Scouting and Guiding in Ukraine: Difference between revisions

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Scouting in Ukraine is in a transitional phase and may receive World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) recognition by 2008. Ukraine is the largest nation in population to have Scouting that is not recognized by WOSM, despite the fact that the Eurasian Region headquarters is even located on Ukrainian territory. Ironically, it may be Ukraine's longstanding tradition of plurality that may have delayed the creation of a federated Scout organization to serve all Scouts in the nation.

In 2004, the Ukrainian Scout Youth Public Organization Spilka Pionerskykh Orhanizatzii Kyïva (literally Kiev Pioneer Movement Organization or SPOK, with a membership of 3,750 in 18 of 26 Ukrainian provinces) applied for WOSM membership. In January, 2005, this motion was recommended by the World Scout Bureau. Since more than 5% of the National Scouting Organizations voted against the application, Germany and the BSA among the opposing votes, SPOK was not admitted to WOSM and will withdraw the application. As a result of this, a special mission of the World Scout Committee was sent to Ukraine. Presently Ukrainian Scouting is trying to set up a new Scouting body unifying Plast and SPOK in order to satisfy WOSM requirements, which could be worked out before 2008 as all parties are motivated to join the international community.

Plast

File:--Ukrainebowa.gif

Membership badge of Plast Ukrainian Scouting

Plast or Ukrainian Plast (Ukrainian: Пласт, Національна Скаутська Організація України) is the largest Scouting organization in Ukraine.

Scouting in Ukraine is served by several organizations, divided by language and/or geography.

Plast was founded in Ukraine in 1911 as the Ukrainian Scout Organization. Ukrainian Scouting has been known since its inception as "Plast". In Ukrainian a plastun is a historical name for a Cossack scout and sentry serviceman. The founder of Ukrainian Scouting, Dr. Oleksandr Tysowskyj (alternately Tysovsky), adapted the universal Scout principles to the needs and interests of Ukrainian youth.

Born during great social and political upheavals in Europe, Ukraïns'ky Plast came into being to fulfill specific national aims, unlike other Scout organizations. The first Scout troops were formed in L'viv (Łwów) in 1911. Scouting spread rapidly to the other cities and towns, and by 1913 the first Supreme Scout Council had been formed and the first handbook published. By 1916 its membership exceeded 10,000, and it was a fully developed and functioning organization, consisting of separate Boy Scouts and Girl Guides branches. Ukraïns'ky Plast held regular camps for Cubs, Scouts and Rovers, training courses for leaders, and produced a variety of Scout publications, including a Ukrainian translation of 'Scouting for Boys'.

Shortly after its founding, World War I brought about the collapse of the two powers occupying ethnic Ukrainian territory, Austria-Hungary and tsarist Russia, and the formation of the Ukrainian National Republic in 1918. The subsequent years witnessed a great upswing in Scouting, as it spread into the towns and communities where it had been previously unknown, mainly in the central provinces of Ukraine. Hundreds of boys, inspired by the ideals of service to God and Country which Scouting engenders, volunteered to join the armed forces, fighting on several fronts, and many gave their lives.

The occupation of central Ukraine by the Red Army in 1922 led to an immediate abolition of all Scout activities. In the Romanian area of Bukovina, the development of Plast was likewise hampered. Ukrainian Scouting was among the first to suffer what later became the fate of many Scout Associations throughout the world. In areas later to become western Ukraine, which included parts of Czechoslovakia and Poland, the Scout movement emerged from the ruins of war with renewed vitality. During this period, Ukrainian Scouting first requested international recognition, but was denied on political grounds.

