from dinner at marco's pizza at KJ with mel, xian ai and wendy... had a shower and started blogging.. got to hit the sack soon for tomorrow's class... :p so till then...

おやすみ

-Oracl3-

Scouting

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This article is about the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts/Girl Guides organizations. For other meanings, please see Scout.

Scout organization
Organizational data
Name	Scouting
Country	Worldwide
Founded	1907
Founder	Baden-Powell
Scouting portal

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement aiming to develop young people physically, mentally and spiritually, so that they may play constructive roles in society.

Scouting began in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, held the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island, United Kingdom. Baden-Powell wrote the principles of Scouting in Scouting for Boys (London, 1908), based on his earlier military books, with influence and support of Seton of the Woodcraft Indians, Smith of the Boys' Brigade, and his publisher Pearson. During the first half of the 20th century, the movement grew to encompass three major age groups each for boys (Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Rover Scout) and for girls (Brownie Guide, Girl Guide and Girl Scout, Ranger Guide).

The movement employs the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports. Another widely recognized movement characteristic is the Scout uniform, by intent hiding all differences of social standing in a country and making for equality, with neckerchief and campaign hat or comparable head wear. Distinctive uniform insignia include the fleur-de-lis and the trefoil, as well as merit badges and other patches.

In 2007, Scouting and Guiding together have over 38 million members in 216 countries. The two largest umbrella organizations are the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), for boys-only and co-educational organizations, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), primarily for girls-only organizations but also accepting co-educational organizations.

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Growth 1.3 Influences 2 Movement characteristics 2.1 Scout method 2.2 Activities 2.3 Uniforms and distinctive insignia 3 Age groups and sections 4 Adults and leadership 5 Around the world 5.1 Co-educational 5.2 Membership 5.3 Nonaligned and Scout-like organizations 5.4 Controversy and conflict 6 In film and the arts 7 See also 8 Notes 9 Citations 10 References 11 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

This stone on Brownsea Island commemorates the first scout camp.

As a military officer, Baden-Powell was stationed in India and Africa in the 1880s and 1890s. Since his boyhood, he was fond of woodcraft and military scouting, and therefore – as part of their training – showed his men how to survive in the wilderness. He noticed it taught the soldiers to develop independence, rather than just blindly follow officers' orders.^[1]

In South Africa in the Second Boer War, Baden-Powell got besieged in the small town Mafeking against a much larger Boer army (the Siege of Mafeking).^[2] The Mafeking Cadet Corps was a group of youths that supported the troops by carrying messages, which freed the men for military duties and kept the boys occupied during the long siege. The Cadet Corps performed well, helping in the defense of the town (1899–1900), and were one of the many factors that inspired Baden-Powell to form the Scouting movement.^[3][4][5] Each member received a badge that illustrated a combined compass point and spearhead. The badge's logo was similar to the fleur-de-lis that Scouting later adopted as its international symbol. In the United Kingdom the public followed his struggle to hold Mafeking through newspapers, and when the siege was broken Baden-Powell had become a national hero. This pushed the sales of a small instruction book he had written about military scouting, Aids to Scouting. On his return to England he noticed the large interest of boys in this book, which was also used by teachers and youth organizations.^[6] He was suggested by several to rewrite this book for boys, especially during an inspection of the Boys' Brigade. This brigade was a large youth movement, drilled with military precision. Baden-Powell thought this would not be attractive and suggested that it could grow much larger when scouting would be used.^[7] He studied other schemes, parts of which he used for Scouting.

In July 1906, Ernest Thompson Seton sent Baden-Powell a copy of his book The Birchbark Roll of the Woodcraft Indians. Seton, a British-born Canadian living in the United States, met Baden-Powell in October 1906, and they shared ideas about youth training programs.^[8][9][10] In 1907 Baden-Powell wrote a draft called Boy Patrols. In the same year, to test his ideas, he gathered 21 boys of mixed social backgrounds and held a week-long camp in August on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England.^[11] His organizational method, now known as the Patrol System and a key part of Scouting training, allowed the boys to organize themselves into small groups with an elected patrol leader.^[12]

In the autumn of 1907, Baden-Powell went on an extensive speaking tour arranged by his publisher, Arthur Pearson, to promote his forthcoming book, Scouting for Boys. He had not simply rewritten his Aids to Scouting, but left out the military aspects and transferred the techniques (mainly survival) to non-military heroes: backwoodsmen, explorers (and later on, sailors and airmen).^[1] He also added innovative educational principles (the Scout method) by which he extended the attractive game to a personal mental education.

