National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine

National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine
Національна організація скаутів України
Country	Ukraine
Founded	27 March 2007
Membership	4,650
Chairman	Andriy Chesnokov
First Vice-Chairman	Oleg Sizenenko
International Commissioner	-
Affiliation	World Organization of the Scout Movement
Website www.ukrscout.org

The National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна організація скаутів України, Natsionalna organizatsiya skautiv Ukrajiny, NOSU)^[1] was established in 2007 by the three largest Scout organizations in Ukraine-the all-Ukrainian youth organization "SPOK", Plast and the All-Ukrainian organization Sich (Січ) meaning Cossack fortress. Membership stood at 4,650 Scouts in 2011.^[2]

Recent history

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 oblasts) 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 Boy Scouts of America among the opposing votes, SPOK was not admitted to WOSM and withdrew the application. As a result of this, a special mission of the World Scout Committee was sent to Ukraine. Ukrainian Scouting endeavored to set up a new Scouting body unifying Plast and SPOK in order to satisfy WOSM requirements, to be worked out by 2008, as all parties were motivated to join the international community.

Following the recommendations of Resolution 2/05 adopted by the 37th World Scout Conference in Tunisia, the constitutive congress of the National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine (NOSU) was held on 27 March 2007. The congress, which gathered Scout representatives from most regions of Ukraine, approved the Constitution of NOSU and elected its governing bodies. This event was made possible thanks to efforts of three Scout associations (Plast, SPOK and Sich) to work towards unification of Scouting in Ukraine in a new single National Scout Organization so as to be able to join WOSM.

The Constitution of NOSU was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in November 2007, thus confirming the creation of a single National Scout Organization in Ukraine. An amended version of this Constitution was received on 4 February 2008 and formally approved by the Constitutions Committee and the World Scout Committee.

In 2008, NOSU applied for membership through the World Scout Bureau into the World Organization of the Scout Movement.^[3] In accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of WOSM, the World Scout Committee considered this application at its meeting from 29 February to 2 March 2008, and recommended that it be accepted. Under the terms of Article VI.2 of the WOSM Constitution, "if within three months the recommendation is unopposed or opposed by less than five percent of the Member Organizations", NOSU was declared a Member, as the National Scout Organization of Ukraine, of the World Organization of the Scout Movement as from 1 July 2008.

WOSM Acting Secretary General Luc Panissod visited NOSU in mid-March 2008. He had the opportunity to meet and talk with various groups of young people (candidates to join, patrol leaders, summer camp young leaders) and adult leaders responsible of local Scout groups. He also met with the Deputy Minister of Family, Youth and Sports, one of the founding members of one of the Scout associations, who confirmed full support of the authorities to NOSU. He also had several working sessions with leaders of NOSU to assess the level of development of the organization.

The organization has a loaned headquarters and several campsites. Elements of a progressive scheme include merit badges, which are illustrated in their handbook and are obtained on a progressive basis. At present, NOSU is a small organization and has only one professional staff regularly employed in application of existing legislation. Being a new organization, NOSU still has to develop an efficient working organization.

NOSU membership is open to girls and boys, women and men, in three age sections: Cubs (6-10), Scouts (11-16) and Rovers (16-24). As at 31 December 2007, NOSU comprised 2,475 members including 718 female youth members, 1,546 male youth members, plus some 200 adult leaders and Council members.

NOSU membership was made approximately of 40% from Plast, 40% from SPOK and 20% from Sich. The same percentages was reflected at the National Council level. While double membership still exists (one can be member of NOSU and member of one of the three above associations), direct membership for new members is strongly encouraged. It is the objective of NOSU's leadership that NOSU will be successful enough to attract more members from the three associations who are not yet members of NOSU. Further unification of Scouting through integration of other Scout groups in Ukraine is envisaged through the chartering system. On May 4, 2014 during the forth national conference of NOSU the new National Council was elected. The Chairman of the National Council is Andriy Chesnokov, the First Deputy Chairman of the National Council is Oleg Sizenenko. All duties in Ukrainian Scouting, from local to the National Council levels, are performed by a combination of volunteer workers and paid professionals. NOSU is a member of the Eurasia Scout Region. The representative of NOSU - Andriy Chesnokov - is a member of Eurasia Scouting Committee of WOSM ^[4]

According to the decision of the 4th National Conference of NOSU that took place on May 18, 2014 in Kyiv the new leadership of the Organization was elected. Andriy CHESNOKOV has been elected the Head of the National Councill of NOSU (President of NSO Ukraine). The new National Council includes representatives of different parts of Ukraine – Donetsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolayiv, Zaporizhzhya regions. The Control Commission consists of scouts from Kyiv, Lviv, Donetsk, Mykolayiv regions and Sevastopol. During the first meeting of the National Council, Natalia MIROSHNICHENKO was appointed the National Secretary of NOSU.^[5]

NOSU history in dates

March 24, 2007 - AYPO "The National Organization of the Scouts of Ukraine" (NOSU) was established at the founding Congress in Kyiv.

