Kampala — Scouts the world over are celebrating "One World One Promise"- the centennial theme. But they are also celebrating what scouting has taught them

The picture of young men and women, in neat khaki uniforms, purple scarves around their necks, leading the rest of the school assembly in hoisting the National Flag must still be fresh in many minds. How about the chanting, excitement and activity these young people used to put up during camping seasons? The scouting movement is perhaps one of those unions that crossed our paths, directly or indirectly, during our school years.

Involving themselves in charity school sanitary projects, being well equipped with first-aid skills and camping on/off the school campus once in a while, scouts just had to be noticed. "I loved the excitement of going for camporees and spending nights by the campfire. The whole school had to recognise you. I enjoyed learning about the founder. I always wanted to emulate Lord Baden Powell's life. At that time of my life, he was my hero," says Kenneth Mwesigwa, a student at Mbarara University, who was an active scout during his primary and secondary school days.

Richard Okello, the Behavioural Change Officer at the Uganda Scouts Association says he loved scouting because scouts were always the subject of the rest of the school's envy. When he climbed hills in Tororo, he always used the route that others avoided. "We needed to prove to our school mates that we could do it because we were scouts. We were always on top when it came to smartness, time management, creativity and courage," Okello says.

On August 1 this year, the scouting fraternity celebrated 100 years since Baden Powell put the skills he had learnt while dodging classes, to use. World wide, it is exactly a century since the first scouting troop was established. In Uganda, the scouting movement is 92years old.

Born Robert Stephenson Smyth Powell, the founder and Chief Scout for the World went to public school and his introduction to scouting skills was through stalking and cooking game (wild animals) while avoiding teachers in the nearby woods, which were strictly out of bounds. Here, he learnt creative hands-on skills that were later to be a milestone of scouting.

Powell, who lived from 1857 to 1941 and spent his last days in (Nyeri) Kenya, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army and fought in South Africa for the most part of his career. By the Second Boer War, an engagement against the Zulu, he had been promoted and was the youngest colonel in the British army. He was charged with organising a force of frontier-men, to assist the regular army. While arranging this, Powell was trapped in the Siege of Mafeking and surrounded by a Boer army.

It was during this seige that a troop of white boys under fighting age was used to stand guard, carry messages and assist hospitals, since the service men were overwhelmed. Though he hadn't formed the group, the young boys' courage impressed the colonel that he later made them the object lesson in the first chapter of his book, Scouting for Boys. This (book) was proceeded a few years later by a manual, Aids to Scouting, one of the methods he used to train new recruits in thinking independently, using their initiative, and surviving in the wilderness.

Introduction in Uganda

Scouting in Uganda was introduced by church missionary Rev. Canon H.M. Grace, in 1915. A year later, when he was sent to Ankole to start up Mbarara High School, it is here that the first ever scouts troop in Uganda was formed. During the period of World War I, the movement struggled through scepticism, since a big part of the public deemed it too military. But because of its devoted commisioners, in 1918, when the Rev. Grace was transferred to Namirembe, he started a second troop of scouts.

The Uganda chapter became a member of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement in 1964. Its popularity and membership spread throughout the country after 1971, only to be halted between 1971-1981 and again in 1985, due to the political instability in the country.

However, 1986 saw the movement's rebirth and the Ministry of Education incorporated the Uganda Scouts Association into its system, thus appointing District Executive Commissioners. However, scouting still remains a non-governmental organisation and its members did some notable work during the country's rehabilitation. Therefore, the camping, the neat uniforms and the good turns are not all there is to scouting.

"The essence of the association is to complement school and family in a simple code of living. It is to commit to God, your neighbours and the whole nation. It's main purpose is to instil discipline and independent thinking in young people," says Hon. David Bahati, the Chairman National Scouts Board. The association here has a street kids' rehabilitation project and a PATH-funded HIV prevention awareness intitiative among others. They have also built a new training centre at the National Campsite, Kaazi. Venture Scouts have undertaken a 10 year project to develop a plot of land at Buwenda (near Jinja) into the Baden Powell Training Centre and Campsite.

Be prepared

The 'Be Prepared', 'Look wide' and 'Service'-driven movement is reveling in a century of existance and the 21st World Jamboree, taking place in Hylands Park, England from 27 July to 8 August.

Scouts the world over are celebrating "One World One Promise"- the centennial theme. But they are also celebrating something else - what scouting has taught them.

"It is always good to play with the young ones, to come to their level and teach them what we learnt when we were their age, such as first aid skills and creativity. Scouts always want to be role models. What we learnt has turned us into examples to young people. Like the way we envisioned Lord Powell. Almost all of us wished to be like him when we grew up," says Dickson Aguma, the District Executive Commisioner for Scouts, Kabale.

The centenary celebrations kicked off on July 19, with scouts from across East Africa aboard a peace caravan. Carrying a message 'scouts for peace', the caravan set off from Dar es Salaam and traversed major towns and campsites such as Dodoma, Bukoba, Mbarara, Busia, Kisumu, and Nyeri. At sunrise on August 1, the Jamboree aimed for the highest peak of mount Kenya, where the Scouts' Promise was re-affirmed.

Since scouting is integrated in the education system, it is during school that it is always recognised. Beyond secondary school, the BP (as the founder loved to call himself) fire seems to burn out. If you recall very well, you might never have heard about any scouting at university or any other higher learning institution. The shining, neat and courageous looking faces that are the common picture of scouts seem to fade. The onlooker can't help but wonder if scouting ceases to be meaningful after secondary school.

"The skills that one learns as a young scout are carried on throughout life. What fades is active participation. The spirit of voluntarism fades, as people grow older; they seem to commit themselves more to personal things. A lot of distractions come up as people grow older," Bahati says.

Once a scout, always a scout. They say it's like being in the military. That is why, whenever an opportunity avails itself, (such as on Wednesday) the "On my honour, I promise that I will do my duty to God and the King..." oath is always re-affirmed.

With their right hand raised to shoulder level, palm to the front, thumb resting on the nail of the little finger and the other three fingers upright, pointing upwards, scouts are such a spectacle every time they re-commit to Baden Powell, God, the king, and their neighbours.