Scouting for Boys first appeared in England in January 1908 as six fortnightly installments, and was published in England later in 1908 in book form. The book is now the fourth-bestselling title of all time,^[13] and is now commonly considered the first version of the Boy Scout Handbook.^[14]

At the time, Baden-Powell intended that the scheme would be used by established organizations, in particular the Boys' Brigade, from the founder William A. Smith.^[15] However, because of the popularity of his person and the adventurous outdoor game he wrote about, boys spontaneously formed Scout patrols and flooded Baden-Powell with requests for assistance. He encouraged them, and the Scouting movement developed momentum. As the movement grew, Sea Scout, Air Scout, and other specialized units were added to the program.

[edit] Growth

Olave Baden-Powell

The Boy Scout movement swiftly established itself throughout the British Empire soon after the publication of Scouting for Boys. The first recognized overseas unit was chartered in Gibraltar in 1908, followed quickly by a unit in Malta. Canada became the first overseas dominion with a sanctioned Boy Scout program, followed by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Chile was the first country outside the British dominions to have a recognized Scouting program. By 1910, Argentina, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Malaya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States had Boy Scouts.^[16][17][18] The first Scout rally, held in 1910 at The Crystal Palace in London, attracted 10,000 boys and a number of girls.

The program initially focused on boys aged 11 to 18, but as the movement grew, the need became apparent for leader training and programs for younger boys, older boys, and girls. The first programs for Cub Scouts, and Rover Scouts were in place by the late 1910s. They operated independently until they obtained official recognition from their home country's Scouting organization. In the United States, attempts at Cub programs began as early as 1911, but official recognition was not obtained until 1930.^{[18][19][20][21]}

Girls wanted to become part of the movement almost as soon as it began. Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes Baden-Powell introduced the Girl Guides in 1910, a parallel movement for girls, sometimes named Girl Scouts. Agnes Baden-Powell became the first president of the Girl Guides when it was formed in 1910, at the request of the girls who attended the Crystal Palace Rally. In 1914, she started Rosebuds – later renamed Brownies – for younger girls. She stepped down as president of the Girl Guides in 1920 in favor of Robert's wife Olave Baden-Powell, who was named Chief Guide (for England) in 1918 and World Chief Guide in 1930. At that time, girls were expected to remain separate from boys because of societal standards. By the 1990s, most Scout associations had become co-educational.^[22]

Baden-Powell could not single-handedly advise all groups who requested his assistance. Early Scoutmaster training camps were held in London in 1910 and in Yorkshire in 1911. Baden-Powell wanted the training to be as practical as possible to encourage other adults to take leadership roles, so the Wood Badge course was developed to recognize adult leadership training. The development of the training was delayed by World War I, so the first Wood Badge course was not held until 1919.^[23] Wood Badge is used by Boy Scout associations and combined Boy Scout and Girl Guide associations in many countries. Gilwell Park near London was purchased in 1919 on behalf of The Scout Association as an adult training site and Scouting campsite.^[24] Baden-Powell wrote a book, Aids to Scoutmastership, to help Scouting Leaders, and wrote other handbooks for the use of the new Scouting sections, such as Cub Scouts and Girl Guides. One of these was Rovering to Success, written for Rover Scouts in 1922. A wide range of leader training exists in 2007, from basic to program-specific, including the Wood Badge training.