March 28, 2008 – the President of Ukraine signed the Decree # 279/2008 "On the development of the Scout Movement in Ukraine"

July 14–18, 2008 – Ukraine joined the World Scouting as NOSU became the Member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement at the 38th World Scout Conference in Jeju, South Korea.

2011-2012 – Celebration at the national level of Centenary of Ukrainian Scouting:

November 1, 2011 - the Parliament of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) adopted the Resolution "On the Celebration of 100th Anniversary of Ukrainian Scout Movement", initialized by NOSU;^[6]

April 21, 2012 - Ukrainian scouts were parading on the main street of Kyiv - the capital of Ukraine, celebrating 100 years from the date of the first Ukrainian Scout Oath;^[7]

April 28- May 2, 2012 the All-Ukrainian Centenary Scout Forum took place. President of Ukraine congratulated Ukrainian scouts on 100th anniversary of the national movement;^[8]

April 29, 2012 "100 years of Ukrainian Scouting" memorial was inaugurated in the Korsun-Shevchenko district of Cherkasy region of Ukraine.

2008-2012 – NOSU established the local branches in 22 regions of Ukraine

May 19, 2013 – the number of Scouts registered in NOSU raised up to 2724 members.

October 1–6, 2013 - NOSU was the host of 2nd Eurasia Regional Scout Youth Forum and the 5th Eurasia Regional Scout Conference ^[9]

May 18, 2014 - along with ex-scouts participating in activities and Merbership of Peace program volunteers NOSU membership raised 4650.

Projects implemented by the National Organization of the Scouts of Ukraine in 2012-2013

1. "PLATFORM OF THE PEACE: SCOUTING UNITES UKRAINE" (total budget $26,000)^[10]

The main objective of the project is to improve through training and workshops mutual understanding and tolerance of the other brothers and sisters in Scouting opinions during the development of a general program and educational offer for scouts of the “NOSU”.

Another goal of this project is to raise public awareness of the scout youth educational method as innovative informal educational technique through collaboration with the media and educational institutions.

According to the project “NOSU” created an information-resource centers, which are designed to organize the work of scout districts, which, in turn, include the “NOSU” regional departments. Project coordinators: Bocharnikov Viktor (1st scout district), Remizova Natalia (2nd scout district) Semenkov Anatoliy (3rd scout district), Zelinka Nazariy (4th scout district), Boiarskaia Natalia (5th scout district), Stanislav Provalniy (6th scout district).

Information and Resource Centers coordinators organized the workshops for project participants:

• 1st scout district (The Crimean Republican, Kherson regional, Sevastopol city departments of the «NOSU») – 8–9 September 2012;

• 2nd scout district (Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye regional departments of the «NOSU») - 4–5 August 2012;

• 3rd scout district (Odessa, Nikolaev, Kirovograd regional departments of the «NOSU») - 8–9 September 2012;

• 4th scout district (Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne, Khmelnytsky regional departments of the «NOSU») - 14–15 July 2012;

• 5th scout district (Vinnitsa, Zhitomir, Cherkassy, Poltava, Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv regional and Kiev city departments of the “NOSU”) - 7–8 July 2012;

• 6th scout district (Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, Lviv, Chernivtsi regional departments of the «NOSU») - 8–9 September 2012.

The project participants were adult Scout leaders (aged from 18) and teachers and tutors who are interested in innovative informal educational techniques.

After that the project results adaptation took place at:

•All-Ukrainian Centennial Scout Forum and scientific conference "Essential characteristics of Scouting" (Korsun-Shevchenkivsky, Cherkasy region; April 28–29, 2013), about 1,500 participants;

• the "Festival of the Spring" (Ternopil, May 18, 2013). About 100 participants.

• the Cub Scout Jamboree "The Call of the Prairie - 2012" (Donetsk region May 30, 2013), about 300 participants;

• the Eurasian volunteer forum (Kyiv, June 21–25, 2013), 35 participants from 8 countries;

• the Eurasian Youth Scout Forum (Kyiv, September, 2013), 51 participants from 9 countries.

Furthermore, posters "Scouting unites Ukraine" are decorating scout rooms and houses in 19 regions of Ukraine, five information-resource centres received five sets of equipment for seminars and trainings.

