Rover Scout: Difference between revisions

The next great step, self-government, came about in the late 1970s with the Georges River experiment (named after a Scouting district in [[New South Wales]]). Rovers proved that they could govern themselves, as their leaders stepped back to become Rover Advisers. Rovers took up the challenge and the section has grown for the better. It is also around this time that the section came to be known as the 'Rovers' (dropping the word 'Scouts').

Rover Scouts is no longer an active part of [[The Scout Association]], having been replaced by the [[Venture Scout]] programme, which in turn has been replaced by [[Explorer Scouts]] and [[Scout Network]]. There are other Scouting organizations (mainly the [[Baden-Powell Scouts|Baden-Powell Scouts Association]] and Rover Explorering Scout Association) which are not affiliated to the [[World Organization of the Scout Movement]]s who do continue the original Rovering programme.

By 1931, Rovering had established itself internationally to the extent that it saw the organisation of the first [[World Rover Moot]] in 1931 at [[Kandersteg]], [[Switzerland]].  

In the [[United States]], glimmerings of Rovering emerged as local councils, Scout leaders, and Scouts worked together to deal with the "older boy" problem--that is, to find some way for Scouting to continue into young adulthood. As early as 1928 there were known to be Crews in [[Seattle]], [[Detroit]], [[Toledo, Ohio|Toledo]] and elsewhere. The program particularly flourished in [[New England]] around 1929, through the efforts of [[Robert Hale]], who produced an early Rover Scout booklet. By 1932, there were 36 official experimental Crews, with 27 of them in 15 New England councils. Finally, in May of 1933 the National Executive Board approved the program, and starting plans for development of literature and helps to leaders (Brown, 2002). A bimonthly newsletter, the ''Rover Record'', was inaugurated in 1935 as a means of communicating with directly with Rover Scouts and Leaders. A number of regional Rover Moots also were implemented during this period.

The program was never very widespread in the [[Boy Scouts of America]] (BSA).  The national office didn't promote it much, preferring to push other senior programs like [[Sea Scouts]] and [[Explorer Scouts]]. Literature of the time, if it mentioned Rovers at all, gave them only a few paragraphs or a page or two. As the First World War had slowed the start of Rovering in the UK, the Second caused the same difficulties for Rovering in the USA, as many young men of Rovering age fought for their country overseas. The economic upheavals of the [[Great Depression]] also hampered the development of Rovering.  

Rovering spread to many other countries following its inception in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] in 1918, although it no longer exists in Britain. Today, the Rover section remains an important part of Scouting in many [[Europe]]an countries, in most member countries of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] (eg. [[Canada]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[South Africa]], [[India]], Singapore and Hong Kong), across [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], the [[Middle East]] and in many other countries such as [[Ireland]], [[Japan]], Taiwan,[[Thailand]] and [[Korea]]. [[New Zealand Rovers]], in particular, hold a National Moot every year over Easter Weekend where international participants are always openly welcomed.

Rover Scouting continued among the troops during the Second World War, even in [[Prisoner of War]] (POW) camps.  Some artifacts of the Rover crew at [[Changi]] (Singapore), including the crew flag, have been preserved; they are now held by the Scout Heritage Centre ([[Scouts Australia]], [[Scouting in Victoria]]).

While the Scout section has the [[World Scout Jamboree]], Rovers initially had the [[World Rover Moot]]. The first one took place at [[Kandersteg]] in [[1931]] and these events were held every four or so years, up until the 7th World Rover Moot, in the summer of 1961/62 in Melbourne, Australia.