The Scout Association of Bermuda
Encyclopedia
The Bermuda Scout Association operates as a branch of the United Kingdom
Scout Association
, due to Bermuda
's status as a British Overseas Territory
. The Bermudian Scout Oath and Law, as well as other Scouting requirements, closely follow that of the United Kingdom.
Although the program activities are taken from the British system, Bermuda Scouting is geared to the local way of life. Training for Wood Badge
and leader training are conducted with the help of British and nearby affiliated Scout associations. Bermuda Scouts participate in numerous camps and events, and Bermuda fields a contingent to World Scout Jamboree
s. The Scout emblem incorporates elements of the coat of arms of Bermuda
.
The Bermuda Scout Association is governed by a Chief Scout, a Chief Commissioner, and an executive committee. In 2003, Vincent John became the first Bermudian to be appointed Chief Scout, previously an honour bestowed on the Governor of Bermuda
. The local dentist started in Scouting as a boy, later as an adult serving as a unit leader and Chief Commissioner. He was awarded the Medal of Merit by the Chief Commonwealth Scout in 1985. In April 2008, Larry Burchall was named Chief Commissioner.
and North Carolina
in the United States
. Visiting troops from the Boy Scouts of America
have also been hosted at the Scout Association's Admiral House facility and grounds in 2002 and 2003.
A popular Association-wide annual event is a weekend camporee on Darrell's Island
. Another event is the "Budding Chef" activity, when Scouts compete in cooking skills.
A major island-wide event each year is the observance of Saint George's Day in April, honoring the patron saint of the Scouting movement. As in the United Kingdom, troops participate in a parade on Front Street in Hamilton
on the nearest Sunday to April 23 and attend a Scout service at one of Bermuda's churches, where a message from the Chief Scout
is read and the Scout Hymn is sung. A "renewal of promise" then takes place where the Scouts renew the Scout's Promise made at joining and at all Scout meetings. The service concludes with the singing of God Save the Queen
.
, Scouting began that same year in Bermuda as well, with the Governor of Bermuda
serving as Chief Scout. Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting and Guiding) and Olave Baden-Powell
(influential leader of Guiding) visited Bermuda in 1930. Olave visited again in 1951 and 1954. The British contingent to the 14th World Scout Jamboree
in 1975, led by Robert Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell, included Scouts from Branches in Bermuda, Hong Kong
and Rhodesia. In 1993, the instrumental role of the Scout Association of Bermuda and Girlguiding Bermuda
in developing many of the islands prominent leaders was recognized by the Bank of Bermuda Centennial Trust.
In 2004, Bermuda's Scouts participated in a 12 miles (19 km) walk to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Ivan
in the Caribbean. The Category 5
storm caused extensive in Grenada
, Jamaica
, Grand Cayman
, and Cuba
. In 2006, five Bermuda Scouts travelled to Romania
to work on a housing project for the impoverished people there, as part of a Bermuda Overseas Missions and Habitat for Humanity International
joint effort.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scouting's founding in the United Kingdom by Baden-Powell, the Bermuda Post Office issued a series of six "Scouting 2007 commemorative stamps", including scenes of Baden-Powell's visit to Bermuda in February, 1930. The stamps show Scouting's founder inspecting Cub Scouts on Front Street in Hamilton
and reviewing Boy Scouts on parade there.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
, due to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
's status as a British Overseas Territory
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
. The Bermudian Scout Oath and Law, as well as other Scouting requirements, closely follow that of the United Kingdom.
Although the program activities are taken from the British system, Bermuda Scouting is geared to the local way of life. Training for 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...
and leader training are conducted with the help of British and nearby affiliated Scout associations. Bermuda Scouts participate in numerous camps and events, and Bermuda fields a contingent to World Scout Jamboree
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....
s. The Scout emblem incorporates elements of the coat of arms of Bermuda
Coat of arms of Bermuda
The coat of arms of Bermuda depicts a red lion holding a shield that has a depiction of a wrecked ship upon it. The red lion is a symbol of England and alludes to Bermuda’s relationship with that country. The wrecked ship is the Sea Venture, the flagship of the Virginia Company...
.
