The Saint Lucia Scout Association (SLSA) is the national Scouting

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....

 organization of Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...

. Scouting in Saint Lucia started in 1910 and became a member of 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...

 (WOSM) in 1990. The coeducational association has 393 members (as of 2010).

History

Scouting in Saint Lucia started in 1910 as an overseas branch of The Scout Association

The Scout Association

The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...

 (UK). In 1935, the Saint Lucia Scout Association was officially founded as a branch of British Scouting. After the independence of Saint Lucia in 1968, the national association worked towards recognition by WOSM, which was received in 1990. The SLSA hosted the Caribbean Jamboree in 2000.

Program and ideals

The association is divided in three age-groups:

• Cub Scouts (ages 7 to 11)
• Scouts (ages 12 to 15)
• Rover Scouts
  Rover Scouts
  Rover Scouting is a service division of Scouting for young men, and in most countries, women. A group of Rovers, analogous to a Scout troop, is called a 'Crew.'...
  
   (ages 16 to 20)

The membership badge of the Saint Lucia Scout Association incorporates elements of the coat of arms of Saint Lucia

Coat of arms of Saint Lucia

The Saint Lucian Coat of Arms was designed by Sydney Bagshaw in 1967 and was adopted during pre-independence at the time of internal self-government. The national motto is found at the bottom....

, and the top of the design is intended to evoke the Pitons

Pitons

The Pitons are two volcanic plugs in a World Heritage Site in Saint Lucia. The Gros Piton is 771 m, and the Petit Piton is 743 m high; they are linked by the Piton Mitan ridge.- Geography :...

, the island

Island

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...

's two large peaks

Mountain

Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

 that rise from the ocean

Ocean

An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...

and are recognized symbols of the island.