The Boy Scout movement was founded in 1908 in Great Britain by Robert Baden-Powell. He held an experimental camp for boys where he introduced his ideas of organizing boys into patrols and teaching them outdoor skills. By 1910, Boy Scout troops had formed in many countries. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines was established in 1936 through the work of Josephus Stevenot, Tomas Confesor y Valenzuela, and Manuel Quezon. It was inaugurated in 1938 by President Manuel Quezon and started functioning under its first Chief Scout Executive, Exequiél Villacorta.

1. BOY SCOUTS
OF THE PHILIPPINES

2. History of Boy Scouts
Boy Scouts, organization, originally for boys
from 11 to 14 or 15 years of age, that aimed to
develop in them good citizenship, chivalrous
behavior, and skill in various outdoor activities.
The Boy Scout movement was founded in Great
Britain in 1908 by a cavalry officer, Lieutenant
General Robert S.S.

3. History of Boy Scouts
(later Lord) Baden-Powell, who had written a
book called Scouting for Boys (1908) but who
was better known as the defender of the town of
Mafeking in the South African (or Boer) War.
Baden-Powell’s book described many games
and contests that he had used to train cavalry
troops in scouting, and it became popular
reading among the boys of Great Britain.

4. History of Boy Scouts
Prior to the book’s publication,
Baden-Powell held an
experimental camp on
Brownsea Island off the coast
of southern England in which
he put into practice his ideas
on the training of boys.

5. Robert
Baden-Powell’s idea was that boys should organize
themselves into small natural subgroups of six or
seven under a boy leader—the patrol and patrol leader.

6. Robert
Their training would consist of such things as
tracking and reconnaissance, mapping, signaling,
knotting, first aid, and all the skills that arise from
camping and similar outdoor activities. To become a
scout, a boy would promise to be loyal to his
country, help other people, and in general obey the
scout law, itself a simple code of chivalrous
behaviour easily understood by the boy.

7. Robert
That basic pattern of scouting aims and emphases
has continued. In every country where scouting
exists, it involves a scout oath or promise; a scout
law, with such small variations as national traditions
and culture demand; an emphasis on the delights of
the outdoor life and the pursuit of such outdoor
activities as camping, swimming, sailing, climbing,
canoeing, and exploring caves; a progressive training
rewarded by the granting of certain badges; and the
encouragement of a daily good deed.

8. Robert
In every country, too, the highest proficiency is
marked by the award of a special badge (e.g.,
the Eagle Scout Badge in the United States and
the Queen’s Scout Badge in Canada and Great
Britain). The symbols of the scouts include the
handshake with the left hand, the fleur-de-lis
badge, and the motto “Be prepared.”

9. Robert
Baden-Powell had intended his ideas to be used
by existing youth organizations in Britain, but
it was soon obvious that a new movement had
come into being, and the Boy Scouts quickly
spread to other countries. By 1910 there were
Boy Scout troops in Sweden, Mexico, Argentina,
and the United States, as well as such
Commonwealth countries as Canada, Australia,
and South Africa.

10. Robert
By the early 21st century there were national
Boy Scout organizations in nearly 170
countries. The World Organization of the Scout
Movement, established in 1920 and now based
in Geneva, promotes scouting worldwide. It
maintains regional offices in Belgium, Egypt,
the Philippines, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa,
Chile, and Ukraine.

11. Robert
Boy Scout units, or troops, are divided into
individual subgroups, or patrols, and hold
regular meetings. Scout troops are sponsored
on the local level by churches, schools,
fraternal organizations, and other community
groups. An adult “scoutmaster” heads each
troop.

12. Robert
The U.S. organization has sought to include
boys of diverse backgrounds, while the courts
have affirmed its right as a private organization
to set standards barring some groups from
membership or leadership. Since 1920,
international scout meetings, or “world
jamborees,” have been held every four years.

13. Robert
The jamborees are gatherings of thousands of
scouts representing their countries and
camping together in friendship. There have also
been innumerable national camps attended by
parties of scouts from neighbouring countries.

14. Youth Scouting
Youth Scouting was founded in the Philippines
in 1910 in Manila by Elwood Stanley Brown
(1883-1924) of the YMCA. The Boy Scouts of
Calivo (now Kalibo in Aklan) was founded on
April 22, 1922, by a certain Mr. Ong. The Boy
Scouts of America Philippine Islands Council
No. 545 was founded in 1923 in Manila by the
Rotary Club of Manila.

15. Youth Scouting
The Boy Scouts of the Philippines was legally
established in 1936 in Manila through the work
of three men: Josephus Emile Hamilton
Stevenot (1888-1943), Tomás Confesór y
Valenzuela (1891-1951), and Manuél Luís
Quezon y Molina

16. Youth Scouting
1936, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines was
established by a legislative act. The first BSP
President and Chief Scout was Josephus
Stevenot. In 1937, the BSA Philippine Islands
Council No. 545, meeting in October, decided
on the handover of its properties and
responsibilities to the nascent BSP.

17. Youth Scouting
In 1938, the BSP was inaugurated
by Pres. Manuel Quezon on
January 1, and started functioning.
Exequiél Villacorta was appointed
the first "Chief Scout Executive" of
the Boy Scouts of the Philippines,
in imitation of the BSA Chief Scout
Executive.