The Bermuda Scout Association is governed by a Chief Scout, a Chief Commissioner, and an executive committee. In 2003, Vincent John became the first Bermudian to be appointed Chief Scout, previously an honour bestowed on the Governor of Bermuda
Governor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
. The local dentist started in Scouting as a boy, later as an adult serving as a unit leader and Chief Commissioner. He was awarded the Medal of Merit by the Chief Commonwealth Scout in 1985. In April 2008, Larry Burchall was named Chief Commissioner.
Programmes and activities
Both Cub Scout and Boy Scout programmes are offered. Bermuda Scouts in recent years have attended Scout summer camps in the United Kingdom as well as PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Visiting troops from the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
have also been hosted at the Scout Association's Admiral House facility and grounds in 2002 and 2003.
A popular Association-wide annual event is a weekend camporee on Darrell's Island
Darrell's Island, Bermuda
Darrell's Island is a small island within the Great Sound of Bermuda. It lies in the southeast of the sound, and is in the north of Warwick Parish. it is owned by the Bermuda Government....
. Another event is the "Budding Chef" activity, when Scouts compete in cooking skills.
A major island-wide event each year is the observance of Saint George's Day in April, honoring the patron saint of the Scouting movement. As in the United Kingdom, troops participate in a parade on Front Street in Hamilton
Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...
on the nearest Sunday to April 23 and attend a Scout service at one of Bermuda's churches, where a message from the Chief Scout
Chief Scout
The Chief Scout is the uniformed head of a Scouting organisation:*For the Chief Scout of the World see: Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell*For the head of The Scout Association see: Chief Scout...
is read and the Scout Hymn is sung. A "renewal of promise" then takes place where the Scouts renew the Scout's Promise made at joining and at all Scout meetings. The service concludes with the singing of God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
.
History
When the Boy Scout Association was formed in Great Britain in 1910 by the grant of a charter by the Parliament of the United KingdomParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, Scouting began that same year in Bermuda as well, with the Governor of Bermuda
Governor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
serving as Chief Scout. Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting and Guiding) and Olave Baden-Powell
Olave Baden-Powell
Olave St Clair Baden-Powell, Baroness Baden-Powell, GBE was born Olave St Clair Soames in Chesterfield, England...
(influential leader of Guiding) visited Bermuda in 1930. Olave visited again in 1951 and 1954. The British contingent to the 14th World Scout Jamboree
14th World Scout Jamboree
The 14th World Scout Jamboree was held July 29 to August 7, 1975 and was hosted by Norway at Lillehammer, on the shore of Lake Mjøsa.King Olav V and Harald V of Norway, who then was crown prince, opened "Nordjamb '75", as it became popularly known, in the presence of 17,259 Scouts from 94 countries...
in 1975, led by Robert Baden-Powell, 3rd Baron Baden-Powell, included Scouts from Branches in Bermuda, Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong
The Scout Association of Hong Kong is the overall Scouting organization in Hong Kong. After the first Scouting initiatives in 1909, the Hong Kong branch of The Scout Association of the United Kingdom was started in 1914 by registering the St. Joseph's College Scout Group, and was formally...
and Rhodesia. In 1993, the instrumental role of the Scout Association of Bermuda and Girlguiding Bermuda
Girlguiding Bermuda
Girlguiding Bermuda is a Guiding organisation in Bermuda. It is one of the nine branch associations of Girlguiding UK. It is represented by Girlguiding UK at World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts level and Girlguiding UK's Chief Guide is also Chief Guide for Girlguiding Bermuda...
in developing many of the islands prominent leaders was recognized by the Bank of Bermuda Centennial Trust.
In 2004, Bermuda's Scouts participated in a 12 miles (19 km) walk to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
in the Caribbean. The Category 5
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
storm caused extensive in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the nation's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles southwest of Cayman Brac.-Geography:Grand Cayman encompasses 76% of...
, and 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...
. In 2006, five Bermuda Scouts travelled to 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...
to work on a housing project for the impoverished people there, as part of a Bermuda Overseas Missions and Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat For Humanity International , generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or simply Habitat, is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building "simple, decent, and affordable" housing, a self-described "Christian housing ministry." The international...
joint effort.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scouting's founding in the United Kingdom by Baden-Powell, the Bermuda Post Office issued a series of six "Scouting 2007 commemorative stamps", including scenes of Baden-Powell's visit to Bermuda in February, 1930. The stamps show Scouting's founder inspecting Cub Scouts on Front Street in Hamilton
Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...
and reviewing Boy Scouts on parade there.