2. "CREATION OF NOSU WEB-SITE TO THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINIAN SCOUTING" (total budget $5,000)^[11]

Within the frameworks of the project "Creation of NOSU web-site to the 100th anniversary of Ukrainian Scouting" supported by the Boy Scouts of America the trilingual (Ukrainian, English, Russian) web–platform www.ukrscout.org was established.

According to the project provisions seminar “PR and Communications” for regional communicators was held on February 9–10, 2013 in Kyiv. The main purpose of the workshop was to consider functions of a regional communicator and ways to work with the media in order to develop an effective communication network between NOSU regional barnches.

Nowadays, information is the driving force of progress and the most valuable resource. The development of the Internet and, therefore, the expansion of communication networks made information more accessible. On the other hand, it’s difficult for users to find useful part of the great amount of information they’re receiving and for the organization to qualitatively pass an important message. Therefore, it’s very important to understand the mechanisms of promotion of information and to be able to use them for the dissemination of the ideas of Scouting.

On the first day of the seminar the participants (young boys and girls scouts and adult leaders) visited the “5 TV channel" and the “imena.ua” domain, where they had the opportunity to see the work of the media with their very eyes and to learn more about technology.

Furthermore, the participants were lucky to watch the filming of the news story about a fire at “Gostiny Dvir” in Kyiv.

On the second day, scout leaders participated in various training programs. Experts in their field explained how to update the official website of NOSU, they discussed the Internet technologies, that can magically simplify the work of communicator. Also, they talked about the specifics of working with the media, for example, communication with journalists, timing, creating an informational message, writing a press release and more. Moreover, the participants had the opportunity to learn about the resources of the World Scouting website scout.org, the use of WOSM brand-book, scout corporate ethics and the correct way of communication with journalists.

Thus, the participants left the workshop with new knowledge and skills, ideas, inextinguishable desire to "Create a Better World" and the determination to create a communications network for the development of Ukrainian Scouting.

Trainers of the workshop were Andrii Kovalev (5 TV channel), Iraklii Varshalomidze (WOSM), Andrii Luzan, Marina Smirnova, Liudmyla Skorenko (NOSU), Mariia Verbenko (KSSY), Evhenii Demchenko and Vitalii Selik ("Foundation of Regional Initiatives"). Thanks to the project funds NOSU also launched in November 2013 an electronic program "NOSU Membership Database" and supplied the modems to its regional branches in 17 regions of Ukraine.

3. "SCOUT LEADER TRAINING" (total budget €12,000).

The Project was implemented in 2012-2013 under the support of the World Scout Foundation.

During this time we modified a program of trainings according to needs of all organizations that are included to NOSU, and created a unified one that satisfied everybody.

We conducted 24 trainings (3 in Kyiv, 3 in Kyiv region, 2 in Odesa, 3 in Mykolayiv, 3 in Donetsk region, 2 in the Crimea, 2 in Lviv, 2 in Ivano-Frankivsk, 2 in Zaporizhzhya, 2 in Vinnytsya) and 2 camps for new members (in Ivano-Frankivsk and Cherkassy regions), 24 scout leader trainings (3 in Kyiv, 3 in Kyiv region, 2 in Odesa, 3 in Mykolayiv, 3 in Donetsk region, 2 in the Crimea, 2 in Lviv, 2 in Ivano-Frankivsk, 2 in Zaporizhzhya, 2 in Vinnytsya) for almost 800 participants altogether. At the end of the project we had (based on a 50% retention of the new members and 80% of scoutleaders), about 100 leaders from new adult members and about 150 leaders from rovers. This lead to increasein membership to at least 700-800 people additionally.

Afer that 8 retrainings for scout leaders were organized in Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolayiv, Donetsk region, the Crimea, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zaporizhzhya about 200 people attended it to talk to other scout leaders about painful questions. 4 trainings for trainers were conducted and special instructors from outside of Ukraine were invited to make them more unique and interesting.

4. "WORKING-OUT OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH PROGRAM" (total budget $52,000: $2,000 – attracted and spent, $50,000 – applied). NOSU has established the working group to develop a National Youth Program (NYP), which operates under the guidance of WOSM Global Support Network trainer Nikolay Akatov and plans to search for resources to publish manuals on NYP for scout leaders and scouts of different age.

To approve NYP in 3 regional centers, holding 27 regional workshops to launch NYP in all the patrols of NOSU. It is planned to seek and attract $50,000.

See also

• Scouting in Ukraine

References

Members of the Eurasian Scout Region of the World Organization of the Scout Movement Full members Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia Kazakhstan Moldova Russian Federation Tajikistan Ukraine Potential members Kyrgyzstan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan