Other Scouting organizations have a single voluntary religious merit badge or none.
The Scout Method has been adapted to specific programs such as Air Scouts, Sea Scouts, Rider Guides, and Scouting bands.
The Cadet Corps performed well, helping in the defense of the town (1899–1900), and were one of the many factors that inspired Baden-Powell to form the Scouting movement.
Religion in Scouting and Guiding is an aspect of the Scout method which has been practiced differently and given different interpretations over the years.
Baden-Powell held the view that God was central to the Scouting method, although he did not demand adherence, nor allow discrimination, based on any particular faith.
Scouting movements are generally divided into sections by age or school grade, allowing activities to be tailored to the maturity of the group's members.
The Scout uniform is a specific characteristic of Scouting.
Following its foundation in the United Kingdom (UK), Scouting spread around the globe.
Scouting for Boys first appeared in England in January 1908 as six fortnightly installments, and was published in England later in 1908 in book form.
Local influences have also been a strong part of Scouting.
T-Shirts and other more casual wear have also replaced the more formal button-up uniforms in many Scouting regions.
In America, Scouting uses images drawn from the U.S. frontier experience.
Gilwell Park near London was purchased in 1919 on behalf of The Scout Association as an adult training site and Scouting campsite.
By adopting and modifying local ideologies, Scouting has been able to find acceptance in a wide variety of cultures.
In 1922, the WOSM started as the governing body on policy for the national Scouting organizations (then male only).
A Boy Scout is a boy, usually a teenager, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement founded in 1908 by Robert Baden-Powell.
The Scout Association decided that all Scout groups and sections should become co-educational by January 2007, the year of Scouting's centenary.
The Boy Scout movement swiftly established itself throughout the British Empire soon after the publication of Scouting for Boys.
The badge's logo was similar to the fleur-de-lis that Scouting later adopted as its international symbol.
Baden-Powell wrote a book, Aids to Scoutmastership, to help Scouting Leaders, and wrote other handbooks for the use of the new Scouting sections, such as Cub Scouts and Girl Guides.
Religion and spirituality is still a key part of the Scouting method.
Many organizations also have a program for members with special needs, usually known as Extension Scouting or Scoutlink (UK).
Other worldwide Scouting groups include the Crown Scout (Belgium), Pramuka Garuda (Indonesia), King Scout (Thailand), and Chief Scout's Award (Canada).
Chile was the first country outside the British dominions to have a recognized Scouting program.
Activities at these events include games, scoutcraft competitions, Scouting memorabilia collecting, aquatics, woodcarving, archery, and rifle and shotgun shooting.
Scouting organizations are run according to the Scout method, which is designed to instill character, citizenship, leadership, and personal fitness through a structured program of outdoor activities.
Worldwide there have been different approaches to co-educational Scouting.
By contrast, British Scouting makes use of imagery drawn from the Indian subcontinent, because that region was a significant focus in the early years of Scouting.
Aspects of Scouting practice have been criticized as too militaristic.
Important elements of traditional Scouting have their origins in Baden-Powell's experiences in education and military training.
When asked where religion came into Scouting and Guiding, Baden-Powell replied, It does not come in at all.
All Scouting associations have a highest rank that require mastering scoutcraft, leadership, and performing community service.
Neckerchiefs and Woggles (slides) are still quite common, but some Scouting associations do not use them.
Scouting was originally developed for adolescents—youths between the ages of 11 and 17.
Countries such as the USA have maintained separate Scouting organizations for boys and girls.
Scouting organizations are free to interpret the method as laid down by the founder.
All Scouting organizations have an advancement program whereby the Scout learns scoutcraft, community service, and leadership and explores areas of interest to him at an increasingly difficult level.
The principles of Scouting describe a code of behavior for all members, and characterize the movement.
In 1928, the WAGGGS started as the equivalent to WOSM for the then female-only national Scouting/Guiding organizations.
The name "Scouting" seems to have been inspired by the important and romantic role played by military scouts performing reconnaissance in the wars of the time.
When creating the Scouting method, Baden-Powell was adamant that there was a place for God within it.
Scouting organizations that do not allow the participation of atheists, agnostics, or homosexuals have been publicly criticized.
The Scout Law and Oath embody the joint values of the Scouting movement worldwide, and bind all Scouting associations together.