[edit] Influences

U.S. President Calvin Coolidge greeting 1500 Boy Scouts making an annual pilgrimage to the Capitol, 1927

Important elements of traditional Scouting have their origins in Baden-Powell's experiences in education and military training. He was a 50-year-old retired army general when he founded Scouting, and his revolutionary ideas inspired thousands of young people, from all parts of society, to get involved in activities that most had never contemplated. Comparable organizations in the English-speaking world are the Boys' Brigade and the left-wing, non-militaristic Woodcraft Folk; however, they were never able to match the development and growth of Scouting.^[25]

Aspects of Scouting practice have been criticized as too militaristic.^[26] Military-style uniforms, badges of rank, flag ceremonies, and brass bands were commonly accepted in the early years because they were a part of normal society, but since then have diminished or been abandoned in both Scouting and society.

Local influences have also been a strong part of Scouting. By adopting and modifying local ideologies, Scouting has been able to find acceptance in a wide variety of cultures. In America, Scouting uses images drawn from the U.S. frontier experience. This includes not only its selection of animal badges for Cub Scouts, but the underlying assumption that American Indians are more closely connected with nature and therefore have special wilderness survival skills which can be used as part of the training program. By contrast, British Scouting makes use of imagery drawn from the Indian subcontinent, because that region was a significant focus in the early years of Scouting. Baden-Powell's personal experiences in India led him to adopt Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book as a major influence for the Cub Scouts; for example, the name used for the Cub Scout leader, Akela (whose name was also appropriated for the Webelos), is that of the leader of the wolf pack in the book.^[27]

The name "Scouting" seems to have been inspired by the important and romantic role played by military scouts performing reconnaissance in the wars of the time. In fact, Baden-Powell wrote his original military training book, Aids To Scouting, because he saw the need for the improved training of British military-enlisted scouts, particularly in initiative, self-reliance, and observational skills. The book's popularity with young boys surprised him. As he adapted the book as Scouting for Boys, it seems natural that the movement adopted the names Scouting and Boy Scouts.^[28]

"Duty to God" is a principle of Scouting, though it is applied differently among countries.^[29][30] The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) take a strong position, excluding atheists.^[31] The United Kingdom Scout Association requires adult leaders to acknowledge a higher power, but does not necessarily exclude atheists from roles in Scouting, as long as the local Commissioner is satisfied that the applicant leader will support the values of Scouting and the investigation of faith by the young people in the movement. Scouts Canada defines Duty to God broadly in terms of "adherence to spiritual principles" and does not have a policy excluding non-theists.^[32]

[edit] Movement characteristics

Scouting is taught using the Scout method, which incorporates an informal educational system that emphasizes practical activities in the outdoors. Programs exist for Scouts ranging in age from 6 to 25 (though age limits vary slightly by country), and program specifics target Scouts in a manner appropriate to their age.^[33][34] It is the use of the Scout method that binds Scouts together, worldwide.

[edit] Scout method

Girl Guides commemorative

Main article: Scout method

The Scout method is the principal method by which the Scouting organizations, boy and girl, operate their units. The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) describes Scouting as "...a voluntary nonpolitical educational movement for young people open to all without distinction of origin, race or creed, in accordance with the purpose, principles and method conceived by the Founder..."^[33] It is the goal of Scouting "to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities."^[33]

The principles of Scouting describe a code of behavior for all members, and characterize the movement. The Scout method is a progressive system designed to achieve these goals, comprising four elements:

• Scout Law and Scout Promise (Scout Oath)
• Learning by doing
• Development of small groups
• Progressive and attractive programs of different activities

The Scout Law and Oath embody the joint values of the Scouting movement worldwide, and bind all Scouting associations together. The emphasis on "learning by doing" provides experiences and hands-on orientation as a practical method of learning and building self-confidence. Small groups build unity, camaraderie, and a close-knit fraternal atmosphere. These experiences, along with an emphasis on trustworthiness and personal honor, help to develop responsibility, character, self-reliance, self-confidence, reliability, and readiness; which eventually lead to collaboration and leadership. A program with a variety of progressive and attractive activities expands a Scout's horizon and bonds the Scout even more to the group. Activities and games provide an enjoyable way to develop skills such as dexterity. In an outdoor setting, they also provide contact with the natural environment.^[34]

Since the birth of Scouting in 1907, Scouts worldwide have taken a Scout Promise or Oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribe to the Scout Law. The form of the promise and laws have varied slightly by country and over time, but must fulfil the requirements of the WOSM to qualify a National Scout Association for membership.

