Youngsters are the backbone of any society and if they are well-trained, they can play constructive roles in the progress and prosperity of nations and people. Such a nation is truly wealthy because its youngsters are capable of lending a helping hand to people in need.

Scouting or the Scout Movement is a worldwide youth movement started for the same purpose. Scout Movement focuses on the physical, mental and spiritual development of young people. It began in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, organised the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island in England. He also wrote Scouting for Boys A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship. It was the first book on the Scout Movement and published in 1908. Robert Baden-Powell shared his boyhood experiences in the Mafeking Cadet Corps during the Second Boer War at the Siege of Mafeking in this book.

The movement grew in the middle of 20th century and included three major age groups each for boys — Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Rover Scout. However, in 1910, a new organisation, Girl Guides, was created for girls — Brownie Guide, Girl Guide and Girl Scout and Ranger Guide for three age groups. This year, Girl Guides celebrated its 70th anniversary.

The Scout Movement trains the scouts with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities such as camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking and sports. Scouts wear a uniform and its purpose is to eliminate all differences of social standing and unite everyone on the basis of humanity.

Scouting movement has over 38 million members in 216 countries. The two largest umbrella organisations for promoting scouts are the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), for boys and co-educational organisations, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), mainly for girls-only organisations but also accepting co-educational organisations.

In Pakistan, Pakistan Boy Scouts Association (PBSA) started as part of the British Indian branch of The Scout Association. Officially founded in 1947, PBSA became a member of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement in April 1948. For girls, there is Pakistan Girl Guides Association (PGGA), which serves about 100,000 members. The girls-only organisation was founded in 1911 as part of Indian Girl Guiding and became independent in 1947. The movement got the membership of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1948. The movement aims to train girls as useful citizens who can help people in need.

A trained scout promises to do his best and serve mankind and participate in constructive activities for his/her nation, to be loyal and be a person who can be trusted. S/He has to be courteous, polite and considerate. A guide has to be courageous and cheerful while performing even the most challenging of tasks.

Scouting, despite being such an important activity, has lost its popularity in our country during recent years. It is an irony that a state like Pakistan, where many people are needy and emergency situations arise every now and then, here youngsters are more likely to spend their spare time hanging out and indulging in activities such as mobile texting, video gaming, internet chatting, etc.

We should make the most of our youthful energy in constructive activities for our country. By getting involved in scout movement, youngsters can have an established platform to serve the nation. Therefore, parents as well as teachers should encourage students to get into scouts training and activities, and utilise the most fruitful phase of their life in serving others.