Many Scouts may still meet in damp draughty village halls, but those wanting to widen their circle of friends have also joined up in the virtual world on social networking Web site Facebook.
"First Facebook" Scout troop has only been up and running for a year but can already lay claim to being the largest Scout group in the world, boasting almost 10,000 members, most of whom belong to "real" groups as well.
"It just occurred to me there should be a scout group on Facebook. It was a bit tongue in cheek to start with, it was never meant to have the impact it has," founder and leader of the group Mark Foster told Reuters.
Members of First Facebook are not limited to traditional catchment areas, with Scouts joining from countries as far afield as Hong Kong, Chile and the Maldives. The group's message boards allow friends to talk as well as arrange get-togethers in the real world.
"It's like a comfort thing, I'm going to university in October and it will be difficult to stay in touch so it will allow me to keep up with scouting. I don't want travel and time restraints to be a problem" said 18-year old Andrew Duke, a member of First Facebook, as well as First Weeley/Little Clacton in Essex.
But traditional scouting continues.
Scouts still flock to large camps. Over 12,000 Scouts and Guides camped last week in Kirby-le-Soken at the Essex International Jamboreee and members of First Facebook have been meeting up, sometimes for the first time, recognizing each other from their distinctive navy blue and white scarves.
"If I see anyone wearing the necker (scarf) then we stop and talk. It's a chance to meet people from all over the country as well as other countries and learn about their culture," said 18-year old Oliver Clews from Stoke-on-Trent, a regular visitor to the group's Web site.
The Jamboree took place a year after the Scouts celebrated their 100th anniversary when over 28 million scouts in more than 216 countries renewed a vow to do their best and emphasized the environmental and friendship message of the world's largest co-educational youth movement.
"If I didn't come to scouts, I wouldn't have met all the people I have, I've met different people, Americans, Swedish, Nigerians and Germans," said 15-year old scout Hannah Everard from Thurrock in Essex.
"We are all Scouts, we're all the same, we're equal," she said from the shade of a dining tent.
The movement, which includes England soccer star David Beckham and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney as previous members, was founded by the far-sighted Boer War hero Robert Baden-Powell in 1907 following an experimental camp on Brownsea Island off the south coast of England.
"I'm sure Baden-Powell would have loved the idea. It's all about what he started the movement for, it's just what scouting is about -- it's about making friends" Foster said.
"Scouting for Boys" written in 1908 by Baden-Powell, who last year was voted the 13th most influential person in the UK in the 20th century, is the fourth biggest selling book in the world after the Bible, the Koran and Mao's Little Red Book.
Facebook, which boasts 90 million active users worldwide, has exploded in popularity over the past year as a convenient way for Web users to communicate and share personal details with selected groups of friends or acquaintances and terms such as "Facebook me" are now heard from business meetings to playgrounds around the world.
Source: Rauters
1 comment:
What a great idea and way for Scouts to meet others around the world!
Post a Comment