The Cyprus Scouts Association ( el, Σώμα Προσκόπων Κύπρου, ''Soma Proskopon Kyprou'', SPK) is the national

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

organization of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

. It was founded in 1913 and became a member of 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 ...

in 1961. SPK has 5,926 members.

History

Scouting was officially founded in Cyprus in 1913 by N. K. Lanitis and

Nikos Nikolaides Nicos Nicolaides ( el, Νίκος Νικολαΐδης) was a Greek Cypriot painter and writer. Early life Nicolaides was born the son of poor parents in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 3 April 1884. A sister, Maria, followed him two years later. He was ...

, with the assistance of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In 1980,

Savvas Kokkinides Savvas Kokkinides ( el, Σάββας Κοκκινίδης) served as the International Commissioner of the Cyprus Scouts Association. In 1980, Kokkinides was awarded the 141st '' Bronze Wolf'', the only distinction of the World Organization of th ...

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 ...

'', the only distinction of the

, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting.

Program and ideals

The Cyprus Scouts Association is open to all boys and girls including those stationed at the

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air L ...

and

Western Sovereign Base Area Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA),, ''Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias''; tr, Ağrotur ve Dikelya İngiliz Egemen Üs Bölgeleri is a British Overseas Territory o ...

s. The Scouts are one of the oldest youth organizations on the island. Scouts have taken an active part in all aspects of social and cultural life. The Cyprus Scout Association takes an active part in national, regional and international Scout events. Cyprus was represented at the 19th World Jamboree in Chile by 36 Scouts and was also represented in the 21st World Scout Jamboree that took place in the UK. The Scouts of Cyprus have been working to assist with the

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

crisis caused by the 2006 Lebanon War. One of the Scout Centers is accommodating 106 children from Lebanon who had been separated from their families while fleeing the war-torn country. As the situation escalates, thousands of people are now arriving daily by sea at the ports of

Larnaca Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro ...

and

Limassol Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...

br>
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 ...

(''Προσκοπικό ρητό'') is Έσo έτοιμος, ''Be Prepared'' in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. The membership badge of the Cyprus Scouts Association incorporates the copper-yellow and green national colors, as well as the

olive branch The olive branch is a symbol of peace and victory associated with customs of ancient Greece and connected with supplication to gods and persons in power. It is found in most cultures of the Mediterranean basin and became associated with peace ...

es of the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

and the

flag of Cyprus The national flag of Cyprus ( el, Σημαία της Κύπρου, Simaía tis Kýprou; tr, Kıbrıs bayrağı) came into use on 16 August 1960, under the Zürich and London Agreements, whereby a constitution was drafted and Cyprus was proclai ...

Scout Oath ''Υπόσχεση του Προσκόπου''

Scout Law ''Νόμος του Προσκόπου''

References

External links

Official Homepage of the Cyprus Scouts Association
{{WOSM, european Youth organizations established in 1913 World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Scouting and Guiding in Cyprus 1913 establishments in Cyprus