In spite of numerous obstacles, Plast developed rapidly in the Polish areas. In the late 1920s, external pressure on the part of the Polish authorities seriously impaired further growth of Plast on its territory, and eventually led to an outright abolition of Ukrainian Scouting in 1930. However, Plast continued to flourish in Ruthenia, the ethnic Ukrainian area within Czechoslovakia, and maintained a close liaison with the underground Scout units in parts of western Ukraine under the Soviet Union until World War II. Ukrainian Scouts took part in the World Jamboree at Arrowe Park in 1929, and as part of the Czechoslovak contingent in the fourth World Jamboree at Gödöllő in 1933, attempting to make the World Scouting aware of the suppression of free Scout activities in the Ukraine.

During the years under Communism and the Soviet Union, Scouting was banned in Ukraine, but the Plast organization continued to exist in exile around the world. Ukrainian Scouting was hampered by World War II, but Plast managed to survive the war and began to flourish again in the refugee camps under the occupation of the Western Powers. The successful commemoration of the 35th Anniversary of the Movement in 1947 was the highlight of Plast activities at that time.

Ukrainian Scouting became a member of the Displaced Persons Division of the Boy Scouts International Bureau. A delegation of over 40 Scouts and Scouters participated in the sixth World Jamboree at Moisson in 1947 and a smaller group in the seventh World Jamboree at Bad Ischl in 1951.

After the mass resettlement of Ukrainians between 1948 and 1950, Plast was reorganized and branches permanently established in a number of western countries with large Ukrainian communities, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Argentina, where it continues to flourish and expand.

Ukrainian Scouting was represented at the ninth World Jamboree at Sutton Coldfield in 1957, at the second and third World Indabas and at the tenth World Jamboree at Makiling Park in 1959. Ukrainian Scouters delegated by the Executive Council participated as observers in the sixteenth and seventeenth International Conferences in 1957 and 1959, respectively.

In the summer of 1962, Ukrainian Scouting celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a National Jamboree on its own permanent campsite at East Chatham, New York, in which over 2,000 members, as well as Scouts of other national associations participated.

When the Soviet Union began to crumble, Scouting appeared clandestinely. The first Plast camp was organized in the summer of 1989 and was raided by the Soviet secret police (KGB). Several Scouts were beaten and arrested. Nevertheless, Scouting and Plast persisted.

Since the end of Soviet communism and the birth of an independent Ukraine in 1991, Ukraïns'ky Plast Scouting has been growing rapidly in every corner of the country. At the beginning of 1995, there were 85 local groups and councils, with over 3,500 Scouts. In 1996, Plast Ukrainian Scouting celebrated the 85th anniversary since the first Scouting units appeared in Ukraine in 1911, with a Plast Jamboree.

In addition, other Scouting groups have been spontaneously appearing, mostly in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. Most of them participated, together with Plast, in the Ukrainian delegation to the World Scout Jamboree in Holland in 1995.

Plast publishes a newsletter for both younger Scouts, Hotuys(Be Prepared), and older Scouts Yunak both in Ukrainian, monthly, and go out internationally.

Plast is working with the various other Ukrainian Scouting organizations to develop a national Scouting federation and to achieve recognition by the WOSM. All duties in Ukrainian Scouting, from local to the National Council levels, are performed entirely by volunteer workers.

File:--UkraineCanada.jpg

Ukrainian Scout-in-exile postage stamp from Canada

Plast Ukrainian Scouting, nonaligned to a supranational organization, exists as an emigré organization in Canada (since 1948), the United States (with large contingents of active Plast Scouts in New York City, Chicago, and Colorado), Australia, Poland and other nations. In the summer of 1997 a two-week Jamboree was held in Winnipeg, Canada that brought Plast contingents from France, Germany, Argentina, the United States, Canada, Ukraine, and other countries.

Program

Program Sections:

Cub Scouts - 7 to 11
Scouts - 12 to 15
Rovers - 16 to 20

The Plast Scout Motto is "Skob!", translating as "Hello!" in Ukrainian. The Scout Motto for other ethnic Ukrainian Scouting organizations is "Hotuis", translating as "Be Prepared" in Ukrainian. The Scout Motto for ethnic Russian Scouting organizations in Ukraine is "Bud' Gotov", translating as "Be Prepared" in Russian. The Ukrainian noun for a single Scout is Скаут, Plastun or Sumivits depending on the organization.

