Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

's José Martí Pioneer Organization was established in 1961, created as a replacement for the banned Asociación de Scouts de Cuba

Asociación de Scouts de Cuba

The Asociación de Scouts de Cuba was the national Scouting organization of Cuba from 1927 to 1961. Scouting in Cuba started in 1914, in 1927 the ASC was founded and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement the same year and was suspended from WOSM membership in 1961...

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The organization gets its name from Cuban writer and nationalist hero José Martí

José Martí

José Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...

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The José Martí Pioneer Organization groups primary and secondary students, until 9th grade. The initiation takes place with a traditional act of giving a neckerchief, blue or red depending on the student's level; from that moment it forms a part of the scholastic uniform

School uniform

A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...

. In high school the neckerchief is replaced by a badge consisting of the bars with colors of the national flag

Flag of Cuba

The flag of Cuba was adopted on May 20, 1902, containing a field with three blue stripes and two white stripes, and a red equilateral triangle at the hoist with a white 5-pointed star....

 and to the right, Che's

Che Guevara

Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...

 signature

Signature

A signature is a handwritten depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Similar to a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying...

; the symbol measures approximately 1.5 cm by 10 cm, in some cases is the symbol of the high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

, and sewn directly on the white uniform shirt.

In 2001 it was elected to the Global 500 Roll of Honour of the United Nations Environment Programme

United Nations Environment Programme

The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...

for its environmental activities.