Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Encyclopedia
Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség (Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris) is a Scouts-in-Exile
organization created for youth of Hungarian descent. Scouting makes it possible for the young men and women to learn more about their Hungarian heritage, language and culture. The organization is dedicated to carrying out its obligations at four levels: God, their adopted countries, their fellow man and the Hungarian nation. The Boy Scout and Girl Guide units meet in conjunction with Hungarian weekend schools, which in many instances they also operate.
in 1945 and during subsequent years, Scout groups were organized by Hungarian refugees in Austria
and Germany
. As a young Scoutmaster during 1945, Gábor Bodnár (b. 1920) worked with several Scout friends to organize troops in refugee camps in Germany. They were referred to collectively as the Hontalan Sasok or "Homeless Eagles". Bodnár led the Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség from its founding in 1945 until his death in the early 1990s.
These groups from the Displaced Persons camps joined together to form the Pál Teleki
Scout Association. After the start of the Cold War
and the rise of the Iron Curtain
, which closed the borders of Hungary in 1948, the Communist government officially disbanded Scouting within Hungary's borders. To help preserve the traditions of Hungarian Scouting, the Pál Teleki Scout Association changed its name to that of the now-banned national Hungarian Boy Scout association, Magyar Cserkészszövetség
.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the refugees from World War II
and the new Communist regimes in Eastern Europe were unable to return to their native country. Many emigrated to various countries. The first overseas troop was founded in 1950 in Rio De Janeiro
, although it has since disbanded. Three troops founded in Caracas
, Venezuela
were still active in 2009. Along with Brazil and Venezuela, troops were founded in the United States
, Canada
, Australia
, and other countries. The organization grew from about 1000 members in the early 1950s to over 6000 members in the late 1970s.
The Hungarian Scouts-in-Exile were members of the Displaced Persons Scout Division of the Boy Scouts International Bureau, Council of Scout Associations in Exile and founding members of the Associated International Scout and Guide Organizations in 1976.
The Magyar Cserkészszövetség-in Exile helped to restart Scouting in Hungary. Among them was Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy
, a long-standing member of the Hungarian Scout Association Abroad. Bánáthy had attended the 4th World Scout Jamboree
held at Gödöllö
in 1933. He later became personal friends with General Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas
. General Farkas became Chief Scout of Hungary after Prime Minister
Pál Teleki
committed suicide on the eve of Hungary's forced entry into World War II. Bánáthy was also Director of Leadership Development of the Magyar Cserkészszövetség
for young men 18–24 years old at the Royal Ludovika Akademia during World War II. In 1992 Bánáthy traveled from the United States to Hungary following its renewed freedom to help restart the Hungarian Scout Association.
With the introduction of democracy to Hungary in 1989, Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség returned the Association's original seal to Hungary and to the newly reorganized Hungarian Scout Association. The organization maintains close relationships with the reconstituted Magyar Cserkészszövetség
in Hungary, and with independent Hungarian Scout Associations organized in areas of significant Hungarian minority populations in neighboring Slovakia
, Croatia
, Subcarpathian Ukraine
, Romania
, and Serbia
. These areas had been part of Hungary prior to World War I
and the Treaty of Trianon
, which carved Hungary up into a much smaller nation. Since the advent of democracy in these countries, Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség has trained almost 500 Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters for these brother associations. The World Organization of the Scout Movement
maintains ties and provides support to the reemerging Scouting movements in the countries of their birth.
In 1995 Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség held several 50th anniversary celebrations, sponsoring Jamborees in Fillmore, New York
, Germany, and near Melbourne, Australia. The South American troops held a Jamboree late in 1996.
I) Europe, including Austria
, Switzerland
, Germany, Sweden
, Great Britain
;
II) South America, specifically Brazil and Argentina
;
III) The United States and Venezuela;
IV) Australia; and
V) Canada.
District III contained the largest number of Scouts in four councils: The New York
Council has two troops in New York City; two troops in Passaic, New Jersey
; two troops in New Brunswick, New Jersey
; two troops in Philadelphia
; and one troop in Washington, D.C.
. The Cleveland
Council has four troops, one each in Cleveland, Chicago
, Buffalo
, and Pittsburgh
. The California
Council has two troops in San Francisco
and four troops in Los Angeles
. Lastly, the Venezuelan council has three troops in Caracas
.
In cities around the world that contain substantial Hungarian populations, a Boy Scout and Girl Guide troop is either closely affiliated with or actually operates the Hungarian weekend schools. The organization has donated more than U.S.$350,000 to support adult leader training in the United States, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.
Scouts-in-Exile
Scouts-in-Exteris, also referred to as Scouts-in-Exile, are Scouting and Guiding groups formed outside of their native country as a result of war and changes in governments...
organization created for youth of Hungarian descent. Scouting makes it possible for the young men and women to learn more about their Hungarian heritage, language and culture. The organization is dedicated to carrying out its obligations at four levels: God, their adopted countries, their fellow man and the Hungarian nation. The Boy Scout and Girl Guide units meet in conjunction with Hungarian weekend schools, which in many instances they also operate.
History
At the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1945 and during subsequent years, Scout groups were organized by Hungarian refugees in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. As a young Scoutmaster during 1945, Gábor Bodnár (b. 1920) worked with several Scout friends to organize troops in refugee camps in Germany. They were referred to collectively as the Hontalan Sasok or "Homeless Eagles". Bodnár led the Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség from its founding in 1945 until his death in the early 1990s.