Scout Law:

Plastun keeps his word.
Plastun is thorough.
Plastun is punctual.
Plastun is thrifty.
Plastun is just.
Plastun is courteous.
Plastun is brotherly and friendly
Plastun is levelheaded.
Plastun is useful.
Plastun obeys Plast leadership.
Plastun is diligent.
Plastun cares for his health.
Plastun cares for beauty.
Plastun is always optimistic.

Scout Oath:

On my honor I swear that I will do everything in my power to: Be true to God and the Ukraine, To help others, To live according to the Plast Law and to obey Plast leadership.

Other Ukrainian Scout organizations

File:--UkraineGirlScout.jpg

Membership badge of Ukrainian Guides

Other Ukrainian Scout organizations include

File:--WOSMvariant.gif Asotsiatsiya Skautiv Ukraïni (AСУ-Ukrainian speaking)
File:-p-WAGGGSlogo.gif Association of Ukrainian Guides, member of WAGGGS, with 968 members
File:--WOSMvariant.gif Chornomortsi-Sailors of the Black Sea
File:--WOSMvariant.gif Crimean Scout Association, connected to the Scouts de France
File:--HungaryMCfleurdelis.gif Kárpátaljai Magyar Cserkészszövetség, ethnic Hungarian Scouts in Ukraine linked to Magyar Cserkészszövetség
File:--RussiaORUR3.gif Khar'kovskaya Oblastnaya Organizatsiya Skautov (Regional Scout Association of Kharkiv-Russian speaking)
File:--WOSMvariant.gif Lugans'ka Oblasna Organizatsiya Skautiv (Regional Scout Association of Lugansk-Ukrainian speaking)
File:--WOSMvariant.gif Spilka Ukraïns'koï Molodi (СУМ)
File:--WOSMvariant.gif Ulad Starshoho Plastunstva (Ukrainian Rovers)
File:-p-WFISbadge.gif and a Ukrainian Scout organization belonging to the World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS)

International Scout units in the Ukraine

In addition, there are USA Girl Scouts Overseas in Kiev, serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in New York; as well as Cub Scout Pack 3980 and Boy Scout Troop 980, both of Kiev, linked to the Direct Service branch of the Boy Scouts of America, which supports units around the world. Finally, Russian emigré Scout organizations, generally aligned to either NORS or ORYuR but not connected with RAS/N, have independent branches in Ukraine.

External links and references

This information was partially adapted from "Ukrainian Scouting, the Newsletter of the Plast-Scouting Organization of Ukraine," Volume 1, Number 1, January, 1995; and Plast publications. The Scout Oath, Law and Motto were translated by George Slusarczuk. Template:EurAsiaScout

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 Ukrainian Scouting was represented at the ninth World Jamboree at [[Sutton Coldfield]] in 1957, at the second and third World Indabas and at the tenth World Jamboree at [[Makiling Park]] in 1959. Ukrainian Scouters delegated by the Executive Council participated as observers in the sixteenth and seventeenth International Conferences in 1957 and 1959, respectively.
-In the summer of 1962, Ukrainian Scouting celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a National Jamboree on its own permanent campsite at East [[Chatham, New Jersey]], in which over 2,000 members, as well as Scouts of other national associations participated.
+In the summer of 1962, Ukrainian Scouting celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a National Jamboree on its own permanent campsite at East [[Chatham, New York]], in which over 2,000 members, as well as Scouts of other national associations participated.
 When the Soviet Union began to crumble, Scouting appeared clandestinely. The first Plast camp was organized in the summer of 1989 and was raided by the Soviet secret police (KGB). Several Scouts were beaten and arrested. Nevertheless, Scouting and Plast persisted.