The Scout motto, 'Be Prepared', has been used in various languages by millions of Scouts since 1907. Less well-known is the Scout Slogan, 'Do a good turn daily'.

[edit] Activities

Sculpture erected in 1982 to commemorate the 1979 Jamboree at Perry Lakes Western Australia and 75 years of Scouting

Common ways to implement the Scout method include having Scouts spending time together in small groups with shared experiences, rituals, and activities, and emphasizing good citizenship and decision-making by young people in an age-appropriate manner. Weekly meetings often take place in local centres known as Scout dens. Cultivating a love and appreciation of the outdoors and outdoor activities is a key element. Primary activities include camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking, and sports.^[35][36]

Camping is most often arranged at the unit level, such as one Boy Scout troop, but there are periodic "camporees" and "jamborees". Camporees occur a few times a year and involve units from a local area camping together for a weekend. The events usually have a theme, such as pioneering. World Scout Moots are camporees, mainly focused on Scouters. Jamborees are large national or international events held every four years, during which thousands of Scouts camp together for one or two weeks. Activities at these events include games, scoutcraft competitions, badge, pin or patch trading, aquatics, woodcarving, archery, rifle and shotgun shooting, and activities related to the theme of the event.^[37]

For Scouts and Scouters, the highlight of the year is spending at least a week in the summer engaging in an outdoor activity. This can be a camping, hiking, sailing, or other trip with the unit, or a summer camp with broader participation (at the council, state, or provincial level). Scouts attending a summer camp work on merit badges, advancement, and perfecting scoutcraft skills. Summer camps can operate specialty programs for older Scouts, such as sailing, backpacking, canoeing and whitewater, caving, and fishing.

[edit] Uniforms and distinctive insignia

Individual national or other emblems may be found at the individual country's Scouting article, and/or at Gallery of Scout and Guide national emblems.

Ideal Scout sculpture by R. Tait McKenzie

The Scout uniform is a widely recognized characteristic of Scouting. In the words of Baden-Powell at the 1937 World Jamboree, it "hides all differences of social standing in a country and makes for equality; but, more important still, it covers differences of country and race and creed, and makes all feel that they are members with one another of the one great brotherhood".^[38] The original uniform, still widely recognized, consisted of a khaki button-up shirt, shorts, and a broad-brimmed campaign hat. Baden-Powell also wore shorts, because he believed that being dressed like a Scout helped to reduce the age-imposed distance between adult and youth. Uniforms are now frequently blue, orange, red or green, and shorts are replaced by long trousers in winter, and in areas where the culture calls for modesty.

Distinctive insignia for all are Scout uniforms, recognized and worn the world over, include the Wood Badge and the World Membership Badge. Scouting has two internationally known symbols: the fleur-de-lis is used by member organizations of the WOSM, and the trefoil by members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).^[39][40] (While these are the largest boy and girl Scouting associations, not all Scouts or Scouting associations belong to them.)

The swastika was used as an early symbol by the British Boy Scouts and others. According to "Johnny" Walker, its earliest use in Scouting was on the Thanks Badge introduced in 1911.^[41] Lord Baden-Powell's 1922 design for the Medal of Merit added a swastika to the Scout fleur-de-lis to symbolize good luck for the recipient. Like Rudyard Kipling, he would have come across this symbol in India. In 1934, Scouters requested a change to the design because of the later use of the swastika by the National Socialist German Workers Party. A new British Medal of Merit was issued in 1935.

[edit] Age groups and sections

Main article: Age Groups in Scouting and Guiding

Scouting and Guiding movements are generally divided into sections by age or school grade, allowing activities to be tailored to the maturity of the group's members. These age divisions have varied over time as they adapt to the local culture and environment.

