The Association of Belarusian Guides
Encyclopedia
The Association of Belarusian Guides (ABG, Ассоциация белорусских гайдов) is the Belarus
ian member organization of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS), with a membership of 1,274 Girl Guides
(as of 2003).
Belarusian Guiding started in 1922 in the then Polish
parts of present Belarus. In 1992, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
, the restart of Guiding was supported by WAGGGS; leader training was undertaken by the Girl Guides Association of Cyprus
. The association became a member of WAGGGS in 1996.
, as part of the Russian empire
. A Scout organization was founded in Kletsk
, and Scouts appeared in Nyasvizh and other nearby village
s. In 1929, American
Methodists helped found a Girl Scout organization in Vilna. It lasted until 1929, but by the end of the 1920s, Scouting had been banned by the Soviet Union
, and Scout activities ended, with many leaders and members arrested and imprisoned.
Emergence of democratic principles in the mid1980s made possible the creation of alternatives to the communist pioneer organization
s. Close connections were formed with Guide and Scout organizations of many Europe
an countries, when children from areas affected by the Chernobyl accident were invited to summer camps abroad during the Chernobyl Children's Project in 1990. Especially close links were developed with Cyprus
, and between Minsk
and the Guides
of Lincolnshire
. In 1992, Cyprus was officially appointed Link country to support the development of Guiding in Belarus, and in June 1993 the first conference of the Association of Belarusian Guides was held in Minsk.
There is also a close link to Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs
in Austria. In 2000 a delegation of Association of Belarusian Guides took part in the Viennese International Regional Camp "Vienna 2000", in 2003 a delegation took part in the Freelife Jamboree in Upper Austria, in 2008 Guides from Belarus took part in AQUA!-The Water Jamboree also in Upper Austria and in spring 2009 a Guider from the Association of Belarusian Guides took part in the Wood Badge
training course of Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs. In 2003/04 the Austrian Boy Scouts and Girl Guides supported "Mediaboom", a project on media and journalism of the Belarusian Girl Guides.
Since the nuclear accident at Chernobyl
, neighboring Belarus received some of the highest levels of radiation
; the results of which can still be seen in the environment and in the health
of the population
. Svetlana Korotkevich, International Commissioner of the Association of Belarusian Girl Guides, is working on its Chernobyl project to raise awareness of the ongoing problems resulting from the disaster and to encourage associations in other countries to welcome groups of Belarusian children in order to give them a healthy break in a "clean" environment.
, one of Belarus' unofficial national symbol
s.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian member organization of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The 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...
(WAGGGS), with a membership of 1,274 Girl Guides
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...
(as of 2003).
Belarusian Guiding started in 1922 in the then Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
parts of present Belarus. In 1992, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, the restart of Guiding was supported by WAGGGS; leader training was undertaken by the Girl Guides Association of Cyprus
Girl Guides Association of Cyprus
The Girl Guides Association of Cyprus is the national Guiding association of Cyprus. Guiding in Cyprus started in 1912 and became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1962...
. The association became a member of WAGGGS in 1996.
History
The initial development of Scouting in Belarus took place within the Russian Scout movementScouting in Russia
Scouting in Russia comprises several dozen Scout associations, based on religion, politics and geography.-History of Scouting in Russia:-1908 to 1922:...
, as part of the Russian empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. A Scout organization was founded in Kletsk
Kletsk
Kletsk is a city in the Minsk voblast of Belarus, located on the Lan river. , it had ca. 10,000 inhabitants.- History :The town was founded in 11th century by the Dregovichs, who erected a large fort and a tribal centre there...
, and Scouts appeared in Nyasvizh and other nearby village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s. In 1929, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Methodists helped found a Girl Scout organization in Vilna. It lasted until 1929, but by the end of the 1920s, Scouting had been banned by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and Scout activities ended, with many leaders and members arrested and imprisoned.
Emergence of democratic principles in the mid1980s made possible the creation of alternatives to the communist pioneer organization
Pioneer Organization
The Pioneer Organization was a pioneer movement in Communist Romania, founded on April 30, 1949.Most students joined the organization while in the second grade and remained pioneers throughout eighth grade, therefore, in practice, the normal age range extended from seven to fifteen, or nearly...
s. Close connections were formed with Guide and Scout organizations of many Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries, when children from areas affected by the Chernobyl accident were invited to summer camps abroad during the Chernobyl Children's Project in 1990. Especially close links were developed with Cyprus
Girl Guides Association of Cyprus
The Girl Guides Association of Cyprus is the national Guiding association of Cyprus. Guiding in Cyprus started in 1912 and became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1962...
, and between Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
and the Guides
Girlguiding UK
Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...
of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. In 1992, Cyprus was officially appointed Link country to support the development of Guiding in Belarus, and in June 1993 the first conference of the Association of Belarusian Guides was held in Minsk.
There is also a close link to Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs
Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs
Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs is the largest Scouting and Guiding organization in Austria and the only one approved by World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and the World Organization of the Scout Movement . The association claims more than 300 troops with more than...
in Austria. In 2000 a delegation of Association of Belarusian Guides took part in the Viennese International Regional Camp "Vienna 2000", in 2003 a delegation took part in the Freelife Jamboree in Upper Austria, in 2008 Guides from Belarus took part in AQUA!-The Water Jamboree also in Upper Austria and in spring 2009 a Guider from the Association of Belarusian Guides took part in the Wood Badge
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
training course of Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs. In 2003/04 the Austrian Boy Scouts and Girl Guides supported "Mediaboom", a project on media and journalism of the Belarusian Girl Guides.
Since the nuclear accident at Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
, neighboring Belarus received some of the highest levels of radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
; the results of which can still be seen in the environment and in the health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
. Svetlana Korotkevich, International Commissioner of the Association of Belarusian Girl Guides, is working on its Chernobyl project to raise awareness of the ongoing problems resulting from the disaster and to encourage associations in other countries to welcome groups of Belarusian children in order to give them a healthy break in a "clean" environment.
Emblem
The Association of Belarusian Guides' emblem features a white storkWhite Stork
The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...
, one of Belarus' unofficial national symbol
National emblem
A national emblem symbolically represents a nation. Most national emblems originate in the natural world, such as animals or birds, but another object may serve. National emblems may appear on many things such as the national flag, coat of arms, or other patriotic materials...
s.
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