Scouting in Armenia
Encyclopedia
The Scout
and Guide
movement in Armenia
is served by
Because of Armenia's longstanding diaspora
, there are several extranational Armenian Scout and Scout-like organizations. Expatriate Armenian Scout associations include
Most of the expatriate groups are also integrated in the national Scout or Guide organizations of their host countries.
, present day Turkey
. and continued until 1922 when Scouting was officially banned and the Young Pioneers
became the official state youth organization in Armenia. But even after 1922 some Scout troops were left for a short period in Armenia , now part of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.
Armenian Scouting in Turkey was active also after the Armenian Genocide
and even new troops were founded, but it caused them much misery. In 1920 there were 20 Armenian Scout troops in Constantinople
with 750 Scouts and 50 Girl Scouts.
In Egypt
the first Armenian Scout troops were founded in 1912 in Cairo
and Alexandria
.
In the years after World War I
more Scout troops in the diaspora were founded i.e. within Homenetmen in Bulgaria
and Romania
.
In the Lebanon
Homenetmen Scout troops were founded in orphanages for leftovers from the Armenian Genocide.
In Paris
Kourkène Medzadourian
founded the first Armenian Scout troop in 1924. More troops were founded in France and a very good relationship with French Scouting
was created.. They formed the Scout association Haï Ari and became a recognized member of the World Brotherhood
. Haï Ari had members of Armenian descent in France, Belgium, other European and South American countries. Scouts of this association took part in many international Scouting events such as Rover Moots
and Jamborees
i.e. in the 3rd World Scout Jamboree
with 40 Scouts..
Further more there were Homenetmen Scouts and other Armenian Scout groups, which belonged to the National Scout Organisations of their country of residence and were in this way also registered at the International Bureau
. This was the case i.e. in Egypt, Cyprus
, Greece
, Bulgaria
, Australia
, Lebanon and Syria
.
Homenetmen Scouts were active in Turkey, in various countries in the Middle East, in Greece and other countries of the Balkan peninsula.
An Armenian Scout troop was founded in Geneva
in 1928. During that years Armenian Scout troops were also active in the Netherlands
for some years.
In the 1940s the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) formed its first Scout troops in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. During the following years Scout groups within the AGBU around the world followed.
In 1989 the first Scout groups were founded in Armenia again.
1994 saw the formation of the Armenian National Scout Movement Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun
.
In order to permit entry into the World Organization for Scouting in Armenia, Haï Ari withdrew membership in the World Organization, which passed to HASK on April 18, 1997. Haï Ari was disbanded on January 9, 1998.
Today Armenian Scouting is active within Armenia and the diaspora and there are strong links between both.
, serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in New York
.
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and Guide
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
movement in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
is served by
- Hayastani Azgayin Skautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun, member of the World Organization of the Scout MovementWorld Organization of the Scout MovementThe 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...
- National Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of ArmeniaNational Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of ArmeniaThe National Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of Armenia is the national Guiding association of Armenia. Guiding came to Armenia in 1988, the association was founded in 1996 and became an associate member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 2002...
, member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl ScoutsWorld Association of Girl Guides and Girl ScoutsThe World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout... - Armenian General Benevolent UnionArmenian General Benevolent UnionThe Armenian General Benevolent Union abbreviated as AGBU, is a non-profit Armenian organization. It was established in Cairo, Egypt in 1906...
Because of Armenia's longstanding diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, there are several extranational Armenian Scout and Scout-like organizations. Expatriate Armenian Scout associations include
- Hai Ari (1929–1998); World Organization of the Scout Movement membership withdrawn in 1997 in favor of Hayastani Azgayin Skautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun
- HomenetmenHomenetmenHomenetmen is a pan-Armenian diaspora organization devoted to sport and Scouting. The motto of Homenetmen is "Elevate Yourself and Elevate Others with You" .-Foundation:...
- connected to the Armenian Revolutionary FederationArmenian Revolutionary FederationThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian... - Homenmen - connected to the Social Democrat Hunchakian PartySocial Democrat Hunchakian PartyThe Social Democrat Hunchakian Party , is the oldest of the Armenian political parties and was the first Socialist party in the Ottoman Empire and in Persia...