Scouting was originally developed for adolescents—youths between the ages of 11 and 17. In most member organizations, this age group composes the Scout or Guide section. Programs were developed to meet the needs of young children (generally ages 6 to 10) and young adults (originally 18 and older, and later up to 25). Scouts and Guides were later split into "junior" and "senior" sections in many member organizations, and some organizations dropped the young adults' section. The exact age ranges for programs vary by country and association.^[42][43][44]

Cub Scouts of Hong Kong

Age range	Scouting section	Guiding section
7 to 10	Cub Scout	Brownie Guide
11 to 17	Boy Scout	Girl Guide or Girl Scout
18 and up	Rover Scout	Ranger Guide

Original age groups as developed by Baden-Powell.

The national programs for younger children include Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, Brownies, Daisies, Beaver Scouts, Joey Scouts, Keas, and Teddies. Programs for post-adolescents and young adults include the Senior Section,^[45] Rover Scouts, Venture Scouts, Explorer Scouts, and the Scout Network. Many organizations also have a program for members with special needs. This is usually known as Extension Scouting, but sometimes has other names, such as Scoutlink. The Scout Method has been adapted to specific programs such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, Rider Guides and Scoutingbands.

In many countries, Scouting is organized into neighborhood Scout Groups, or Districts, which contain one or more sections. Under the umbrella of the Scout Group, sections are divided according to age, each having their own terminology and leadership structure.

[edit] Adults and leadership

Baden-Powell

Adults interested in Scouting or Guiding, including former Scouts and Guides, often join organizations such as the International Scout and Guide Fellowship. In the United States and the Philippines, university students might join the co-ed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. In the United Kingdom, university students might join the Student Scout and Guide Organisation, and after graduation, the Scout and Guide Graduate Association.

Scout units are usually operated by adult volunteers, such as parents, former Scouts, students, and community leaders, including teachers and religious leaders. Scout Leadership positions are often divided into 'uniform' and 'lay' positions. Uniformed leaders have received formal training, such as the Wood Badge, and have received a warrant for a rank within the organization. Lay members commonly hold part-time roles such as meeting helpers, committee members and advisors, though there are a small number of full-time lay professionals.^[46][47]

A unit has uniformed positions—such as the Scoutmaster and assistants—whose titles vary among countries. In some countries, units are supported by lay members, who range from acting as meeting helpers to being members of the unit's committee.^[48] In some Scout associations, the committee members may also wear uniforms and be registered Scout leaders.

Above the unit are further uniformed positions, called Commissioners, at levels such as district, county, council or province, depending on the structure of the national organization. Commissioners work with lay teams and professionals. Training teams and related functions are often formed at these levels. In the UK and in other countries, the national Scout organization appoints the Chief Scout, the most senior uniformed member.

[edit] Around the world

Following its foundation in the United Kingdom (UK), Scouting spread around the globe. The first association outside the UK was opened in Malta. In most countries of the world, there is now at least one Scouting (or Guiding) organization. Each is independent, but international cooperation continues to be seen as part of the Scout Movement. In 1922 the WOSM started as the governing body on policy for the national Scouting organizations (then male only). In addition to being the governing policy body, it organizes the World Scout Jamboree every four years.^[49]

In 1928 the WAGGGS started as the equivalent to WOSM for the then female-only national Scouting/Guiding organizations. It is also responsible for the various international centres such as Our Chalet.

Today at the international level, the two largest umbrella organizations are:

• World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), for boys-only and co-educational organizations.
• World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), primarily for girls-only organizations but also accepting co-educational organizations.

[edit] Co-educational

Scouts and Guides from different countries on World Scout Moot, Sweden, 1996

Worldwide there have been different approaches to co-educational Scouting. Countries such as the USA have maintained separate Scouting organizations for boys and girls.^[50] In other countries, notably in Europe, Scouting and Guiding have merged, and there is a single organization for boys and girls, which is a member of both the WOSM and the WAGGGS.^[51][52] In others, for example Australia and the United Kingdom, the national Scout association has opted to admit both boys and girls, but is only a member of the WOSM, while the national Guide association has remained as a separate movement and member of the WAGGGS. In Slovenia, Spain and Greece, it is the other way around, as the national Guide association has opted to admit both boys and girls, and the national Scout association has remained a separate movement.

