Scouts of Syria ( ar, كشاف سورية) is the national Scout and

Guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Ex ...

organization of Syria. Scouting in Syria was founded in 1912; Guiding started in the 1950s. The coeducational association serves 9,358 members and is a member of both the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

and the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, and has its ...

History

Scouting

Scouting started in Syria in 1912, when the country was part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. In 1924, a federation of Christian and Muslim associations from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and Syria became member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). In the 1930s and 1940s, this federation was affected by the political situation in the region, and especially by the separation of Syria and Lebanon, which led to the registration of the Boy Scouts de Syrie as a separate member of WOSM in August 1949. Syria hosted the 1st Arab Regional Scout Jamboree in 1954 and the 3rd Arab Regional Scout Jamboree and the 1st Arab Regional Scout Conference, both in 1958. During this conference, Damascus was named as headquarters of the Arab Scout Region. The ''Boy Scouts de Syrie'' were removed from WOSM-membership in November 1999 due non-compliance with the constitutional obligations of WOSM (especially the non-payment of membership fees). Syria still participated in Scouting activities with Arab Scout Region neighbours while seeking return to WOSM membership. On July 1, 2008, it was readmitted to WOSM. Ali al-Dandachi, a member of the association, served on the

World Scout Committee The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...

of WOSM from 1951 until 1957 and. In 1969, he was awarded the

Bronze Wolf The Bronze Wolf Award is bestowed by the World Scout Committee (WSC) to acknowledge "outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement". It is the highest honor that can be given a volunteer Scout leader in the world and it is the ...

, for his services to World Scouting. In 1980, Ibrahim Zakaria was also awarded the ''Bronze Wolf''.

Guiding

Guiding in Syria started the 1950s. About 1960, the Guide Association became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS). The Arab Region of WAGGGS held its 3rd Arab Regional Conference in Damascus in 1970, followed by the Arab Committee Meeting in 1976. When the Arab Socialist Ba'th Party banned all youth organizations in the 1980s, the association lost its international recognition. Guiding was restarted in 2000 after the election of

Bashar al Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the S ...

as president of Syria. In July 2008, the Guide branch of ''Scouts of Syria'' was re-admitted to associate membership of WAGGGS. It was promoted to full membership in 2017.

Membership

The association is open to members of all faiths and of both genders. Many events and most leadership training are carried out jointly, however most local units are single-sex. The Scout branch of Scouts of Syria had 9,358 members in 2008 (1,170 Cub Scouts, 4,500 Scouts, 3,000 Advanced Scouts, 250 Rovers and 438 Adult Leaders). The Guide branch numbered 1,020 members. In 1959, during the period when the ''Boy Scouts de Syrie'' was recognized as a unified Scout federation with

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, the Levantine nation had 17,900 Scouts, and in 1990 membership stood at 11,073.

Program

Sections

The association is divided in four sections according to age: *

Cub Scout Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

s/ Brownie Guides - ages 7 to 11 *

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...

Guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...

- ages 12 to 14 * Advanced Scouts/Senior Guides - ages 15 to 17 *

Rover Scout Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'. Rovers was originated by The Scout Association, The Boy Scouts Assoc ...

Ranger Guide A Ranger or Ranger Guide is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 14–18. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Rover Scouts. Early history Girl Guiding had officially been founded in 1910 in the Uni ...

s - ages 18 to 23.

Motto

The

Scout Motto The Scout Motto of the Scout movement is, in English, "Be Prepared", with most international branches of the group using a close translation of that phrase. These mottoes have been used by millions of Scouts around the world since 1907. Most of ...

is ''Kun Musta'idan'' (), translating as ''Be Prepared'', but the local variant is ''Wa-a-iddoo'' (). The noun for a single Scout is ''Kashaf'' ().

Facilities

Syrian Scouts have a national training center at

Zabadani Al-Zabadani or Az-Zabadani ( ar, الزبداني, az-Zabadānī) is a city and popular hill station in southwestern Syria in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, close to the border with Lebanon. It is located in the center of a green valley surrounded ...

, where the first Arab Jamboree was held in 1954.

References

{{WAGGGS, arab World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts member organizations Scouting and Guiding in Syria Youth organizations established in 1912 1912 establishments in the Ottoman Empire