The Beginnings of the Scouting Movement

The man who started Scouting

Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell (B.P.) was born in London, England on February 22, 1857. He died in Nyeri, Kenya January 8, 1941 (he was 84 years old). 

B.P. spent 30 years as an officer in the British army. His experiences in training young men who were recruited into the army convinced him that many were NOT prepared for the hardships of outdoor life, because as young boys they had not been conditioned to it. So….in 1908 Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts, to provide training in outdoor living for boys. 

When B.P. wrote his book “Scouting for Boys”, he didn’t intend to start another organization, he really didn’t. However, boys did because Scout Patrols and Scout Troops began to spring up all over the country entirely on their own. By 1909 there were already about 100,000 Scouts. 

In 1910 at the request from King George V, Baden-Powell retired from the army to devote ALL his time to the Scouting movement. Also in 1910 Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes set up a similar program for girls. 

When B. P. visited our country in August 1910, he persuaded the Governor General, Earl Gray, to become Chief Scout of Canada. 

On June 12, 1914 the Boy Scouts of Canada was incorporated by an Act of Parliament.

Every year, the week in February that contains B. P.’s birth date is called Scout-Guide Week. 

On November 21, 1998 Scouts Canada became co-ed. 

Scouting has continued to grow and now there are more than 25 million members in 216 countries and territories around the globe.

By Emma (Cougar Patrol)