The Scout Association of the United Kingdom has been co-educational at all levels since 1991, but this has been optional for groups, and currently 52% of groups have at least one female youth member. Since 2000 new sections have been required to accept girls. The Scout Association has decided that all Scout groups and sections will become co-educational by January 2007, the year of Scouting's centenary.^[53]

In the United States, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts are boys-only; however, for youths age 14 and older, the Venturing program is co-educational. The Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is an independent organization for girls and young women. Adult leadership positions in the BSA and the GSUSA are open to both men and women.

Of the 155 WOSM member National Scout Organizations (representing 155 countries), 122 belong only to WOSM, and 34 belong to both WOSM and WAGGGS. Of the 122 which belong only to WOSM, 95 are open to boys and girls in some or all program sections, and 20 are only for boys. All 34 which belong to both WOSM and WAGGGS are open to boys and girls.^[54]

WAGGGS has 144 Member Organizations and 110 of them belong only to WAGGGS. Of these 110, 17 are co-educational and 93 admit only girls.

[edit] Membership

Scouting 'round the world, 1977 edition

As of 2005, there are over 28 million registered Scouts and 10 million registered Guides around the world, from 216 different countries and territories.

Top 20 countries with Scouting and Guiding, sorted by membership. Full tables on List of World Organization of the Scout Movement members and List of World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts members.^[55][56][57]

Country	Membership[58][59]	Scouting introduced	Guiding introduced
United States	10,100,000	1910	1912
Indonesia	8,900,000	1912	1912
India	3,700,000	1909	1911
Philippines	2,600,000	1910	1918
Thailand	1,300,000	1911	1957
United Kingdom	1,050,000	1907	1909
Bangladesh	950,000	1920	1928
Pakistan	600,000	1909	1911
Canada	360,000	1909	1910
Korea	330,000	1922	1946
Japan	280,000	1913	1919
Kenya	270,000	1910	1920
Germany[I]	260,000	1910	1912
Italy[II]	220,000	1912	1912
Poland[III]	190,000	1910	1910
France[IV]	180,000	1910	1911
Egypt	170,000	1914	1918
Malaysia	160,000	1911	1916
Belgium[V]	160,000	1911	1915
Nigeria	150,000	1915	1919

[edit] Nonaligned and Scout-like organizations

Girl Guides from the Polish ZHR, an associate member of the CES

Main article: Non-aligned Scouting and Scout-like organisations

Fifteen years passed between the first publication of Scouting for Boys and the creation of the largest supranational Scout organization, WOSM, and millions of copies had been sold in dozens of languages. By that point, Scouting was the purview of the world's youth, and hard to preserve as a monolith.

Alternative groups have formed since the original formation of the Scouting "Boy Patrols." They can be a result of groups or individuals who refuse to follow the original ideals of Scouting but still desire to participate in Scout-like activities. Others maintain that the WOSM is currently far more political and less youth-based than ever envisioned by Lord Baden-Powell. They believe that Scouting in general has moved away from its original intent, because of political machinations that happen to longstanding organizations, and seek to return to the earliest, simplest methods.^[60][61]

There are at least 520 separate national or regional Scouting associations in the world. Most have felt the need to create international Scouting organizations to set standards for Scouting and to coordinate activities among member associations. Six international Scouting organizations serve 437 of the world's national associations, and the largest two organizations, WOSM and WAGGGS, count 362 national associations as members, encompassing the vast majority of the world's Scouts.^[62]

[edit] Controversy and conflict

Main article: Scouting controversy and conflict

Since the inception of Scouting in the early 1900s, the movement has sometimes become entangled in social controversies such as the civil rights struggle in the American South and in nationalist resistance movements in India. Scouting was introduced to Africa by British officials as a way to strengthen their rule, but came to challenge the legitimacy of the British Empire as African Scouts used the Scout Law's principle that a Scout is a brother to all other Scouts to claim full imperial citizenship for African Scouts and solidarity amongst all Scouts.^[63][64] The Scouting organizations that do not allow the participation of atheists, agnostics, or gays have received criticism.^[65][66]