- Armenian Young Men's SocietyArmenian Young Men's SocietyThe Armenian Young Men's Society refers to the Armenian Scouting and sport organizations Hoyetchmen and Armenagan in Jerusalem, both connected to the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party . The organizations are remnants of earlier political movements that merged....
-Hoyetchmen and Armenian Young Men's Society-Armenagan in Jerusalem - both connected to the Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar Party)
Most of the expatriate groups are also integrated in the national Scout or Guide organizations of their host countries.
History
The first Armenian Scouting groups were organized in 1910 in orphanages in VanVan, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
, present day Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. and continued until 1922 when Scouting was officially banned and the Young Pioneers
Young Pioneers
- Organizations :*Pioneer movement various communist youth movements*Young Pioneers Charity A charity run by young people for young people.- Fiction :*Young Pioneers - a 1932 book by Rose Wilder Lane, also known as "Let the Hurricane Roar"...
became the official state youth organization in Armenia. But even after 1922 some Scout troops were left for a short period in Armenia , now part of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.
Armenian Scouting in Turkey was active also after the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
and even new troops were founded, but it caused them much misery. In 1920 there were 20 Armenian Scout troops in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
with 750 Scouts and 50 Girl Scouts.
In Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
the first Armenian Scout troops were founded in 1912 in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
and Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
.
In the years after 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...
more Scout troops in the diaspora were founded i.e. within Homenetmen in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and 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...
.
In the Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
Homenetmen Scout troops were founded in orphanages for leftovers from the Armenian Genocide.
In Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Kourkène Medzadourian
Kourkène Medzadourian
Kourkène Medzadourian was the founder of the Haï Ari association of Armenian Scouts-in-Exile, based in France.Scouting in Armenia was founded in 1912, then later developed abroad among the refugees who had survived the genocide of 1915-1916 and among those that had fled the new communist...
founded the first Armenian Scout troop in 1924. More troops were founded in France and a very good relationship with French Scouting
Scouting in France
The Scout movement in France consists of about 80 different associations and federations with about 180,000 Scouts and Girl Guides. Next to Germany, France is the country with the most fragmented Scout movement....
was created.. They formed the Scout association Haï Ari and became a recognized member of the World Brotherhood
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...
. Haï Ari had members of Armenian descent in France, Belgium, other European and South American countries. Scouts of this association took part in many international Scouting events such as Rover Moots
World Scout Moot
The World Scout Moot is a gathering of older Scouts, mainly Rover Scouts, ages 18–26 from all over the world...
and Jamborees
World Scout Jamboree
The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17....
i.e. in the 3rd World Scout Jamboree
3rd World Scout Jamboree
The 3rd World Scout Jamboree was held in 1929 at Arrowe Park in Upton, Merseyside, United Kingdom. As it was commemorating the 21st birthday of Scouting for Boys and the Scouting movement, it is also known as the Coming of Age Jamboree...
with 40 Scouts..
Further more there were Homenetmen Scouts and other Armenian Scout groups, which belonged to the National Scout Organisations of their country of residence and were in this way also registered at the International Bureau
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...
. This was the case i.e. in Egypt, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, 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...
, Lebanon and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Homenetmen Scouts were active in Turkey, in various countries in the Middle East, in Greece and other countries of the Balkan peninsula.
An Armenian Scout troop was founded in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1928. During that years Armenian Scout troops were also active in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
for some years.
In the 1940s the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) formed its first Scout troops in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. During the following years Scout groups within the AGBU around the world followed.
In 1989 the first Scout groups were founded in Armenia again.
1994 saw the formation of the Armenian National Scout Movement Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun
Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun
Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun is the primary national Scouting organization of Armenia, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1997...
.
In order to permit entry into the World Organization for Scouting in Armenia, Haï Ari withdrew membership in the World Organization, which passed to HASK on April 18, 1997. Haï Ari was disbanded on January 9, 1998.
Today Armenian Scouting is active within Armenia and the diaspora and there are strong links between both.
International Scouting units in Armenia
In addition, there are USA Girl Scouts Overseas in YerevanYerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, serviced by way of USAGSO headquarters in 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...
.
Further reading
- World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Bureau (2002), Trefoil Round the World. Eleventh Edition 1997. ISBN 0-900827-75-0