Organizatsia na Bulgarskite Skauty
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The Organizatsia na Bulgarskite Skauty (Bulgarian Организация на българските скаути, Organization of Bulgarian Scouts), the primary national Scouting organization of Bulgaria, became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1999; work towards World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts membership recognition remains unclear. The coeducational Organizatsia Na Bulgarskite Skauty has 2,711 members as of 2004.
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[edit] History
Scouting began in Bulgaria between 1911 and 1913, and a national Scout organization was created in 1923. Bulgarian Scouting was originally a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement from 1924 to 1940. Scouting reached 60,000 members at the beginning of World War II.
In the interwar period, Russian Scouting Русский Скаут went into exile, and continued in many countries where fleeing White Russian émigrés settled, establishing its own Scout groups in Bulgaria.
In 1940, due to the political situation, Scouting stopped its activities in Bulgaria. When the war ended, communists dominated the country and prevented Scouting from starting again. With the advent of Communism, Scouting was outlawed and the resources of the Scout organizations were confiscated and redistributed to the newly formed Communist youth organizations, the Pioneri and the chavdari. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Scouting was reborn again in Bulgaria in 1989. It was not until 1995 that a national Scout organization was created that conformed to WOSM requirements.
On January 17, 1999, Organizatsia Na Bulgarskite Skauty became the 151st member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, and officially welcomed to WOSM at the World Scout Conference in South Africa on July 25, 1999. The Scout organization has approximately 2,800 members with 57 groups in the 20 largest cities and towns in the country. The organization is volunteer-run. The Organizatsia Na Bulgarskite Skauty is open to both males and females. There is an active Sea Scout program on the Black Sea and in Silistra, on the Danube River.
Each year, Bulgarian Scouts organize a national Jamboree. Bulgarian Scouts take part in community development activities in their country. They have carried out several projects with the Bulgarian Red Cross and have also taken part in reforestation projects. They receive good press and TV coverage.
Due to the negative legacy of the Communist youth organizations, the Scouting movement in Bulgaria is having a slow rebirth. The Scouting organization of Bulgaria is left without an inheritance of leadership, equipment, and established program. However, as stated by Stoyan Ivanov, veteran Chairman of the Bulgarian Scout Organization of Varna, "The democratic changes during the last two years in our country created conditions for the veterans of the Scout movement in Varna to start its restoration after it was suppressed by the totalitarian regime [for] half a century."
The Vratza Scout Troop has an extensive Bulgarian-language website that offers information about the state of Scouting in Bulgaria today.
The Bulgarian noun for a single Scout is Скаут.
[edit] Program Sections
- Cubs are 7 to 11 years of age
- Scouts are 12 to 18
- Rovers are 18 to 35
[edit] Motto
Scouts - Be Prepared
Sea Scouts - Love the Sea
[edit] Scout Oath
Pred chestta si obeshtavam, che shte se staraja spored silite si:
Da ispulnjavam dulga si kum Boga I otechestvoto, da pomagam vinagi na drugite, da spasvam sakona na Skauta.
I give my word of honor, that I will do my best:
To do my duty to God and to the fatherland, to help others at all times and to obey the Scout Law.
[edit] Scout Law
- Scautut e chesten I dostoen sa doverie
- Scautut e predan na Boga, Otechestvoto, obshtestvoto i semejstvoto si
- Scautut e dluzen da bude polesen i da pomaga na drugite
- Scautut e prijatel na vsichki i brat na vseki drug Scout
- Scautut e vezliv i etichen
- Scautut e prijatel na zivotnite i opasva okolnata sreda
- Scautut projavjava chustvo na uvagenie
- Scautut e vesel i sas visok duh
- Scautut e presteliv i opasva chastnata i obshtestvena sobstvenost
- Scautut e chist vav mislitr, dumit i delata si
- A Scout is honest and trustworthy
- A Scout is loyal to God, the fatherland, society and his family
- A Scout's duty is to be useful and to help others
- A Scout is a friend to all and brother to every other Scout
- A Scout is courteous
- A Scout is kind to animals and protects the environment
- A Scout is respectful and obedient
- A Scout is cheerful and has spirit
- A Scout is thrifty and respects all property
- A Scout is clean in thought, word and deed
[edit] External links and references
- Yahoo group for Scouting in Bulgaria
- Information derived from reports of Thomas N. Turba, International Representative of the Indianhead Council, Boy Scouts of America in Saint Paul, Minnesota, who led Scout contingents from Minnesota to Bulgaria in 1993 and 1995.
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