Scouting, from its beginning to the present
The founder of this movement, Lord Baden Powell, was born in London in 1857. After finishing school, Baden Powell chooses military career. He goes to India in 1976 where he wins the most warred trophy among the British officers, the famous ‘Kadir Cup’ (wild boar hunting with a long spear).
In his regiment he tries to reform the military training methods by introducing fun activities in order to raise the morale of the troops. Between 1899 and 1900 he is the the chief of Mafeking garrison from South Africa.
After a huge success, because he defended this city during the Boer War, he is distinguished, while in London, by Queen Victoria with the Bath Order and promoted to general-mayor. This promotion marks the ending of his brilliant military carrier. Baden Powell dedicates his life to promoting peace and tolerance.
In 1907, between the 27th of July and 8th August, he organises on the South Coast of England (Brownsea island), a camp for 20 youths in which he promotes through non-formal education the spirit of adventure, teamwork and personal progress.
This is the moment when Scouting begins, a movement that, in a short while, will take a distinct dimension all over the world.
Scouting was founded by the youths who responded to the ideas and ideals found in “Scouting for Boys”, a book written by Baden Powell in 1908. The original idea wasn’t to create a youth organisation, but to promote some ideas in order to educate the ‘scouting’ character – ideas that afterwards would be implemented by already active organisations (like Boys Brigade).
Though rather unexpectedly, immediately after this, everywhere in Great Britain, groups of yuppies started to organise themselves in patrols, using the material created by Baden Powell.
From its beginnings, starting with the first patrol, Scouting was guided and organised by youths.
Gheorghe Munteanu-Murgoci, a Romanian scientist, in a visit to England, makes contact with scouting. Coming back to Bucharest he becomes the first promoter and leader of the first Romanian scouts.
Scouting in Romania
In 1912 appear the first groups of Romanian scouts (Blaj, Brasov, Bucharest). In 1914, thanks to their creative activities, starts “Asociaţia Cercetaşii României” (The Association of Romanian Scouts), officially recognised.
During World War I, the Romanian scouts helped behind the lines, by being present wherever they were needed, replacing sanitarians, couriers … In memory of the ones who died back then, a monument was built at Tecuci, the only one in the world dedicated to scouts.
In 1922 The Association of Romanian Scouts becomes founding member of the WOSM (World Organisation of Scout Movement). In 1937 the Association was abolished.
The Association suspends any activities after the abolition order given by Carol the 2nd.
Reborn in 1990, “Organizatia Nationala Cercetasii Romaniei” – ONCR (National Organisation of Romanian Scouts), the biggest nongovernmental youth organization in Romania becomes well known both in Romania and abroad.
In 1993, ONCR is the only scouting movement re-accepted in WOSM, the World Organisation of Scouting Movement that has more than 28.000.000 active members in 216 countries and territories. In Romania, more than 2.500 members unwind their activities in 63 subsidiaries.
