Scout History: From 20 Members To Worldwide Expansion

Image by masbebet christianto from Pixabay

JAKARTA - Pramuka or Praja Muda Karana (which means "Young Spirit Who Loves to Work") is a scouting organization that is followed by almost all school students in Indonesia.

Based on data on the official World Scouting website, there are now more than 50 million active World Scout members, consisting of young people, adults, men and women. All members of the Scouts, spread over 200 countries.

Then about 500 million people have become Scouts, many of whom are prominent people. But who would have thought that the Scouts initially only had 20 boys.

Through this article, the VOI Team will present readers with a timeline of the history and development of world Scouts, until their entry into Indonesia.

History of the First Scouts: Consists of 20 Members

The first 20 Scouts attended training at the experimental camp in 1907. The training was held for nine days in August on Brownsea Island, England.

The training that was initiated by Robert Baden-Powell (later known as Father of the World) was a huge success. This proved that scouting training and methods were attractive to young people at that time.

Book Scouting for Boys Published by Baden-Powell

Scouting for Boys book. (Photo- Pinterest)

Then in January 1908, Baden-Powell published the first edition of the book entitled Scouting for Boys. The book was a big seller and has sold more than 100 million copies and is the bestseller of all time.

Baden-Powell's intent and purpose was simply to provide a training method for boys - which was actually adopted by earlier youth organizations, such as the Boys' Brigade and the YMCA.

But unexpectedly, young people in the early 20th century loved the methods taught by Baden-Powell. The Scout Organization is one of the largest voluntary youth movements in the world.

The Role of Scouts in War in England

In 1909, the book Scouting for Boys has been translated into five languages. Meanwhile, in their native England, Scouts have contributed 11,000 members to mass rallies.

Scouts then spread outside England, some of which are Chile, Canada, and the United States.

Furthermore, in 1914 or the year of the outbreak of World War I, the Scout training provided through the patrol system proved its benefits.

The contribution of the Scouts to the war in England was carried out in many ways, the most famous of which was the Sea Scouts who replaced the coast guards.

World's First Scout Jamboree

The first World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920 at Olympia London. The Jamboree, which was attended by 8,000 participants, proved that young people from various countries could come together, share interests, and have the same aspirations.

After the Jamboree at Olympia, then 21 other Jamborees in various different locations followed.

During the Jamboree, the first World Scout Conference (which was later called the “International Scout Conference”) was held with representatives from 33 National Scout Organizations.

Subsequently, the International Scout Bureau which later became the World Scout Bureau was founded in London in 1920.

Two years later, the first World Scout Committee was elected at the 2nd International Conference in Paris. At that time the World Scout Membership had more than 1 million members.

Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book and the Early Scout Program

The Scouting Program was originally intended for boys aged 11 to 18 years. However, then emerged scouting for girls.

In 1910, Baden-Powell initiated a women's scouting program. Agnes, Baden-Powell's sister was entrusted with managing the organization.

Subsequently in 1915, Baden-Powell became Chairman of the Women's Scout Association. Then Baden-Powell's wife Olave became the new Chief Guide in 1918.

Cover of the book The Jungle Book (Image- thoughtco)

Next there is the A Wolf Cub which is specially formed for younger boys. This movement uses literature in its application, namely the book titled Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.

Kipling's work is an imaginative symbolic framework for running Boy Scouts for children. Then for the older boys the Rover Scout.

Scouts in World War II

During World War II, Scouts grew rapidly in all corners of the world - except in totalitarian countries which prohibited it.

Scouts or scouts are voluntary and based on democratic principles. This made Scouts during World War II have many tasks including messengers, firefighters, stretchers, collectors, and so on.

In colonial countries, the Scouts became a secret organization and played an important role in the underground resistance movement. After the war, it turned out that the Scouting movement in several colonial countries had actually increased.

Early History of Scouting in Indonesia

Previously, VOI had discussed the history of Scouting in Indonesia through a memory writing entitled History of the Scout Movement in Indonesia and the World. Here are some details and a few additions.

Based on the official website of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the start of the Scouting movement in Indonesia was marked by the Nederlandesche Padvinders Organization (NPO) in 1912. NPO is a scout belonging to the Netherlands which in 1916 changed its name to Nederlands Indische Padvinders Vereniging (NIVP).

Apart from NIVP, in 1916 Mangkunegara VII formed the first Indonesian Scout Organization Javaansche Padvinder Organisatie (JPO).

The JPO then triggered the emergence of various other national movements including Hizbul Wahton (1918), JJP or Jong Java Padvinderij (1923), Nationale Padvinders (NP), Nationaal Indonesische Padvinderij (NATIPIJ), and Pandoe Pemoeda Sumatra (PPS).

Then in 1926, the scout organization unification was marked by the birth of INPO (Indonesische Padvinderij Organisatie). INPO itself is a merger of two previous scout organizations, namely NPO and JIPO.

The Dutch then saw the indigenous Scout movement quite a lot and unsettling. Then the Dutch prohibited scouting organizations outside the Dutch from using the term Padvinder.

Agus Salim Introduces "Pandu" in Indonesia

After Padvinder was banned, KH Agus Salim then introduced the term "Pandu" or "Scouting". Then on May 23, 1928, the Indonesian Inter-Pandu Brotherhood (PAPI) was born which summarizes INPO, SIAP, NATIPIJ, and PPS.

Agus Salim. (Image- Kemsos.go.id)

The Indonesian Scout Movement lasted until independence and became an organization that fostered a spirit of nationalism. Until December 28, 1945 a national scouting movement was born, namely Pandu Rakyat Indonesia.

Subsequently, the Indonesian Scout Association (PERKINDO) was formed, but was constrained by the lack of cohesiveness of the members who were members of it.

It was only in 1960 that President Sukarno and the MPRS attempted to improve Indonesia's scouting organizations. Sukarno gathered figures from the Indonesian scouting movement and declared that he had to make reforms.

Furthermore, on August 14, 1961, Sukarno initiated that educational activities should be replaced and all scout organizations were merged into one. This historical moment later gave birth to Indonesian scouting under the name Pramuka.

There are several names who became the initial Scouting committee in Indonesia, including Sultan Hamengkubuwono XI, Prof. Prijono. Dr. A. Aziz Saleh, and Achmadi.

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