Palestinian Scout Association

Palestinian Scout Association
جمعية الكشافة والمرشدات الفلسطينية
Country State of Palestine
Founded January 4, 1912[1]
Membership 18,738
Affiliation World Organization of the Scout Movement, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Website
http://www.scout-ps.net
Christian Palestinian Scouts on Christmas Eve in front of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

The Scout movement in Palestine started in 1912 at St. George's School in Jerusalem, and participated in the World Scout Jamborees in 1929 and 1933.[2][3] The Palestinian Scout Association (Arabic: جمعية الكشافة والمرشدات الفلسطينية‎) was recognized by the World Scout Bureau in 1945. However, recognition was withdrawn in 1949. Official recognition was restored by the World Scout Conference in 1996, and the Palestinian Scout Association serves youth throughout the State of Palestine. The headquarters are in Ramallah in the West Bank, and the International Commissioner is Dr. Fayeq H. Tahboub.

On 27 February 2016, the Palestinian Scout Association gained back the initial full voting rights in WOSM.[4] In 2017, it became a full member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

History

In 1948, thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes and formed a Palestinian Scout Association in exile. This association was refused membership in the World Organization, but Scouting continued nonetheless. WOSM recognition of Scout movements is possible only when Scouting is active and operating within the borders of its own national state and that state having a seat in the United Nations.

In 1993, an agreement was reached and slowly land was returned to the Palestinians. The Palestinian Scout Association immediately resumed its activity in this region. Palestine was not recognized by the United Nations, but WOSM decided to give the Palestinian Scout association a special temporary status. Before the proposal was brought to a vote, the president of the Israel Scouting Federation made a statement asking the World Scout Conference to support the proposal. His speech was received with a standing ovation.[5] The Palestinian Scout Association was accepted as an Associate WOSM Member. On 27 February 2016, the World Scout Committee recognized Palestinian Scout Association as the National Scout Organization of the State of Palestine and conferred the Association with Full WOSM Membership with voting rights. The membership certificate will be presented to the organisation in the 41st World Scout Conference, which will be conducted in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2017.[6][7]

Program and ideals

There are 18,738 registered members in the Palestinian Scout Association.[8] 35% belong to school groups, and the rest to open or religious groups, predominantly Muslim and Christian.

The Scout Motto is Kun Musta'idan or كن مستعدًا, translating as Be Prepared in Arabic. The noun for a single Scout is kaššaf or كشاف in Arabic.

Girl Guides of Palestine

Girl Guides of Palestine
Country Palestine

The Girl Guides of Palestine (Arabic: إتحاد الفتيات المرشدات الفلسطيني‎) is the national Guiding organization of the Palestinian National Authority. As of 2005, the association was granted the official status of "Working towards WAGGGS membership" by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts acknowledging the development of the association.

Girl Guides were established in the British Mandate of Palestine in 1919, in association with the Girl Guides Association in England. In 1927, a visitor reported that the movement had 260 Guides and 10 Rangers, most of them Arabs. The Palestinian Director of Education, Humphrey Bowman, described the association as "side by side with the Boy Scouts but under an independent body and organized under strictly harim conditions." Like the Boy Scouts, it was confined to the Arab community. The Guiders were recruited from among teachers in the government and private schools. Some Girl Guide troops participated in demonstrations during the 1930s, paralleling the activities of the Palestinian Boy Scouts, a politically active group in the 1930s.[9]

Emblems

The emblem of the Palestinian Scout Association incorporates elements of the coat of arms of Palestine.

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.scout.org/node/22820?language=fr
  2. ↑ https://www.scout.org/node/22820?language=fr
  3. ↑ bfarhat (2016-07-26). "Century-old Palestinian Scout movement makes comeback". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  4. ↑ https://www.scout.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fmedia-files%2FC0616_FullWOSMMembershipPalestine_e.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHOmFHqDqt49v_KWWi-extLVqKIKg
  5. ↑ "Scouting in Palestine: Palestinian Scout Association". The World of Scouting. Archived from the original on 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
  6. ↑ "ar:الكشافة الفلسطينية تفوز بالعضوية الكاملة في المنظمة العالمية للحركة الكشفية WOSM" [Palestinian scouts win full membership in the World Organization of the Scout Movement WOS] (in Arabic). Palestinian Scout Association. 2016-02-29. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22.
  7. ↑ "WOSM welcomes Palestinian Scout Association, Scouting Antiano and Scouting Aruba as new members". World Organisation of Scout Movement. 2016-02-29.
  8. ↑ "Triennal review: Census as at 1 December 2010" (PDF). World Organization of the Scout Movement. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  9. ↑ Ellen Fleischmann (2003). The Nation and Its "New" Women: The Palestinian Women's Movement, 1920-1948. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-520-23789-7.
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