What is scouting?

Scouting began as a programme for boys aged 11 to 18. 1907: The first experimental camp organised by Robert Baden-Powell with 20 boys at Brownsea Island, United Kingdom, was a great success. 1908: Baden-Powell published “Scouting for Boys”, which was an immediate hit and has since sold over 100 million copies. Over the years, Scouting has changed, now, scout groups all over the world all allow girls now, and there are so many scout groups now that there is at least one in almost every town in the UK.

The Cub Scout section was first launched in 1916 as Wolf Cubs. Early in the development of the Scouting movement, there was a need for provision for those too young to join the Boy Scouts at the age of 11. In a number of cases, those too young were not turned away and unofficial junior troops existed in the UK as early as 1909, only a year after the official formation of troops. These boys were often taught simple Scout skills such as tracking, First Aid, simple knots or semaphore and wore a simple uniform of a green cap and dark green or blue jersey.

These early programmes, being a lesser version of full Scouting, was seen as unacceptable to Chief Scout, Robert Baden-Powell, and a draft scheme for younger boys was drawn up in 1913 and published in the Headquarters Gazette in January 1914 in an article called 'Wolf Cubs or Young Scouts - How to train them.' The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 led to older Scouts and Scoutmasters joining the army which brought new people into these roles including women leaders and more demand for a younger section and helped demonstrate the benefit of a younger section.