Portal:Scouting/Selected article archive/2008

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• January 31, 2008 - Scouting in displaced persons camps, Scouting has been an active movement in displaced persons camps (DP camps) and in the lives of refugees since World War II. During and after World War II, until the early 1950s, Scouting and Guiding flourished in these camps. These Scout and Girl Guide groups often provided postal delivery and other basic services in displaced persons camps. This working system was duplicated dozens of times around the world. In the present, Scouting and Guiding once again provide services and relief in camps throughout war-torn Africa.

• February 29, 2008 - Gerakan Pramuka is the national Scouting organization of Indonesia. Scouting was founded in the Dutch East Indies in 1912, and Indonesia became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in 1953. It has 8,054,968 members (as of 2004), making it the world's largest Scout association. Each year August 14 is celebrated as Pramuka Day to honor the organization's first public parade.

• March 31, 2008 - E. Urner Goodman, was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) movement for much of the twentieth century. Goodman was the national program director from 1931 until 1951, during the organization's formative years of significant growth when the Cub Scouting and Exploring programs were established. He developed the BSA's national training center in the early 1930s and was responsible for publication of the widely read Boy Scout Handbook and other Scouting books, writing the Leaders Handbook used by Scout leaders in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Goodman is best remembered today for having created the Order of the Arrow or "OA", a popular and highly successful program of the BSA which continues to honor Scouts for their cheerful service. Since its founding in 1915, the Order of the Arrow has grown to become a nationwide program having thousands of members, which recognizes those Scouts who best exemplify the virtues of cheerful service, camping, and leadership by membership in BSA's honor society.

• April 30, 2008 - Pinewood derby is a racing event for Cub Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America. Cub Scouts, with the help of parents, build their own cars from wood, usually from kits containing a block of pine, plastic wheels and metal axles. With the popularity of the pinewood derby, other organizations have developed similar events and a small industry has developed to provide tracks, timers, scales and other products. The pinewood derby was selected as part of "America's 100 Best" in 2006 as "a celebrated rite of spring" by Reader's Digest. Similar Cub Scouting events include the raingutter regatta with boats and the space derby using rubber band powered rockets.

• May 31, 2008 - Backpacking combines hiking and camping in a single trip. A backpacker hikes into the backcountry to spend one or more nights there, and carries supplies and equipment to satisfy sleeping and eating needs. A backpacker packs all of his or her gear into a backpack. This gear must include food, water, and shelter, or the means to obtain them, but very little else, and often in a more compact and simpler form than one would use for stationary camping. A backpacking trip must include at least one overnight stay in the wilderness (otherwise it is a day hike). Many backpacking trips last just a weekend (one or two nights), but long-distance expeditions may last weeks or months, sometimes aided by planned food and supply drops.

• Jun 30, 2008 - The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. Due to the rapid growth of Scouting and a desire to remove control from the publisher of the Scouting magazine, The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant of a charter by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Boy Scout Association was re-named as The Scout Association in 1967. The stated aim of The Scout Association is to "promote the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential" and to create "responsible citizens". As of 2007, The Scout Association provides a Programme to help achieve this aim for young people from the age of 6 to 25. Girls were first admitted in 1976 to the Venture Scouts, and the rest of Sections on an optional basis in 1991. Since 2007 all Scout Groups in the UK must accept girls as well as boys, although religious preferences can be accommodated.

• Jul 31, 2008 -Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America). An Eagle Scout is a Scout with the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 1.7 million young men. The title of Eagle Scout is held for life, thus giving rise to the phrase "Once an Eagle, always an Eagle". Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges and demonstrating Scout Spirit, service, and leadership. This includes an extensive service project that the Scout plans, organizes, leads, and manages. Eagle Scouts are presented with a medal and a badge that visibly recognizes the accomplishments of the Scout. Additional recognition can be earned through Eagle Palms, awarded for completing additional tenure, leadership, and merit badge requirements.

• Aug 31, 2008 -The Scout Association of Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港童軍總會) is the overall Scouting organisation in Hong Kong. After the first Scouting initiatives in 1909, the Hong Kong branch of The Boy Scout Association of the United Kingdom started in 1914 by registering the St. Joseph's College Scout Group, and was formally established in July 1915. The Hong Kong branch became an autonomous association and the 111th member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in 1977. In 2008, the association had 96,682 uniformed members, with approximately 2700 Scout groups in the sections Grasshopper, Cubs, Scouts, Venture and Rover Scouts, making it the largest uniformed youth organisation in Hong Kong. The headquarters at the Hong Kong Scout Centre is in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It annually organises the traditional Scout Rally, providing Scout competitions and activities. For specific anniversaries, themed Scout Jamborees have been organised.

• Sep 30, 2008 -William Denby "Bill" Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an influential American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist for much of the twentieth century. Hanna became an Eagle Scout during his early years. After working odd jobs in the first months of the Depression, Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930. During the 1930s, Hanna steadily gained in skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as Captain and the Kids. In 1937, Hanna met Joseph Barbera while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where they are most noted for producing Tom and Jerry and live action films until 1957; when they co-founded Hanna-Barbera. Hanna-Barbera quickly became television animation pioneers and the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear. Hanna and Barbera won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards. Despite his numerous achievements and awards, he was most proud of his Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Numerous characters have appeared in other media such as films, books, and toys, while their cartoons have become cultural icons. Hanna-Barbera's shows have a global audience of over 300 million people and have been translated into more than 20 languages.

• Oct 31, 2008 -The Queen's Scout Award is the highest youth award achievable in the Scouting movement in several countries. It is awarded in realms of the Commonwealth, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where the Scouts operate under the ceremonial leadership of the monarch. The Queen's Scout Award is actually conferred by the monarch via Royal Warrant; you are not awarded the Queen's Scout Award, rather you become one. The requirements are different in each country but typically involve achieving challenges from several areas such as community involvement, adventurous activities, personal growth and leadership development. Whether the award is a Queen's or King's Scout Award depends on who is the current British monarch.

• Nov 30, 2008 -Little Sioux Scout Ranch is an 1800 acre Scout reservation operated by the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It is located in Little Sioux, Iowa Pahuk Pride, a weeklong National Youth Leadership Training event, is held annually at this camp. The camp was the site of a tornado that killed four Boy Scouts and injured 48 others on June 11, 2008. 121 medals for heroism were awarded.

• Dec 31, 2008 -The Studentenstam De Delftsche Zwervers (Dutch: Delft Rovers Student crew) is a student society in Delft, the Netherlands. Dating from 1915, it is world's oldest student scouting group. They are housed in the Scout Centre The Kruithuis, the monumental gunpowder ammunition dump of the Dutch Republic, designed in 1660 by Pieter Post. The members are students at the Delft University of Technology and other higher education institutions.