Who was BP

The Scout movement has 104 years old, and is the largest young association known.

But the people outside the movement doesn't know who, where, when it was founded.

Talking about the scout's history, we need to talk about one emblematic person, Sir Robert Sephenson Smyth, Lord Baden Powell of Gilwell, father and founder of the Boy Scouts. He was a Lt Gen from the Royal Army, in Great Britain. He was born in February of 1857. In his childhood along side with his brothers, they liked to make trips inside the forest, or sailing a little boat in the Thames.

This experiences were useful when he enlisted in the Army. He was assigned in the 13th Reg. of Husars, which was located in India. He possessed an outstanding brightness and common sense, and a high developed sense of sight and observation. He was a natural-born hunter, and in many times won the best prices in hunting competitions.

This skills were aplyed many times against hostile tribes in Africa, earning the name of "Impeesa" Wolf who never sleeps.

In 1899 the Boer war draged BP (frendly name for all scouts) to the front, wich took place in South Africa, in the Transvaal region. The boers are dutch descendents who now are known as Africaneers.

BP held a little town named Mafeking wich was a crucial post, having 3 roads crossing and gain access to the entire region. Durin 219 days he could managed the way to content the enemy strikes. He used everything aviable, church bells to make cannons, horses to provide food, empty cans of cookies to make light reflector, and all kind of gadgets to deceive the enemy.

He used the boys to deliver messages, spy enemy lines, supply the lines, activities wich the kids were helpful. And they accomplished their task bravery and with out fear or lack of responsabilty. Here is the base of the idea for create something useful for the youth.

Returning to England as a war Hero, he descovered that his military handbook Aids to Scouting, wich was written for his soldiers, was a mayor hit between the young boys, attracting them to the wilderness life and the art of the exploring.

In 1907 took place the first Scout camping in the Brownsea Island, which is located in the south of England, gathering 20 boys and conforming 4 patrols, leading by the Gide patrol, and running the Patrol System, base of the Scouting system.

In 1908 wrote Scouting for Boys, key stone book of the entire Scouting. In this book BP write all about his experience, and the way of the Scout should be.

In 1920 the first "Jamboree" took place in Olympia, Eng. Jamboree, in ancient language means Tribes gathering. The Jamboree is an international camping where Scouts from all over the world get together and share experiences. The next Jamboree will take place at Kristianstad, Sweden in July.

BP died on January 8th, 1941. He's buried along side his wife Lady BP, in Kenya Africa.

The legacy of him is to give youth and humanity a better world, providing men and woman committed with the people, caring the world, being unselfish and in the BP words:

"Try to leave this world a little better than you found it and, when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best"

Here is the link to the international and mexican Scouts web page

http://scout.org/es

http://www.scouts.org.mx/