These groups from the Displaced Persons camps joined together to form the Pál Teleki
Pál Teleki
Pál Count Teleki de Szék was prime minister of Hungary from 19 July 1920 to 14 April 1921 and from 16 February 1939 to 3 April 1941. He was also a famous expert in geography, a university professor, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Chief Scout of the Hungarian Scout Association...
Scout Association. After the start of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the rise of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, which closed the borders of Hungary in 1948, the Communist government officially disbanded Scouting within Hungary's borders. To help preserve the traditions of Hungarian Scouting, the Pál Teleki Scout Association changed its name to that of the now-banned national Hungarian Boy Scout association, Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Magyar Cserkészszövetség , the primary national Scouting organization of Hungary, was founded in 1912, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922 and again after the rebirth of Scouting in the country in 1990...
.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the refugees from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the new Communist regimes in Eastern Europe were unable to return to their native country. Many emigrated to various countries. The first overseas troop was founded in 1950 in Rio De Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, although it has since disbanded. Three troops founded in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
were still active in 2009. Along with Brazil and Venezuela, troops were founded in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and other countries. The organization grew from about 1000 members in the early 1950s to over 6000 members in the late 1970s.
The Hungarian Scouts-in-Exile were members of the Displaced Persons Scout Division of the Boy Scouts International Bureau, Council of Scout Associations in Exile and founding members of the Associated International Scout and Guide Organizations in 1976.
The Magyar Cserkészszövetség-in Exile helped to restart Scouting in Hungary. Among them was Dr. Béla H. Bánáthy
Béla H. Bánáthy
Béla Heinrich Bánáthy was a Hungarian linguist, systems scientist and a professor at San Jose State University and UC Berkeley. Bánáthy was the founder of the White Stag Leadership Development Program whose leadership model was adopted across the United States...
, a long-standing member of the Hungarian Scout Association Abroad. Bánáthy had attended the 4th World Scout Jamboree
4th World Scout Jamboree
The 4th World Scout Jamboree, a gathering of Boy Scouts from all over the world, was hosted by Hungary and held from August 2 to August 13, 1933. It was attended by 25,792 Scouts, representing 46 different nations and additional territories...
held at Gödöllö
Gödöllo
Gödöllő is a town situated in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary, about northeast from the outskirts of Budapest. Its population is about 31,000 according to the 2001 census. It can be easily reached from Budapest with the suburban railway . Gödöllő is home to the Szent István...
in 1933. He later became personal friends with General Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas
Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas
Ferenc Farkas de Kisbarnak was Chief Scout of the Hungarian Boy Scouts, commanding officer of the Royal Ludovika Akadémia, the country's officer training school, and General of the Hungarian VI Army Corps during World War II...
. General Farkas became Chief Scout of Hungary after Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Pál Teleki
Pál Teleki
Pál Count Teleki de Szék was prime minister of Hungary from 19 July 1920 to 14 April 1921 and from 16 February 1939 to 3 April 1941. He was also a famous expert in geography, a university professor, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Chief Scout of the Hungarian Scout Association...
committed suicide on the eve of Hungary's forced entry into World War II. Bánáthy was also Director of Leadership Development of the Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Magyar Cserkészszövetség , the primary national Scouting organization of Hungary, was founded in 1912, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922 and again after the rebirth of Scouting in the country in 1990...
for young men 18–24 years old at the Royal Ludovika Akademia during World War II. In 1992 Bánáthy traveled from the United States to Hungary following its renewed freedom to help restart the Hungarian Scout Association.
With the introduction of democracy to Hungary in 1989, Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség returned the Association's original seal to Hungary and to the newly reorganized Hungarian Scout Association. The organization maintains close relationships with the reconstituted Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Magyar Cserkészszövetség
Magyar Cserkészszövetség , the primary national Scouting organization of Hungary, was founded in 1912, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922 and again after the rebirth of Scouting in the country in 1990...
in Hungary, and with independent Hungarian Scout Associations organized in areas of significant Hungarian minority populations in neighboring Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Subcarpathian Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. These areas had been part of Hungary prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
, which carved Hungary up into a much smaller nation. Since the advent of democracy in these countries, Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség has trained almost 500 Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters for these brother associations. The World Organization of the Scout Movement
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...
maintains ties and provides support to the reemerging Scouting movements in the countries of their birth.
In 1995 Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség held several 50th anniversary celebrations, sponsoring Jamborees in Fillmore, New York
Fillmore, New York
Fillmore is a hamlet in Allegany County, New York, United States. It is named after President Millard Fillmore.The former Village of Fillmore dissolved its incorporation and became a community in the Town of Hume in the northwest quadrant of the county.Fillmore is home to the Hungarian Scout Camp...
, Germany, and near Melbourne, Australia. The South American troops held a Jamboree late in 1996.
Structure
In 1997, the Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség had about 4500 Scouts in 70 troops spread among five active districts worldwide:I) Europe, including Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Germany, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
;
II) South America, specifically Brazil and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
;
III) The United States and Venezuela;
IV) Australia; and
V) Canada.
District III contained the largest number of Scouts in four councils: The New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Council has two troops in New York City; two troops in Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...
; two troops in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
; two troops in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; and one troop in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. The Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
Council has four troops, one each in Cleveland, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. The California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Council has two troops in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and four troops in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Lastly, the Venezuelan council has three troops in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
.
In cities around the world that contain substantial Hungarian populations, a Boy Scout and Girl Guide troop is either closely affiliated with or actually operates the Hungarian weekend schools. The organization has donated more than U.S.$350,000 to support adult leader training in the United States, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia.