image of scouting in the asia-pacific region

Image of scouting 09 FINAL.pmd 1/1/2002, 5:02 PM1

Revisiting the Image of Scouting in the Asia-Pacific Region 2



Publication of

World Scout Bureau/Asia-Pacific Region

4/F ODC International Plaza Building

219 Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village

Makati City, 1229

PHILIPPINES

Tel: (63 2) 817 1675/818 0984

Fax: (63 2) 819 0093

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.scout.org/asia-pacific

October 2009



ContentsAcknowledgments 7Abstract 8

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION 12

Background of the Study

Statement of the Problem

Significance of the Study

Scope and Limitations of the Study

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 17

Review of Literature and Related Studies

Definition of Terms

Conceptual Framework

III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 22

Sources of Data

Procedure

Data-Gathering Instrument: The Questionnaire

Statistical Techniques Used

IV. PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS 25

V. SUMMARY, FINDINGS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 57

REFERENCES 64

APPENDIX

A. Guide for Image Study 2008 Project Coordinator/Team



AcknowledgmentThis Image Study took a full year to complete involving a number of volunteers

and staff as well as the 7,103 respondents from 17 countries. We extend our

profound thanks to all participating National Scout Organizations, most espe-

cially the Coordinators (marked in asterisk) and Survey Teams for taking on the

important tasks of identifying target respondents, administering the survey

questionnaire, and finally collating and summarizing the results. Some teams

took the arduous task of translating the questionnaire into their local lan-

guages.

NSO Coordinators and survey teams

• Scouts Australia: Richard Miller*

• Bangladesh Scouts: Shafique Alam Mehdi*, Mohammad Abdul Wazed,

Md. Mahmudul Haque, Md. Arifuzzaman, Md. Golam Sattar, Md. Delwar Hussain

• Bhutan Scouts Association: Wangchuk Namgyel*, Pema Wangchuk,

Tenzin Rabgyel, Dorji Wangmo

• Scouts of China: Dr. Kuan Chih- Ming*, Wang Fu- Min, Chang Wen- Shing

• The Scout Association of Hong Kong: Patrick Tang Kei- ling*, Mary Tong

Siu- fun, Ashley Leung Pak- wai, Lois Lam Lee- kwan, Joseph Ng Wai- keung

• Gerakan Pramuka/Indonesia: Brata Tryana Hardjosubroto*

• The Bharat Scouts & Guides/India: Shri R. Krishnaswamy*,

Shri R.S. Shekhawat, Shri S.K. Karak, Shri M.K. Agarwal, Shri L.S. Verma

• Scout Association of Japan: Makoto Nakano*

• The Scout Association of Maldives: Mohamed Asim*, Mohamed Zaushan,

Saif Azhar, Mariyam Laiza, Ali Shah, Ibrahim Zameel

• The Scout Association of Mongolia: Sereteer Khuyagochir*

• Nepal Scouts: Shiva Kumar Pudyal*, Sharada Parajuli, Kamal Bal Deuja,

Parwati Giri, Thirtha Raj Neupane

• Scouts New Zealand: Murray Charleston*

• Pakistan Boy Scouts Association: Zahid Mahboob*

• Boy Scouts of the Philippines: Melvin Reyes*

• The Singapore Scout Association: Caleb Cheah*

• Sri Lanka Scout Association: Prof Nimal de Silva*

• National Scout Organization of Thailand: Panet Sangchan*, Amorn

Chumsri, Somchit Siri-angkoon, Rerkchai Chuckrapornpong, Nawapatn

Yanvudhi, Pornrawee Seeluengsawat, Gingpayom Bussabong,

Korkaew Ok-UnJariyarujee Sukwichai

Research Team

Dr Evelina Maclang-Vicencio, Dean, College of Education,University of the East and Consultant, Adult Resources Sub-Committee, Boy Scouts of the Philippines

Prof. Lorelei Santos, Faculty of the Institute of Statistics,University of the Philippines

Jan Michael de Vera and Miguel Angelo Tolentino, of the Collegeof Computer Studies and Systems, University of the East

Coordination Team/ WSB APRLuz Taray – Regional CoordinationTheresa Quine – Graphic designChristeen Lauron – compilation of data

I highly commend the members of the professional research team

for presenting and analyzing the data and preparing this report, and

to the Asia-Pacific Regional office team for coordinating this project.

Our thanks are also due to the Scouting Profile Sub-Committee core

team – Shree Ram Lamichhane, N.A. Khan, Richard Miller and Brata

Hardjosubroto for monitoring this project.

I also stress the support of the APR executives for reviewing the

questionnaire: S Prassanna, Syd Castillo and Thian Hiong-Boon

Finally, we thank Scouts Canada for its generosity to partially fund

this project.

Abdullah Rasheed

Regional Director


Revisiting the Image of Scouting in the Asia-Pacific Region 8AbstractThe World Organization of the Scout Movement Asia-Pacific Region

(WOSM-APR) did an image study of Scouting in the Region in 2000 and

has deemed it important to repeat it in 2008. This study describes the

image of Scouting in the APR as perceived by 7,103 or 83% of the

expected Scouts/Scout Leaders, non-Scouts/Scout Leaders, and parents

of Scouts. The study focuses on the knowledge, attitudes, and recom-

mended actions for Scouting to create an impact and be better pro-

moted in the 17 respondent countries of the Asia-Pacific Region: Austra-

lia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Republic of China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia,

Japan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines,

Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The statistical techniques used in the study are difference of means and

difference in proprotion. All levels of significance were computed at .01.

The study made use of a questionnaire.

The findings show that—

1. Scouts/Scout Leaders know MUCH about Scouting while non-Scouts/

non-Scout Leaders know LITTLE about the Movement. There is a signifi-

cant difference in the knowledge about Scouting between Scouts/Scout

Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders.

There is a significant INCREASE in the perception of knowledge about

Scouting among Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 image study com-

pared to those in 2000 but there is a significant DECREASE in the

perception about the knowledge of Scouting among non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders in 2008 compared to the 2000 image study.

2. In the countries of the APR, responses of Scouts/Scout Leaders

regarding their knowledge of Scouting range from FAIR to Very MUCH.

Knowledge about Scouting of non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

countries of the APR ranges from VERY LITTLE to MUCH.

3. The target publics are familiar with these sections in Scouting,

ranked from most to least: Scouts, Cub Scouts, Senior Scouts, Rover

Scouts, and Venturers.

4. The target publics agree with all the specific knowledge statements

about Scouting, except for “Scouting is a recreational club” where they

are Uncertain. Non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders agree with all the items

about Scouting.

5. Almost all the target publics of the countries in the APR either Strongly

Agree or Agree with most of the knowledge statements, except for some

who are UNCERTAIN about them. The target publics of the APR Strongly

Agree that Scouting promotes peace, except those of Australia and non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Bhutan and Japan.

6. Most of the target publics identify the following as the most common

sources of information about Scouting: adult Scout Leaders, schools,

Scout gatherings, and Girl Scouts/Guides.

There is a significant INCREASE in the proportion of Scouts/Scout Leaders

who considered the following sources of information: Adult Scout Lead-

ers, school, television, and radio. On the other hand, there is a significant

DECLINE in the proportion of respondents who considered magazine and

newsletter as sources of information among Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

2008 compared to the 2000 image study.

There is a significant INCREASE in the proportion of non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders in the 2008 compared with the 2000 image study who

considered school and television as sources of information on Scouts.

There is a significant DECLINE in the proportion of respondents who

considered Adult Scout Leaders, Scout gathering, Boy/Girl Scout Guides,

and Magazines and Newsletters as sources of information among Scouts/

Scout Leaders in the 2008 compared to the 2000 image study.

7. All the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the APR mention Adult Scout Leaders

as sources of information about Scouts. Except for Sri Lanka, all other

countries cite Boy/Girl Scouts/Guides as sources of information about

Scouts. On the other hand, all non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders mention

School as a source of information, except for Australia, India, and New



Zealand. Boy/Girl Scouts/Guides are a source of information of non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders, except for Australia, Singapore, and Sri

Lanka.

8. In general, Scouts/Scout Leaders of the APR agree with the favorable

statements pertaining to attitude towards Scouting, while the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders generally are uncertain about them; this

difference is significant.

The target publics all DISAGREE with the statements, which show an

unfavorable attitude towards Scouting. The target publics are all UNCER-

TAIN about some unfavorable statements about Scouting:

The attitude towards Scouting among the Scouts /Scout Leaders in the

2008 and the 2000 image studies did not significantly change—both

groups manifested a favorable attitude towards Scouting. On the other

hand, the attitude towards Scouting between the non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders in the image study in 2008 and in 2000 changed significantly—

from a favorable attitude in 2000 to an uncertain feeling in 2008.

9. Scouts/Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR have a

FAVORABLE attitude towards Scouting, except for Australia, Scouts of

China, Maldives and Mongolia who have an UNCERTAIN attitude towards

the Movement. Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders likewise have a FAVOR-

ABLE attitude towards Scouting in the APR, except for eight countries:

Australia, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Japan, Maldives, Mongolia, New Zealand

and Singapore, whose Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN

about their attitude towards Scouting in the Region.

Bangladesh and Nepal Scouts/Scout Leaders show a significant improve-

ment in the general attitude towards Scouting from 2000 to 2008. On

the other hand, those of Australia, Bhutan and Scouts of China show a

significant decline in the general attitude towards Scouting. The non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Bangladesh have a significantly favorable

opinion about Scouting and the difference between the 2008 and 2000

image studies is significant. In the 2008 study, Bhutan, Pakistan, and

Australia show an Uncertain attitude towards Scouting whereas they

showed a favorable attitude in the 2000 study. The respondents from

Nepal are the opposite: in 2008 their attitude is favorable whereas they

were Uncertain in 2000; the difference is likewise significant.

10. The target publics STRONGLY AGREE that Scouts are helpful. They all

AGREE with most of the favorable statements. The target publics are all

UNCERTAIN about the unfavorable statements. Scouts/Scout Leaders

AGREE with all the favorable items while the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout

Leaders AGREE with most of the favorable statements and DISAGREE

with most of the unfavorable statements.

11. The countries in the APR Strongly Agree/Agree that “Scouts are

helpful” and “Scouts do useful community work,” except in Japan where

the Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with the two statements while the Non-

Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about them.

The target publics of the countries in the APR Strongly Agree/Agree with

most of the positive statements. The target publics of the countries in the

APR are mostly either UNCERTAIN or Strongly Disagree/Disagree with the

most of the unfavorable statements about Scouting.

12. For Scouting to create more impact in the APR, the following sugges-

tions of the target publics received the highest ratings: (1) Promote a

better leader image; (2) Introduce higher skills; (3) Improve training and

ensure support of adult leaders; (4) Promote fun in Scouting; and (5)

Promote youth exchange programmes.



Recommendations

Programme and Adult Resources

1. Balance fun and learning and demonstrating useful Scouting skills.

2. Revisit the Scouting programme to make it more relevant to the

times by adding life skills and higher order thinking skills, in addition to

Scouting skills necessary to participate in regular Scouting activities.

3. Review the Scouting programme taking into consideration the

traditional image of Scouting, its lack of promotion, and focus on the

usual Scouting skills, which seems to show that it is not changing, not

innovative, and it is expensive.

4. The role of the Scout Leaders has to be clearly defined in Scouting.

Give Scouts more autonomy to be on their own without Scout Leaders,

where advisable, and maximize the potentials of Patrol Leaders.

5. Explore different modes of delivering training: mentoring, modular,

distance learning, and other alternative learning systems.

Marketing Strategy

1. NSOs can hire or seek the help of PR professionals to develop a PR

structure and strategize marketing of Scouting.

2. Concentrate on the promotion of Scouting to let the non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders know what Scouting really is so that their attitude

towards the Movement will improve.

3. Involve non-Scouts in Scout activities, especially parents, relatives,

friends, and colleagues to make Scouting visible to the community and

educate the public about what Scouts do. Let Scouts become very

visible on occasions when help is most needed, for example, in times of

emergency, whether brought about by natural or man-made disasters

and in community service projects.

4. Make the Scouts proud to wear the uniform not only during ceremonies

but during every Scouting activity. Scout Leaders need to be models in this.

5. Use all types of media and methods to promote Scouting.

Internal and External Publics

1. Scouts, Scout Leaders, and Scout gatherings need to project a posi-

tive image of Scouting.

2. Resolve the issues on whether Scouting should be school-based or not

and whether it should involve political figures or not.

3. Partner with other organizations in activities that will improve life in the

community to strengthen the organization and earn support for the Movement.

Membership and Resources

1. Maintain a Membership Committee whose task is to plan, promote,

and monitor membership growth.

2. Conduct annual Membership Recruitment Campaign.

3. Identify strategic areas for recruitment, especially those not yet

reached by Scouting.

4. Restudy the registration fee system to determine how it can be made

affordable to Scouts, enabling them to earn it.

5. Recognize Councils / provinces / districts with remarkable member-

ship growth.



6. Focus on a retention programme that

provides for more efficient and lasting

growth. Study the membership growth.

Identify the section where the NSO usually

loses its members and study how to fill in

that gap so that the Scouts will proceed to

the next section of the Scouting family. Scout

Leaders of different sections need to have

good relationship with each other so that the

Scouts can transition to the next section

smoothly. Assign a leader in charge of

transitioning Scouts to the next section in the

Group.

The recommendations above are specific to

the foci indicated. However, they should not

be taken in isolation, assigning a group to

take care of an aspect. Each NSO should

bring its acts together, through a serious and

systematic procedure of strategic planning,

implementing, monitoring implementation,

and evaluating.



Introduction

“Of all human endeavors, the most precious is the desire to improve.”

This desire is behind this revisiting of the image of Scouting in the Asia-

Pacific Region after eight years. Everybody who is involved in Scouting

wants to sustain and improve the Organization—whether volunteer or

professional, young or adult, as long as s/he is a member or has been a

member of the Organization. Scouting will not endure for more than a

century if it is not desirable, beneficial, worthwhile, and everything

that’s good and worth preserving and improving so that it remains

relevant to the changing times. The warning issued by Kuno in 1997 is

worth repeating today—that “as a respectable organization working in

the area of youth education, people in Scouting should respond to the

call of society. If they don’t face the needs of society, society will stop

turning its face towards Scouting.” This observation emphasizes the

need to regularly monitor the perception of society about Scouting.

What is the perception of society about Scouting? Mario Diaz Martinez

((2008) opines that “the Scout Movement has developed a public image

that is somewhat stereotyped, very often far away from what it really

is, namely, a force that makes a powerful contribution to the non-formal

education sector and transmits values to millions of young people

around the world.” How true is this observation of Scouting in the Asia-

Pacific Region?

Background of the Study

The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM, 1988) states

that although some associations are aware of having an image problem,

Chapter One

few have done any research to determine whether there is a problem,

what are its causes, and how the image can be changed, if necessary.

The Asia-Pacific Region (APR) did a pioneering study in 2000 to deter-

mine the image of Scouting on a regional basis. The study determined

the knowledge and attitude towards Scouting by 6,258 respondents

from two groups of target publics—Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders, together with parents in 16 countries of the

APR. The study made use of a questionnaire.

General findings showed that Scouts/Scout Leaders knew much about Scouting

while non-Scouts/Scout Leaders knew little about it. There was a significant

difference between Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/ Scout Leaders.

Based on the outcome of the study, recommendations were offered to

countries in the Asia-Pacific Region to develop a well-organized public

relations programme to review their Scouting programmes and adult

resources development policies. It was also recommended to follow-up

this study to determine the impact on specific interventions on member-

ship, performance, and public support of Scouting.

Before the first image study was done by the APR, earlier image studies

had been done on the national level by some National Scout Organiza-

tions (NSO): The Scout Association in the United Kingdom (The Scout

“the Scout Movement has developed a public image that issomewhat stereotyped, very often far away from what it reallyis, namely, a force that makes a powerful contribution to thenon-formal education sector and transmits values to millions ofyoung people around the world.”

- Mario Diaz Martinez

“Of all human endeavors, the most precious is the desire to improve.”



Association [no date]; The Scout Association, 1987, 1993; Langton &

Fogg, 1997), Scouts Canada (1997), Boy Scouts of America (Harris,

1994), Scouting Nederland (Langton & Fogg, 1986, 1995), Scouts

Australia (Langton & Fogg, 1997), Bangladesh Scouts (1997), and the

Boy Scouts of the Philippines (1971, 1974).

A few of the Scout Associations who did an image study repeated it

after a lapse of some years: The Scout Association after six years,

then again after four years; Scouting Nederland after a lapse of nine

years, and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines after three years.

The 1993 survey done by the Scout Association (United Kingdom)

showed that many of the 1987 findings remained valid. The image of

Scouting among the adult population of the United Kingdom (UK)

remained good and Scout activities continued to have wide appeal.

On the other hand, Scouting Nederland found a positive improvement

in the perception of Scouting when the study was repeated after nine

years. In 1986, 14% of the respondents perceived Scouting as milita-

ristic but after nine years, only 3% had the same perception.

From a research viewpoint, repeating or replicating a study is the key

that supports a worthwhile hypothesis or theory. Marketing experts

warn practitioners to be skeptical about using published research

results unless they have been successfully replicated, and researchers

are likewise cautioned to give little credence in the outcomes of one-

shot studies in the areas of marketing and management (Evanschitzky,

H., Baemgarth, C., Hubbard, R., & Armstrong, J.S., 2006).

Nine years have passed since the image study was done in 2000. It is

therefore but timely and necessary that the study be revisited. The

APR Scouting Profile Sub-Committee therefore recommended a valida-

tion of the 2000 study to determine if there is a difference in the

perception of Scouting, and if NSOs have made significant changes to

improve or enhance the image of Scouting in their countries.

Statement of the Problem

This study describes the image of Scouting in the Asia-Pacific Region as

perceived by Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders in 17

countries of the Region. It brings to the fore the respondents’ knowl-

edge of and attitude towards Scouting and their recommendations for

the improvement or enhancement of its image.

Specifically, the study answers the following questions:

A. Knowledge of Scouting

1. How much do the target publics in the Asia-Pacific Region

know about Scouting? Is there a difference in Scouting knowl

edge between Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders of the APR?

a. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between

the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 image study and

the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?

b. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between

the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 image

study and the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

2000 image study?

2. How much do the target publics in the countries of the APR

know about Scouting? Is there a difference in the Scouting

knowledge between Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR?

repeating or replicating a study is the key that supports a worthwhilehypothesis or theory.



a. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between the

Scouts/Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR in the

2008 image study with the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

2000 image study?

b. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between

the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of

the APR in the 2008 image study and the non-Scouts/

non-Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?

3. Which of the Scout sections are the Scouts/Scout Leaders

and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders familiar with?

4. What do the target publics in the APR know about Scouting?

Is there a difference in what Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the APR know about Scouting?

5. What do the target publics in the countries of the APR know

about Scouting? Is there a difference in what Scouts/Scout

Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of

the APR know about Scouting?

6. What are the sources of information about Scouting of the

target publics in the APR?

a. What is the difference in the sources of information

about Scouting among Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

2008 and Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2001 image

studies?

b. What is the difference in the sources of information

about Scouting among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders

in the 2008 and the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in

the 2001 image studies?

7. What are the sources of information about Scouting of the Scouts/

Scout Leaders in the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region?

a. What are the sources of information about Scouting

of the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries

of the APR?

B. Attitude towards Scouting

8. What is the attitude towards Scouting of the target publics in

the APR? Is there a difference in the attitude towards Scouting

of Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

APR?

a. Is there a difference in the attitude towards Scouting

between the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 image

study with the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2000 image

study?

b. Is there a difference in the attitude towards

Scouting between the non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders in the 2008 image study with the non-

Scouts/non Scout Leaders in the 2000 image

study?

9. What is the attitude towards Scouting of the target publics

in the countries of the APR? Is there a difference in the atti

tude towards Scouting of Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR?

a. Is there a difference between the attitudes towards

Scouting of the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the countries

of the APR in the 2008 image study with the Scouts/

Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?



b. Is there a difference between the attitudes towards

Scouting of the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

countries of the APR in the 2008 image study with the

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2000 image

study?

10. Is there a difference in the attitude of the target publics of

the APR on specific statements about Scouting?

11. Is there a difference in the attitude of the target publics in

the countries of the APR on specific statements about Scouting?

C. Suggested Actions to Create an Impact and Promote

Scouting

12. How can Scouting create an impact in the APR?

13. How can Scouting create an impact in the

countries of the APR?

14. How can Scouting be promoted in the APR?

Significance of the Study

The present study is a repetition or replication of the original image

study done in 2000 (WOSM-APR). The decision of the Scouting Profile

Sub-Committee to replicate the Image study after nine years is

legitimate for the following reasons: (1) to determine the validity and

reliability of the findings; (2) to see the extent to which the results

generalize to other Scouting populations, say in other Regions of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM); (3) to identify

time-based trends about the image of Scouting; and (4) to apply the

results to further improve the image of Scouting in the Region and

where applicable, in the world.

This image study is significant as it will guide the Scouting Profile Sub-

Committee to draw a realistic profile of Scouting in the Region. This will

identify the gaps between the ideal profile of Scouting as envisioned

with the prevailing profile as the target population sees it. This will

hopefully feed the relevant Scouting Committees with information that

they can use in strategically planning their move to improve Scouting

in the Region.

The image study of 2000 was conducted so that its results might serve

as a tool for policy formulation and decision-making in projecting a

good image of the Scouting Movement. If the recommendations in the

study were taken seriously and implemented by the countries con-

cerned, there would be an improvement in the image of Scouting in the

National Scout Association (NSO). In the same vein, NSOs who devel-

oped and implemented a relevant and aggressive public relations

programme would have generated more and better public support for

Scouting which would have resulted in an increase in membership, and

improved the image of Scouting in their countries. This replicated

study will hopefully show whether the initiatives of the NSOs to im-

prove their image have been successful, are becoming successful, or

need to be revised to become successful.

The Asia-Pacific Region empirically clarified the image of Scouting in

the Region in 2000 and has replicated it in this study. Other regions of

the WOSM and their national associations can either use the results of

this study as bases for their actions if they think that the situation in

the APR is not too different from theirs; otherwise they can replicate

the study and the result can be a world image of Scouting.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The present study, like the 2000 study, focuses on the knowledge,

attitudes, and recommended actions towards Scouting of five target

publics grouped into two—Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout

Leaders together with parents of Scouts—comprising a total of 7,103



or 83% of the expected respondents in 17 countries of the

Asia-Pacific Region: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Republic of

China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia,

Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri

Lanka, and Thailand.

All countries of the Asia-Pacific Region were invited to partici-

pate in the study, but only 17 countries responded positively. A

copy of the questionnaire was sent to all the NSOs with instruc-

tions to the Survey Coordinators to reproduce 504 copies to be

distributed to 102 Scouts, 102 Non-Scouts, and 100 copies

each to Scout Leaders, Non-Scout Leaders, and parents. The

Survey Coordinators were instructed to distribute 102 ques-

tionnaires to each classification of respondents, for Scout and

non-Scout respondents broken down as:

• 34 questionnaires for ages 10-14 years old



Roman (1997) suggests the use of survey and focus group

discussion (FGD) for an image audit. This study, however, is a

survey research limited to the use of a questionnaire, due to

communication, time, and financial constraints in conducting an

FGD. The questionnaire used in the 2000 survey was used in

the present survey with the addition of some items. The

questionnaire underwent evaluation by a panel of experts

composed of the APR Executives who are familiar with the

conditions existing in the NSOs, the research consultant, and

the APR Profile Sub-Committee.



The literature related to the image of Scouting was reviewed extensively

in the first image study done by the Asia-Pacific Region in 2001. Hence,

the literature reviewed here are those that have been published after the

first study and those that need to be repeated to establish a consistent

perspective of the topic.

What is Scouting

In 1995, Stern suggested to those who would embark on describing the

image of Scouting—to agree on what Scouting is, not only its image. This

is likewise expressed clearly by the World Scout Bureau (WSB, 2000) when

it states that “the cause that Scouting defends does not seem clear. What

IS the point of Scouting? If we cannot answer the question, neither Scouts

nor non-Scouts would be able to understand Scouting’s mission.”

Explaining the concept of Scouting depends on being able to identify the

most stable elements of the Movement: its name, trade name, position-

ing, values, traditions, expertise, and qualities. Aside from these, there

are other elements that may vary from NSO to NSO, like its membership

and activities. Specifying each element constitutes Scouting’s identity

(Michel, 2002).

The Constitution of the World Organization of the Scout Movement

(Articles 1 and 2) lists the various elements that constitute Scouting’s

identity, which is non-exhaustive:

Chapter TwoReview of Related Literature and Conceptual Framework

• Values

• Definition

• Aim and Mission

• Fundamental principles (Duty to God, duty to others, duty to self,

the Promise and the Law)

• Educational method (adherence to a Promise and Law, learning by

doing, life in small groups, progressive and attractive programmes)

• Global and international character

• Multi-denominational nature

• Respect for cultural diversity

At the same time, WOSM envisioned the development of Scouts who are

happy, well-balanced individuals who are both autonomous and support-

ive—autonomous in the sense of being resourceful, being able to make

decisions, and asserting themselves as unique and responsible persons; and

supportive, that is, being capable of sharing, genuinely caring about others,

doing something for them, and promoting a cause (WOSM 1996:13).

An element that might define Scouting’s identity is its culture, summa-

rized in the term “Scout spirit”, the greatest common denominator of all

members of the Movement for generations (WSB, 2000). The culture of

Scouting concerns—

• all the attitudes and behaviors resulting from one’s commitment to

Scouting;

• the totality of the traditions, rituals, symbols, and folklore (such as the

“Jungle Book”) that are specific to Scouting at local, national, and inter-

national levels;

• specific terms, such as “Jamboree” and “Moot”;

• all the knowledge and techniques specific to Scouting.

However, identity and image, though closely related, are not one and the

same. The World Scout Bureau (2000) differentiates identity from image

thus—

“the cause that Scouting defends does not seem clear. What IS the point ofScouting? If we cannot answer the question, neither Scouts nor non-Scoutswould be able to understand Scouting’s mission.”



“Image is the visual expression of identity…Image includes a

subject element: a high-quality brand, dynamism, capacity to

innovate. Whereas identity is permanent, the image can vary

(because it is interactive and because it is subject to

representations)…Image is simply the result of a process that

places values and the perception of values in relationship through

the action undertaken by the Movement and its members.”

The image of Scouting popularized by Norman Rockwell is an enduring

image that has remained in the minds of many former Scouts and Scout

Leaders all over the world. It is an image of boys in uniform going to

camp and doing their Good Turn for the day. Scouting is likewise identi-

fied by its uniform, symbols and insignias; its Ideals; and its activities—

weekly and monthly meetings, hiking, and camping—everything charac-

terized by fun. These, according to Morland (2002), are not the goals,

but rather the tools of an educational movement, a movement dedicated

to realizing world peace and a healthy environment by building “charac-

ter’’ in young people, as its Founder put it.

In industrialized countries, the prevailing image of Scouting is a carica-

ture of a paramilitary movement that turns away members and potential

members, in spite of Baden Powell’s admonition that it is not Scouting. In

developing countries, on the other hand, Scouting is better known for its

usefulness as it responds to urgent social and humanitarian needs (WSB,

2000).

Membership Trend and the Image of Scouting

In 2003 the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) Asia-

Pacific Region (APR) did a study on its membership trend during a five-

year period from 1997 to 2002 (WOSM-APR, 2003). The study showed

that the membership trend in the Region was modal, that is, it was

increasing steadily then decreasing steadily at some point. While mem-

bership in Scouting had been increasing steadily in Bhutan, Hong Kong,

India, Kiribati, Malaysia, and Thailand, it had been steadily decreasing in

the industrialized countries of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Sri

Lanka. In 2009 an analysis of the membership trend in the Region

during the period 2001 to 2007 showed that it was fluctuating, peaking

in 2001 and suddenly dropping to its lowest in 2002. The countries that

showed the highest growth rate (10-20%) were Bhutan, Maldives,

Mongolia, and Pakistan and the lowest growth rate (>20%) was re-

ported by Brunei, Sri Lanka and Macau. An analysis of the difference

between the results of the two studies show that only Bhutan main-

tained its steady growth while only Macau continued to decrease

steadily.

The trend was believed to have been partly caused by the change in

attitude and behavior of the public towards Scouting. There was an

observed insufficient public support in Scouting and a concomitant

concern for financial stability in Scouting in the Region. In addition, the

young people of the Region considered the youth programme as not

very attractive, in comparison with other activities for young people

offered by other organizations.

Promoting the Image of Scouting

The suggestions from more recent publications on how to promote the

image of Scouting have been reviewed, including a reiteration of some

findings of the earlier survey:

The Programme

• Foster continuity in programme…..from school and after school (Salleh, 1997);

• Be champions of globalization (Aziz, 1997)

• Tell and retell the story of Scouting to Scouts. Tell them the story that

will make them dream because it is a youth movement that is enthusias-

tic, global, open to all, altruistic, and made to promote peace and

mutual understanding (WSB, 2000).



Promoting Scouting:

• Formulate an image engineering PR plan that uses traditional and non-

traditional media. These should highlight the uniqueness not only of

Scouts but of youth in general and to convey Scouting as something new

and noteworthy The general population should see how Scouting applies

to them or how they can get involved ((Roman, 1997; Stern, 1995; The

Scout Association; World Scout Bureau, 2000);

• Re-examine the role of provincial and district Public Relations Officers,

including their brief, effectiveness, and recruitment;

• Identify priorities in promoting Scouting outside the Movement; Define

to whom, what, and why we need to communicate and how best this is

to be done (The Scout Association,

• Hold a stamp or philatelic exhibition—By exhibiting Scouts on stamps

collection, we can tell them that Scouting is a very positive educational

movement for the youth, more than just a group of campers (Sinaulan,

2000);

• Project Scouts working with others and helping the needy (Salleh,

1997).

For relevance:

• Make the uniform more attractive to suit trends (Salleh, 1997).

The Regional Communications Forum (WSB, 2000) proposed actions that

could be implemented at different levels:

For NSOs:

• Form and train groups of youth spokespersons

• Train the Communications Team to a professional level

• Develop a communications strategy

• Develop a National Media Plan

• Harmonize the national communications strategy with world level

• Organize communications forums at national level

At regional level:

• Organize regular training opportunities for volunteers and professionals

working in the fields related to Scouting Profile (Communication, Partner-

ships, Resources)

• Support NSOs (training, training tools)

At world level:

• Carry out studies on Scouting’s image and on the value of the World

Scouting brand

• Collect good practices in the area of Communications

• Provide the heads of Communication with training and promotional

materials

• Ensure that the World Scouting brand is protected and that the guide-

lines are respected

Scout-Guide relationship

• Maintain the dialogue between WOSM and WAGGS concerning the use of

branding by Scout and Guide Organizations

The literature on the image of Scouting shows that there is a fine line

differentiating terminologies (such as identity, culture, and image) that

need to be clarified before embarking on actions to enhance and promote

Scouting. The image of Scouting projected to the public affects its mem-

bership. Hence, several actions have been proposed to promote a positive

image of Scouting.



Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the study is shown below:

Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study.

Scouting has a body of knowledge embedded in its history, which finds

expression in its principles, policies, aims and objectives, and distinction

as its identity.

Attitude is the feeling, impression, or mood of the target publics for or

against Scouting Ideals, vision and mission, and its symbolic framework

expressed as opinions.

Actions are youth activities and events (programme) using the Scout Method,

as well as adult training (adult resources), and the governance of both.

All these aspects—knowledge, attitudes, and actions—taken together,

form the Image of Scouting.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally for a precise interpretation

of data from the research.

Image is the sum total of the public’s knowledge, attitudes, impres-

sions, and opinions about Scouting and its activities.

Attitude represents the predisposition of a respondent to evaluate

controversial questions in a favorable or unfavorable manner (Roman,

1997). Favorable statements of attitude project a good image of Scout-

ing if the target publics strongly agree/agree with them. Unfavorable

statements of attitude are considered favorable if the target publics

strongly disagree/disagree with them. Favorable statements of attitude

are considered unfavorable if the target publics disagree/strongly

disagree with them. Unfavorable statements of attitude do not project a

good image of Scouting if the target publics agree/strongly agree with

them.

Target publics are the two groups of respondents in the study, namely,

Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders, together with

parents.

Scouts in the study are males or females, aged 10-14, 15-17, and 18-

26, registered with a Scout association.

Non-Scouts are males/females, aged 10-14, 15-17, and 18-26, not

registered with a Scout association.

Scout Leaders are adult males/females, over 26 years old, registered with

a Scout association, and holding a position at any level of the organization.

Non-Scout Leaders are adult males/females, above 26 years old, not

registered with a Scout association.

Parent is either a father or a mother of a registered Scout.

Standard deviation is the measure of fluctuation (dispersion) in the

data.



Mean or Weighted Mean is the numerical representation of

a series of responses n which the sum of the amounts by

which the higher figures exceed the mean is exactly the same

as the sum of the amounts by which the lower figures fall

short of the mean. Weighted mean is used when specific

responses are assigned different weights depending on the

type or level of response (e.g., Strongly Agree is 5, Agree is

4, etc.).

Replication is the process of repeating a study using the

same methods and different subjects and at different times.

It can also involve applying the theory to new situations in an

attempt to determine the generalizability to different age

groups, locations, races, or cultures.

T-test is a statistical treatment used to determine if the

difference between two weighted means is significant.


Revisiting the Image of Scouting in the Asia-Pacific Region 22Chapter ThreeMethodology

The study involved the development of the survey instrument, its administration, and

the interpretation and analysis of the data.

Sources of Data

Data for the study were gathered from a total of 7,103 target publics composed of

Scouts, non-Scouts, Scout Leaders, non-Scout Leaders, and parents of Scouts. Table 1

shows the number of respondents in each NSO graphically represented in Figure 2. It will

be noted that each group of respondents is almost equally represented. In the presenta-

tion of the data, the respondents were divided into two groups: Scouts/Scout Leaders

together with parents of Scouts and non-Scouts/non Scout Leaders, because the Scouts/

Scout Leaders and the parents of Scouts have essentially similar exposure to Scouting

while the other group, non-Scouts /non-Scout Leaders, have uncertain exposure to

Scouting.

Image Study 2008

Distribution of Questionnaire

Table 1.

Number of Respondents in the NSOs

Figure 2. Composition of the target publics.

The target publics come from the following countries:

Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India,

Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New

Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka,

and Thailand.

Procedure

The study started with the analysis and revision of the

original research instrument and its subsequent admin-

istration. A few questions were added to reflect the

newly adopted communication themes of WOSM, i.e.

Scouting as empowering, a culture of peace, and a

positive contribution. Three groups reviewed the ques-

tionnaire: APR executives, APR Scouting Profile Sub-

Committee and the research team.

A Survey Team, headed by a Survey Coordinator

(mostly volunteer Scout Leaders), was organized in

each NSO to take charge of reproducing the question-

naire, administering, collecting the accomplished

questionnaire, and then summarizing the results. Two



points were emphasized to the Survey Coordinators in conducting the survey: (1) That they encour-

age the respondents to be honest and spontaneous with their answers; and (2) that they tell the

target groups that the questionnaire was not an examination. It was not necessary to tell the

respondents that the ultimate objective of the study was to determine the “Image of Scouting” so

that they would be free from any biases or prejudices. To standardize procedures, the Coordinators

were sent instructions contained in “Guide for Image Study 2008 Project Coordinator/Team” (Appen-

dix A).

In all, 8,568 questionnaires were reproduced by the NSOs and of this, 7,103 or 83% were retrieved.

One-hundred questionnaires were distributed to each target group in each country, except for

Bhutan, because of its lower Scout membership. Table 2 shows the distribution of the question-

naires. One-hundred two questionnaires were distributed to Scouts (Young People) and Non-Scouts

(Young People) for equal representation of age groups with each age group receiving 34 question-

naires, for a total of 102 respondents, broken down as follows: Ages 10-14 (34 respondents), 15-17

(34), 18-26 (34)

Table 2

Distribution of Questionnaires and Percentage of Returns

Data-Gathering Instrument: SurveyQuestionnaire

The questionnaire was the instrument used for

gathering data. The items for the question-

naire were based on the 2000 image study

with the addition of some items.

The questionnaire underwent two revisions before

it was finalized. The drafts were given to the

Directors of the APR office and to the research

consultant for evaluation. The Table of Specifica-

tions for the revised questionnaire used in the first

image study was used to guide the developers in

the development of the instrument.

In the attitude portion, there is an equal

number of items favorable and unfavorable to

Scouting.

Statistical Techniques Used

The following statistical techniques were used

in analyzing the data:

1. For the knowledge component:

a. The weighted mean, weighted

standard deviation, and t-test were

used to determine how much the

target groups know about Scouting.

b. Frequency and ranking were used

to determine the sources of informa

tion about Scouts.



c. Weighted mean, weighted standard deviation, and t-test were

used to determine what the target groups know about Scouting,

d. Difference of means was used to determine the difference

between the results of the image study in 2000 and 2008.

e. Ranking was done to determine which Scout section the

respondents were familiar with.

2. For the attitude component:

The weighted mean, weighted standard deviation, and t-test were used

to obtain a descriptive profile of attitude towards Scouting of the target

groups. The difference of means was used to determine the difference in

attitude between the image study in 2000 and 2008.

3. For the action component

Weighted frequency was taken to determine how Scouting could create

an impact and promoted.

Difference of proportion identified the difference in response between the

2000 and 2008 image surveys.

All levels of significance were computed at .01.



Chapter FourPresentation and Analysis of Results

The results of the study are presented herewith according to the state-

ment of the problems.

Knowledge of Scouting

1. How much do the target publics in the Asia-Pacific Region

know about Scouting? Is there a difference in Scouting

knowledge between Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders of the APR?

Table 3 shows that Scouts/Scout Leaders know MUCH (4.79) about

Scouting while non-Scouts/Scout Leaders know LITTLE (3.33) about it in

the APR. There is a significant difference in the knowledge about Scout-

ing between Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders.

Table 3

How Much the Target Publics in the Asia-Pacific Region Know

about Scouting

These findings are significant because it shows that Scouts/ Scout

Leaders perceive themselves as possessing MUCH knowledge about the

organization they have joined, which is as it should be. For the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders, the observation of Salleh (1997) about the

non-visibility of Scouting in the media is a possible reason for the LITTLE

knowledge of this group.

Weighted Standard

Mean Deviation t-value Remarks

Scouts/Scout Leaders 4.79 1.00 47.43* Much

Non-Scouts/ 3.33 1.33 Little

Non-Scout Leaders

Significant

Figure 3. How much the target publics in the APR know about Scouting

1-a. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between the

Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 image study and the Scouts/

Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?

Both Scouts/Scout Leaders who participated in the 2008 and 2000

studies perceive that they know MUCH about Scouting as shown in Table

4 (and in Figure 4) and the increase is significant. This increase can be

attributed to the initiatives of most countries to improve their delivery of

programme and training.



Table 4

Difference in Scouting Knowledge Between the Scout/Scout Leaders in

the APR in the 2008 and 2000 Image Studies

1-b. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between the

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 image study and the

non-Scout/non-Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?

Table 5 shows that there is a significant decrease in the perception about

the knowledge of Scouting among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders who

participated in the 2008 image study compared to the non-Scouts/non-

Figure 4. Difference in Scouting knowledge between the Scouts/Scout

Leaders in the APR in the 2008 and 2000 image studies.

4.79 2008

4.72 2000

Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study. Both groups feel that they

know LITTLE about Scouting. This significant decrease might be attrib-

uted to lesser visibility and media exposure of Scouting to the general

public.

Figure 5 is a graphic representation of Table 5.

Table 5

Difference of Scouting Knowledge between the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout

Leaders in the APR in the 2008 and 2000 Image Studies

Weighted Standard

Scouts/Scout Leaders Mean Deviation t-value Remarks

2008 4.79 1.00 2.61* Much

2000 4.72 0.98 Much

*Significant

Non-Scouts/Non Weighted Standard

Scout Leaders Mean Deviation t-value Remarks

2008 3.33 1.33 -3.63* Little

2000 3.46 1.32 Little

*Significant

3.33 2008

3.46 2000

Figure 5. Difference in Scouting knowledge between the non-Scouts/

non-Scout Leaders in the APR in the 2008 and non-Scout/non-Scout

Leaders in the 2000 image studies.



2. How much do the target publics in the countries of the APR

know about Scouting? Is there a difference in Scouting knowl-

edge between Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders in the countries of the APR?

The knowledge about Scouting by the target countries in the APR

is shown in Table 6. Figure 6 is a graphic representation of the Table.

Table 6

How Much the Target Publics in the Countries of the APR Know about

Scouting

Figure 6. How much the target publics in the countries of the APR know

about Scouting.

Among the Scouts/Scout Leaders, responses about knowledge in Scouting

range from FAIR to VERY MUCH. Scouts/Scout Leaders from India (4.49),

Hong Kong (4.43), Australia (4.46), Indonesia (4.32) and Mongolia (4.16)

have only FAIR knowledge about Scouting. Scouts/Scout Leaders from 11

other countries have MUCH knowledge about it. Bangladesh (5.56) is the

only country that registered the highest rating—VERY MUCH knowledge

about Scouting. This is probably an indication of the effectiveness of their

delivery of the youth programme and the training of the adult leaders,

their participation in Scout gatherings and special events, and the support

of the NSO and the local headquarters. These are the top ranking sources

of information of Scouts/Scout Leaders about Scouting in Bangladesh.



On the other hand, knowledge about Scouting of non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders in each country in the APR ranges from VERY LITTLE to MUCH.

Only non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in Nepal have MUCH knowledge

about Scouting, with their Scouts/Scout Leaders also with MUCH knowl-

edge. This shows that Nepal’s Scouts/Scout Leaders receive much knowl-

edge from their young members and adult leaders, their schools, Scout

literature, and their participation in Scout gatherings. Their general

publics are likewise apprised of what Scouting is mostly through similar

sources as their Scouts/Scout Leaders, with the addition of Scout rallies,

campaigns, and parades.

Non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in Japan and Australia both know very

little about Scouting. The top sources of information common to both

countries among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders are internet/website,

friends, Scouts, and social/community services, which are probably either

not very visible or not accessible to the Non-Scout/non-Scout Leader

respondents in the two countries.

The knowledge in Scouting of all the other non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders

in the 14 other countries ranges from LITTLE to FAIR, which might be a

cause of the lack of public support to Scouting.

There is a significant difference in knowledge about Scouting between

Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries

of the APR, except for India where the difference is not significant.

2 a. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between the

Scouts/Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR in the 2008 image

study and the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?

Table 7 shows that there is a significant INCREASE in the perception

regarding knowledge about Scouting among Scouts/ Scout Leaders who

participated in the 2008 image study compared to those Scouts/Scout

Leaders who participated in the 2000 study among the following countries

of the APR: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Japan, Nepal, and the Philippines. In

both the 2008 and 2000 image studies, the top sources of Scouting

information among these countries are schools, Scouts, adult Scout

Leaders, and Scout gatherings.

Table 7.

What the target Publics Know About Scouting in the countries in the APR

However, for Australia and Thailand a significant decline in the percep-

tion regarding knowledge about Scouting is observed. The top sources

of Scouting information in Australia in 2000, which are no longer

priorities in 2008, are schools and Scout gatherings. For Thailand, it is

the radio.



Figure 7 is a graphic illustration of Table 7.

2 b. Is there a difference in Scouting knowledge between the

Non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR in the

2008 with the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2000 image

studies?

Table 8 (Figure 8) shows that there is a significant INCREASE in the

perception regarding knowledge about Scouting among non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders who participated in the 2008 image study compared to

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders who participated in the 2000 image study

among the following countries of the APR: Bangladesh, Nepal, and

Thailand. The general publics of these countries learned about Scouting

mostly from schools, Scouts, and Scout gatherings in 2000. To these

sources were added adult Scout Leaders and Scout literature in 2008.

There is likewise a significant DECREASE in the perception regarding

knowledge about Scouting among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

2008 image study compared to those in the 2000 study in Australia,

Indonesia, and Japan. There is no significant change in Scouting knowl-

edge between the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in 2008 compared

with 2000 in Bhutan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, New Zealand, and

Singapore.

3. Which of the Scout sections are the Scouts/Scout Leaders

and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders familiar with?

Table 9 shows that the Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scout/non-Scout

Leaders are most familiar with the following sections in Scouting ranked

from most familiar to least familiar: Scouts, Cub Scouts, Senior Scouts,

Rover Scouts, and Venturers. The Founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden



Powell started Scouting with the Scout section followed by the Cub Scout section. Some countries do not

have Venturers, which is probably why it was ranked last. The findings also imply that Scouting is most

attractive to young boys and girls and as they grow up, the attraction becomes less.

4. What do the target publics in


Is there a difference in what

Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in


Table 10 shows what the target

publics in the APR know about

Scouting. Figure 9 is a graphic

representation of the Table.

The target publics AGREE with all

items except for “Scouting is a

recreational club” where they are

UNCERTAIN. This is actually a false

statement. Non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders AGREE with all the items

about Scouting.

Table 10.

What the Target Publics Know About Scouting in the APR

Table 9.

Scouting Sections the Target Publics in the Countries of the APR are Most Familiar with

F R F R F R F R F R F F R F R F R F R F R F F R F R F R F R F R F R



There is a significant difference between the knowledge about Scouting of Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders.



5. What do the target publics in the countries of the APR know about Scouting? Is there a difference in what Scouts/Scout Leaders and

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR know about Scouting?

Table 11 shows what the target publics in the countries of the APR know about Scouting.

Legend

1 Scouting serves society

2 Scouting promotes peace

3 Scouting is a recreational club

4 Scouting is a voluntary movement

5 Scouting is a worldwide movement

6 Scouting is led by responsible adults

7 Scouting is an educational movement

8 Scouting is a non-governmental organization

9 Scouting educates young ones useful skills

10 Scouting helps conserve and preserve environment

Table 11What Target Publics in the Countries in the APR Know About Scouting

S Scouts/Scout Leaders

NS Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders

SA Strongly Agree

A Agree

U Uncertain

D Disagree

SD Strongly Disagree

* Significant

11a Scouting aims are—self-reliance

11b character building

11c physical fitness

11d education for life

11e character building

11f outdoor activities, adventure

11g full development of each individual

11h friendship, brotherhood

11i teamwork, cooperation



a. Almost all the target publics of the countries in the APR either Strongly

Agree or Agree with the following statements:

• Scouting serves society.

• Scouting is a voluntary movement.

• Scouting is a worldwide movement.

• Scouting is an educational movement

• Scouting educates people in useful/life skills

• Scouting helps preserve and conserve the environment

• An aim of Scouting is education for life

except for the target publics of Australia and the non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders of Japan who are UNCERTAIN about the statements.

b. The target publics of the APR Strongly Agree that Scouting promotes

peace, except those of Australia and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of

Bhutan and Japan; the target publics of Bangladesh Strongly Agree with

the statement.

c. Nine countries in the APR Agree with the statement that Scouting is a

recreational club while four countries are Uncertain about this. Scouts/

Scout Leaders of Bangladesh Strongly Disagree and those from Japan

Disagree with this statement, which is correct as the item is not true of

Scouting.

b. Except for non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Australia, Japan, and

Pakistan, almost all target publics Strongly Agree/Agree that:

• Scouting is an educational movement.

• Scouting helps conserve and preserve the environment.

• An aim of Scouting is physical fitness.

c. Target publics Strongly Agree/Agree that Scouting is a non-govern-

mental organization, except those of Maldives and Thailand, and non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Bhutan and Maldives who are all Uncertain

about this statement. The target publics of Bangladesh Strongly Agree

with the statement.

d. Except for the target publics of Australia and non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders of Japan, the rest of the APR target publics Strongly Agree/Agree

that an aim of Scouting is character building. Target publics of China and

Nepal Strongly Agree with the statement.

e. Except for non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Australia and Pakistan,

target publics Strongly Agree/Agree that an aim of Scouting is full

development of each individual.

f. Only the non-Scouts/Scout Leaders of Australia are Uncertain about an

aim of scouting as teamwork and cooperation, while all the rest of the

target publics Strongly Agree/Agree with this. Target publics of Nepal and

the Philippines Strongly Agree with the statement.

It is interesting to note that Scouts/Scout Leaders have the same percep-

tion of uncertainty about “Scouting is a recreational Club” in both the

2008 and 2000 image studies. On the other hand, the non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders who were Uncertain about Scouting being a recreational

club in the 2000 image study now agree that it is a recreational club.

Both groups of Scouts/Scout Leaders STRONGLY AGREE that Scouting is

a worldwide Movement in both the 2008 and 2000 surveys.

6. What are the sources of information about Scouting of the

target publics in the Asia-Pacific Region?

Table 12 and Figure 10 show that most of the Scouts/Scout Leaders’

sources of information about Scouting, in the order of frequency are—

a. Adult Scout Leaders

b. Schools

c. Scout gatherings

d. Boy/Girl Scouts/Guides

e. Scout offices/headquarters



On the other hand, most of the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders’ sources of

information about Scouting, in the order of frequency are—

a. Schools

b. Boy/Girl Scouts/Guides

c. Friends

d. Adult Scout Leaders

e. Scout gatherings

Figure 10.

Sources of Information about Scouting of Target

Publics in the APR

Table 12

Sources of Information about Scouting of Target Publics in the APR



Scouts/Scout Leaders do business with the Scout offices/

headquarters, hence their familiarity with the offices. On

the other hand, non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders have a

more informal source of information—friends.

When asked to indicate their other sources of informa-

tion about Scouting, the target publics of Scouts of

China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines,

Singapore, and Sri Lanka mentioned the following:

• Raffle tickets and raffle campaigns—2

• Colleagues

• Part-time staff

• Flag-selling activities

• Scout training course

• Assistance in organizing certain swimming galas and

sports day

The number after the item is the frequency of the

response. Almost all the other sources

of Information enumerated by the target publics are

activities where they have been exposed to, except for

“colleagues.”

6. a What is the difference in the source of infor-

mation about Scouting among Scouts/Scout Lead-

ers in the 2008 and Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

2000 image studies?

Table 13 shows that there is a significant INCREASE in the

proportion of Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 image

study compared with the respondents in the 2000 image

study who considered the following sources of information:

• Adult Scout Leaders

• School

• Television

• Radio

On the other hand, there is a significant DECLINE in the proportion of respondents who

considered magazine/ newsletter as sources of information among Scouts/Scout Leaders

who participated in the 2008 study compared to the 2000 image study. It can be deduced

that “print media” is losing its popularity among the Scouts/Scout Leaders as a source of

information about Scouting

Table 13.

Difference in the Sources of Information About Scouting between Scouts/Scout

leaders in the 2008 and 2000 Image Studies

Figure 11.

Difference in Sources of Information About Scouting Among Scouts/Scout leaders

in the 2008 Image Stu dy and the Scouts/Scouters in the 2000 Image Study.



6.b What is the difference in the sources of information about Scouting among non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 and the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

2000 image studies?

Table 14 shows that there is a significant INCREASE in the proportion of non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders in the 2008 image study compared with the respondents in the 2000 image study who

considered the following sources of information:

• School

• Television

Table 14.Sources of Information About Scouting Among Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leadersbetween Respondents in the 2008 and 2001 Image Studies

There is a significant DECLINE in the proportion of

respondents who considered the following


• Scout gathering

• Boy/Girl Scout Guides

• Magazines and Newsletters

as sources of information among the non-Scouts/

non-Scout Leaders who participated in the 2008

study compared to the 2000 image study.

7. What are the sources of information

about Scouting of the Scouts/Scout Leaders

in the countries of the APR?

Table 15 shows the target publics’ sources of

information about Scouts in the countries of the

APR. All the countries and all the Scouts/Scout

Leaders in the APR mention Adult Scout Leaders

as sources of information about Scouts. Except

for Sri Lanka, all other countries cite Boy/Girl

Scouts/Guides as sources of information about

Scouts.

Figure 12.Sources of Information About Scouting Among Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leadersin the 2008 Image Study and the Scouts/Scouters in the 2000 Image Study.



a. What are the sources of information about Scouting of the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR?

All non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders mention School as a source of infor-

mation about Scouts, except Australia, India, and New Zealand. Boy/Girl

Scouts/Guides are a source of information of non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders, except for Australia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

Table 15.Sources of Information About Scouting in the Countries of the APR among Scouts/Scout Leaders

The most popular media source of information among Scouts/Scout

Leaders are books/manuals, and television among non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders. Books/manuals, internet/website and television are the main

sources of information about Scouts among Scouts/Scout Leaders, with

television, internet/website and radio among the non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders.



Attitude about Scouting

8. What is the attitude towards Scouting

of the target publics in the APR? Is there

a difference in the attitude towards

Scouting of Scouts/Scout Leaders and

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

APR?

In general, Scouts/Scout Leaders of the APR

AGREE on the favorable statements pertain-

ing to attitude towards Scouting, while the

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders generally are

UNCERTAIN about them (Table 17, Figure 13).

This difference is significant.

Table 16.

Sources of Information About Scouts in the Countries of the APR among Scouts/Scout Leaders

Figure 12.

Sources of Information About Scouting Among Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 Image

Study and the Scouts/Scouters in the 2000 Image Study.



Table 17

8 a. Is there a difference in the attitude towards Scouting be-

Difference

WM SD Remarks WM SD Remarks of Means t-value Remarks

tween the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 image study with the

Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?

Table 18 (Figure 14) shows that the attitude towards Scouting between the

Scouts/Scout Leaders in the 2008 and the 2000 image studies did not signifi-

cantly change. Both groups show a favorable attitude towards Scouting.

Figure 13. Attitude towards Scouting of the Target Publics in the APR

SCOUTS NON-SCOUTS

3.82 0.92 A 3.49 0.96 U 0.33 3.52 S

Legend: WM: Weighted Mean, SD: Standard Deviation; A:Agree, U: Uncertain, S: Significant

Table 18.

Difference in the Attitude towards Scouting between Scouts/Scout

Leaders in the 2008 and 2000 Image Studies.

8 b. Is there a difference in the attitude towards Scouting

between the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2008

image study with the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

2000 image study?

Table 19 (Figure 15) shows that the attitude towards Scouting be-

tween the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the image study in 2008

and in 2000 changed significantly. Whereas the non-Scouts/non-



Scout Leaders showed a favorable attitude in 2000, they

are now uncertain about their feelings on the statements

about Scouting.

Table 19.

Difference in the Attitude towards Scouting between Non-

Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 and 2000 Image

Studies.

9. What is the attitude towards Scouting of the target publics in the countries of

the APR? Is there a difference in the attitude towards Scouting of Scouts/Scout

Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries in the Asia-Pacific

Region?

Table 20 (Figure 16) shows the general attitude of the target publics towards Scouting in

17 countries of the Asia-Pacific Region. The Figure shows that Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

countries of the APR have a FAVORABLE attitude towards Scouting, except for four coun-

tries: Australia, Scouts of China, Maldives, and Mongolia whose Scouts/Scout Leaders

have an UNCERTAIN attitude towards the Movement.

Table 20.

Attitude of the Target Publics in the Countries of the APR Towards Scouting



Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders likewise have a FAVORABLE

attitude towards Scouting in the APR, except for eight countries:

Australia, Bhutan, Hong Kong, Japan, Maldives, Mongolia, New

Zealand, and Singapore, whose Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders

are UNCERTAIN about their attitude towards Scouting in the

Region.

9 a. Is there a difference between the attitude towards

Scouting of the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the countries of

the APR in the 2008 and the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the

2000 image study?

Table 21 (Figure 17) shows the comparison of the general attitude between the

target publics in the 2008 and 2000 image studies. Only two countries show a

significant improvement in the general attitude towards Scouting: Bangladesh and

Nepal. On the other hand, three countries manifest a significant decline in the

general attitude towards Scouting among Scouts/Scout Leaders: Australia, Bhutan

and Scouts of China and among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders: Australia, Bhutan

and Pakistan (Table 23 and Figure 18).

Table 21.

Difference in the Attitude towards Scouting among Scouts/Scout Leaders

in the 2008 and 2001 Image Studies in the Countries of the APR

9 b. Is there a difference between the attitude towards Scouting of the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR in the 2008 image

study with the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2000 image study?



Table 22 (Figure 18) shows the attitude (opinion) towards Scouting of

the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the APR. The findings show that

the non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Bangladesh have a favorable

opinion about Scouting and the difference between the 2008 and 2000

image studies is significant. On the other hand, there is no significant

difference in the attitude towards Scouting of the non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders of Scouts of China, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, and

the Philippines: all of them have a favorable attitude towards Scout-

ing. The Uncertain responses for Japan and Hong Kong in both the

image studies is likewise not significant.

In the 2008 study, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Australia show an Uncertain

attitude towards Scouting whereas they showed a favorable attitude in

the 2000 study. The difference of the results between the two years in

the two countries is significant. The respondents from Nepal are the

opposite: in 2008 their attitude is favorable whereas they were Uncertain

in 2000; the difference is likewise significant.

Table 22.

Difference in the Attitude towards Scouting among Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 and 2001

Image Studies in the Countries in the APR



Figure 18. Difference in the atitude towards cScouting among Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 and 2001 image studies

in the countries in APR.



10. Is there a difference in the

attitude of the target publics of

the APR on specific statements

about Scouting?

Table 23 (Figure 19) shows the

difference in attitude of the target

publics of the APR on specific

statements about Scouting.

Table 23.

Attitude towards Scouting of the Target Publics of the APR on Specific Statements about Scouting



Figure 19.

Attitude towards Scouting of the target publics of the APR on specific statements about Scouting.

Legend1. Scouts are helpful.2. Scouts lack discipline.3. Scouts are spiritually strong.4. Scouts do useful community work.

5. Scouts are models to other young people.6. Scouts become too dependent on their elders.7. Adult leaders lack commitment.8. Adult Scout leaders take their job seriously.

9. Adult leaders don’t practice what they preach.10. Scouting is only for kids.11. Scouting is a waste of time.12. Scouting is fun and enjoyable.13. Scouting teaches good values.

14. Scouting develops militaristic leaders.15. Scouting is an expensive organization.16. Scouting is not achieving its objectives.17. Scouting is out of date or old-fashioned.

18. Scouting is respected in the community.19. Scouting develops young people’s personalities.20. Scouting is successful in developing young people.21. Scouting is no longer relevant to today’s young people.22. Scouting promotes world peace and world brotherhood.

23. Scouting is the world’s most successful movement for young people.24. Scouting does a lot of things that are done better by others.25. Scouting programme is better than the programmes offered by otheryouth organizations.



1. The Scouts/Scout Leaders STRONGLY AGREE that Scouts are helpful.

This is the only item that the target publics strongly agree with.

2. The target publics all AGREE with the following positive statements:

• Scouts are spiritually strong.

•Scouts do useful community work.

• Scouts are models to all young people.

• Adult Scout Leaders take their job seriously.

• Scouting is fun and enjoyable.

• Scouting teaches good values.

• Scouting is respected in the community.

• Scouting develops young people’s personalities.

• Scouting is successful in developing young people.

• Scouting promotes world peace and world brotherhood.

• Scouting is the world’s most successful movement for young people.

These statements all show a favorable attitude towards Scouting by

both Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders.

3. The target publics all DISAGREE with the following statements:

• Scouts lack discipline.

• Scouting is only for kids.

• Scouting is a waste of time.

• Scouting is out of date or old-fashioned.

All these statements show an unfavorable attitude towards Scouting

and the fact that all target publics disagree with them strengthens their

favorable attitude towards the Movement on the specific statements.

4. The target publics are all UNCERTAIN about the following statements:

• Scouts become too dependent on their elders.

• Scouting develops militaristic leaders.

• Scouting does a lot of things that are done better by others.

All the three statements above manifest an unfavorable attitude towards

Scouting. The target publics’ uncertainty about them shows areas of

improvement that can be targeted to improve the image of Scouting.

Lord Baden Powell explicitly stated that Scouting is not a military organi-

zation and it seems that this image of Scouting prevalent before has not

been entirely erased yet. The uncertainty of Scouts/Scout Leaders over

these statements shows the need to look at Scouting activities that

promote the misconceptions.

5. Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with all the favorable items.

6. The Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders AGREE with most of the favorable

statements and DISAGREE with most of the unfavorable statements,

except in the following statements where they are uncertain:

Favorable statement (Uncertain):

• Scouting programme is better than the programmes offered by other

youth organizations.

Unfavorable statements (Uncertain):


• Adult leaders lack commitment.

• Adult leaders don’t practice what they preach.


• Scouting is an expensive organization.

• Scouting is not achieving its objectives.

• Scouting is no longer relevant to today’s young people.


7. It is interesting to note that the opinions of the Scouts/Scout Leaders

and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders differ significantly on the following

statements:


• Adult Scout Leaders don’t practice what they preach.





• Scouting is no longer relevant to today’s youth.

Scouts/Scout Leaders DISAGREE with the statements whereas the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about them.

Another difference in opinion is observed in the statement “Scouting

programme is better than the programmes offered by other youth organi-

zations.” Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with this while the non-Scouts/

non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about it.

The difference in all the responses of the Scouts/Scout Leaders and non

Scouts/non Scout Leaders are significant.

11. Is there a difference in the attitude of the target publics in the

countries of the APR on specific statements about Scouting?

Table 24 shows the attitude of the target publics in the countries of the

APR on specific statements about Scouting.



The countries in the APR Strongly Agree/Agree with the statements:

“Scouts are helpful” and “Scouts do useful community work,” except in

Japan where the Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with the two statements

while the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about them.


the following positive statements with some exceptions:

• “Scouting teaches good values” except for the target publics of Australia

and Japan where the Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE while the Non-Scouts/

Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about the statement;

• “Scouts are models to other young people” except for the target publics

of Australia, Japan and China where the Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE,

while the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about the

statement;

• “Scouting develops young people’s personalities,” except for the target

publics of Australia, Japan and Pakistan where the Scouts/Scout Leaders

AGREE while the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about

the statement.

•“Scouting is successful in developing young people,” except for the

target publics of Australia, Japan and China where the Scouts/Scout

Leaders AGREE while the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN

about the statement;

The target publics of the countries in the APR are mostly either UNCER-

TAIN or Strongly Disagree/Disagree with the following unfavorable

statements about Scouting:





• Scouting is out of date or old fashioned.


When asked about their feelings towards Scouting in their country, the

target publics of China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines,

Singapore, and Sri Lanka expressed some favorable and unfavorable

statements about Scouting. The number after each statement refers to

frequency of response:

Favorable Attitudinal Statements of Scouts/Scout Leaders

Towards Scouting

I feel that Scouting in my country (is)…

so good / very good-/ a good Movement for young people of different ages and

locations—17

successful / very successful / quite successful—8

meaningful / very meaningful -7

good for body and mind—6

has a positive effect on young people—4

develops youth to become good citizens—4

a programme that promotes positive values for the youth—4

conducive to the development of young people, the next generation—4

popular—3

fun / full of fun—3

develops team spirit—3

a group that develops leadership—3

promotes self-discipline/ self-regulation —3

an organization serving /influencing society —3

develops good character among young Scouts—3

useful/ very useful since it is active, especially for the youth—3

can let young people learn survival techniques where books cannot-3

a programme that develops a sense of responsibility towards society-3

relevant—2

enjoyable—2

interesting—2

diversified —2

helpful for youth—2

worth promoting—2

develops respect—2

an excellent group—2



a programme for service—2

suitable for young people—2

develops responsible people-2

can build team spirit /teamwork—2

provides suitable/ worthwhile activities—2

learning because of the adventure when going to a camp and being independent—2

an organization which can increase cooperation skills / provide training in cooperation—2

extremely good—1

okay

great

essential

doing well

beneficial

very active

educational

challenging

competitive

well-managed

just awesome

a group activity

builds character

quite improving

promoting peace

a great organization

has value for its existence

cultivates good personality

supported by many people

education for moral issues

a passion for adult leaders

a Movement with creativity

does a Good Turn every day

trains young people in patience

helps others and also helps oneself

makes good use of the leisure time

a group that can train young people

cultivates interpersonal relationships

an organization for both young and adult

lets young people build on their strengths

an organization that does not involve politics

composed of a group of experienced leaders

can enhance knowledge and broaden horizons

motivating the youth to become better persons

trains youth to develop independent leadership skills

still developing and may be growing up in the future

understands and cares for things and the people around you

a programme that can develop the self-discipline of the youth

a Movement which many young people yearn to participate in

has group activities and life outside school which build fellowship

helping out youth and also adults to become more responsible persons

really promotes friendliness, discipline, and respect among other people

an organization that maintains traditions and has the courage to explore new things

offers a great opportunity to spend time with your friends doing worthwhile activities

a role that is worth participating in and activities worth taking part in throughout the

whole life

Favorable Attitudinal Statements of Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders

Towards Scouting


develops discipline/self-discipline among young people—9

very good / quite good /good—8

a team programme / develops team spirit—5

develops leadership skills—4

a platform for personal growth and development and physical training and enhance-

ment for children and adults; active and doing its best to develop the youth spiritu-

ally, physically, mentally and socially—4

develops group cooperation—3

teaches a person to be obedient-3

develops personality-2

alright / doing alright—2

enhances communication—2



doing well to some extent—2

promotes character building—2

a meaningful /very meaningful organization —2

helping ourselves and a willingness to help others—2

okay

better

perfect

efficient

attractive

important

very interesting

a uniformed group

knowledge gaining

easy to understand

teaching good values

generally satisfactory

promotes youth health

serving the community

brings out our courage

promotes one’s country

the main force of society

good but should be increased

well-organized and disciplined

teaches problem-solving skills

can teach methods to save self

an effective youth organization

promotes a sense of persistence

is adventure and other activities

a Movement for youth and adults

an activity good for the body and mind

activities provide training for young people

a programme that can develop the self-discipline of the youth

a well-known organization with a large number of participants

needed and one way of teaching this generation what life truly is

assists young people in the development of a sense of brotherhood

spirit is put into practice not only in Scout activities but also in daily life

is unflinching in participating in any kind of activity; this is greatly admired

Unfavorable Statements of Scouts/Scout Leaders Towards Scouting


does not have enough promotion—3

lethargic

just in a rut

misunderstood

has very slow progress

just making Scout skills

not a valued field in society

has culture but no innovation

is affected by political parties

is not famous and popular to all

is increasingly underappreciated

without clear directions from NSO

does not receive care from anyone

emphasizes quantity but not quality

needs effort and support from society

a game for adults to satisfy their vanity

needs a more flexible time arrangement

does not state the definite roles of young Scouts

has stereotypes for people: just doing Scout skills

caviar to the General— hard to touch and understand

separates participants in pyramid-like structure by age

has a hierarchical system like the army but without clear structure

difficult for poor people to afford and participate in Scouting activities

a Movement still kept in the old style. it doesn’t advance with the times.

needs to organize more youth activities through the NHQ, DHQ, as well as units or groups

in recent years, has devoted itself to gaining external recognition, but it has a trend

which goes against basic values



Unfavorable Attitudinal Statements of Non-Scouts/Non-Scout

Leaders towards Scouting


isn’t promoted and published enough, so just a few people understand it/ has

very low effectiveness of promotion—3

useless

not needed

has atrophied

a waste of money

not moving properly

has no practical skills

not very large in scale

has activities that cost quite a lot

needs sufficient financial resources

has many activities that are meaningless

doesn’t matter; it’s not a major movement

may not have actual contribution to society

gives half-knowledge, especially in the adult world

has activities for a small number of HK’s 7m population

is not encouraged by some parents for their children to join

has programme for youth that should be updated and should be compulsory in

educational institutions

Although there are many unfavorable statements about Scouting from

both Scouts/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders, it’s

noticeable that there are more favorable than unfavoralble feelings

towards Scouting.

Suggested Actions Towards Scouting

12. How can Scouting create more impact in the APR?

The following suggestions are given for Scouting to create more impact

in the APR:

Table 25

How Scouting can Create More Impact in the APR

Rank Suggestions

1 Promote a better leader image

2 Introduce higher skills

3 Improve training and ensure support of adult leaders

4 Promote fun in Scouting

5 Promote youth exchange programme

6 Keep the interest of older Scouts

7 Involve parents in more Scouting activities

8 Publish more support materials: magazines, books, etc.

9 Introduce co-education in Scouting

10 Design a new uniform to suit trends

11 Involve business people, government officials, and other

non-governmental organizations

12 Change traditional Scout practices

The following suggestions of the target publics received the highest

ratings: (1) Promote a better leader image; (2) Introduce higher skills;

(3) Improve training and ensure support of adult leaders; (4) Promote

fun in Scouting; and (5) Promote youth exchange programme.

It seems that traditional Scout practices associated with Scouting have

been part of the culture that the target publics have accepted and have

found favorable, and therefore need not be changed. except for the

following traditional Scout practices specified by the target publics of

China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, and Sri

Lanka, with their suggestions. The traditional practices and suggestions

have been classified into those referring to uniform, activities, leader-

ship, and membership. The number after the item refers to frequency.



Uniform:

Traditional Practice: Tradition to wear shorts—3

Suggestions:

Uniform should be changed to suit the winter weather to

take the member’s health into consideration and enable the

members to have a good impression of the niform; It is

inappropriate for Cub Scouts and Scout members to wear

shorts anymore. Allow Cub Scouts and Scouts to wear

trousers in winter. Change the culottes of females to be

more good-looking and convenient—3

Do not randomly change the name of badges.

Activities:

Traditional Practice: Assembly and mode of training for Citizen Award

Suggestions:

Increase training on computers

Include some modern survival skills

Find spokesman to promote teamwork

Remove World Scouting skills competition.

Strengthen the cooperative function and high-tech/skill

Pay more attention to discipline, team, and self-discipline

Add elements of residential camping and can camp at camp

sites and country parks, but the Explorer Badge still has room

for amendment

Leadership:

Traditional Practice: Too much reliance on guidance from adults

Suggestions:

Change the Scout titles.

Request Chief Scout to attend large-scale activities, such as Scout rally

Group Scout Leader should possess leadership skills, be

charismatic; not to be arrogant of his own power, and develop

admiration among members

Membership:

Traditional Practice: Only a group for children

Suggestion: Organize Scout groups in schools



13. How can Scouting create more impact in the countries of the APR?

Table 26 shows the Scouts/Scout Leaders’ suggestions on how Scouting can create more impact in the countries of the APR.

Table 26

How Scouting can create an impact in the countries of the APR



The following strategies were ranked No. 1 by the countries of the APR:

1. Introduce higher skills: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal,

Pakistan, and the Philippines;

2. Promote fun in Scouting: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore,

and Thailand;

3. Promote a better leader image: Indonesia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka;

4. Keep the interest of older Scouts: Australia

The Table also shows the following strategies, which likewise rank high

(1st to 5th) among most of the countries:

1. Promote a better leader image (All countries);

2. Introduce higher skills (All countries, except Australia, China, and New

Zealand);

3. Promote fun in Scouting (All countries, except Bangladesh, Bhutan,

Maldives, Mongolia, and Nepal);

4. Improve training and ensure support of adult leaders (All countries,

except Bangladesh, India, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan)

5. Promote youth exchange programme (All countries, except Australia,

Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and Sri

Lanka)

Not included in the Top Five responses for the Region are the following

strategies important to specific countries:

1. Keep the interest of older Scouts: Australia (1), Japan (2), Maldives

(3), New Zealand, Sri Lanka (4) and China, Philippines, Singapore (5);

2. Publish more support materials (magazines, books, etc.): Bangladesh,

Nepal, Pakistan (2), Bhutan (3) and India (5);

3. Involve parents in more Scouting activities: Bangladesh, Mongolia,

Nepal (4) and Australia, China (5);

4. Introduce co-education in Scouting: Indonesia, Thailand (4);

5. Design a new uniform to suit trends: Mongolia (3);

6. Involve business people, government officials, and other non-govern-

ment organizations: Bangladesh (5).

The target publics of China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines,

Singapore, and Sri Lanka offer suggestions on how Scouting can create

more impact in their countries. The suggestions have been classified

into activities, membership, governance, promotion, training, and

general suggestions: The numbers after the suggestions refer to the

number of respondents who mentioned them.

Activities:

Organize more meaningful activities-5

Initiate more community / relief services —3

Introduce and participate in more charity events—2

More emphasis on the environment; green movements to be

adopted—2

Scout activities should focus on improving the morals /character

of the young people—2

Subsidize Scout groups, districts, and regions to carry out large-

scale activities

More interactive forums; let members provide their opinions on

Scout activities

Must change the camping activities, etc. to see the present day

values of Scouting

Introduce more new content and have for example, Scouting

knowledge competition

Organize voluntary activities for other organizations,

for example, the elderly homes.

Membership

Quit from school system

Governance

Make Scouting free—3

Increase resources and assistance / more assets—2

Give consumption subsidy for uniform and activities—2

Lower the fees

Be disciplined in district

Manage Scout Groups better to become distinguished

Commend good leaders (volunteers) for their hard work

Give less active districts additional training and support

Secure assistance from the government or other organizations



Scouting needs to be made compulsory in all schools in the

country

Give Scout Groups in schools more support in Scout activities

and training

Make NSO institutionalized, such as to be regulated in the field

of education laws

Promotion

Need to promote more / use of the mass media in promotions—

TV, ads; schedule promotion at schools / in the community;

enhance promotion and verbally invite others to participate—10

Co-organize activities with film celebrities

Communicate with Scouts around the world

Should be properly taken to Nepal areas and make it known and popular.

Training

Strengthen training

Provide patronage to training programme for adult leaders

General

Popularize and introduce Scouting/It is necessary to educate the

public about Scouting—2

Be more active

Fair, open and just

Participate in the Movement

Make Scouting more interesting

Introduce the advantages of Scouting

Take innovative steps to face the current situation and demands

It will be noticed that there are some conflicting suggestions, like “Scout-

ing needs to be made compulsory in all schools in the country” and “Quit

from school system.” NSOs with big membership usually have school-

based Scouting (e.g., Indonesia and the Philippines) but it has also some

disadvantages, like quality being sacrificed for quantity in some coun-

tries. The issue has historical and cultural bases and changing the

scheme needs very careful study.

14. How can Scouting be promoted in the APR?

How Scouting can be promoted in the APR is shown in Table 26. Sugges-

tions that got the highest ranking are the following: (1) Have more

community development/service activities; (2) Have a well-organized

Public Relations structure; (3) Have a strong promotional and advertis-

ing campaign; (4) Use the Internet; and (5) Incorporate Scouting in the

school’s co-curricular activities.

Table 26

How Scouting can be Promoted in the APR

Rank Suggestions

1 Have more community development/service activities

2 Have a well-organized Public Relations structure

3 Have a strong promotional and advertising campaign

4 Use the Internet

5 Incorporate Scouting in the school’s co-curricular activities

6 Hold special events, like Jamborees, Moots, exhibitions of Scout

skills, etc.

7 Update the programme to adjust better to the needs and aspira

tions of young people

8 Develop a programme in the rural areas and for indigenous

groups

9 Produce promotional materials, e.g., posters, phone cards,

multi-media package of information, etc.

10 Others

The target publics of Scouts of China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Pakistan,

Philippines, Singapore, and Sri Lanka offer some suggestions on how

Scouting can be promoted in the APR. The numbers after the sugges-

tions refer to the frequency of the responses:



• Organize one single activity for non-Scouts to try to participate in—4

• Promote / Lecture in the streets—3

• Use TV—2

• Promote to friends—2

• Organize more activities-2

• Get financial assistance—2

• Involve youth in Scout activities—2

• Encourage the participation of parents—2

• Multi-level setting

• Have an open day

• Promote in schools

• Promote in showbiz

• Tell others in person

• Publish Scout daily news

• Give out uniforms for free

• Invite others to participate

• Have large-scale exhibition

• Utilize the benefits of Scouting

• Let Scouting cooperate with NGOs

• Seek support from the government

• Introduce the meaning of Scouting

• Maintain good traditions of Scouting

• Introduce and promote through relatives

• Recruit adult leaders from different fields

• Promote more parent-child Cub Scout groups

• Instill the message of Scouting to the parents

• Get Scout Group Leaders’ support in activities

• Include as extra-curricular activity of the school

• Organize Scout Groups with members of society

• Scouts invite non-members to participate in activities

• Let people have passion to join or understand Scouting

• Encourage students to participate in activities on Saturdays

• Attract people to participate, for example, in some good activities

• Invite famous models to join the Public Relations Division of the NSO.

• Organize more international exchange programmes and outdoor activities

• Invite celebrities, for example, film stars to be the promotions ambassador

• Promote in publications, for example, publishing books on the collection

of highlights of activities

• Secure government’s assistance, Scout members’ support,

and development in schools and in the community.

• Design a uniform that is comfortable, convenient, adapts to different

environments, simple, and good-looking for Scout and Cub Scout members

• Increase the number of leaders in primary schools, allowing schools to

absorb more pupils into the Scout groups; birth rate is low and the

population grows older, which results in a low youth population.

The NSOs suggest many possibilities of promoting Scouting—anywhere and

everywhere and to everyone—in the streets, school, communities among

non-Scouts, parents, friends, relatives, showbiz celebrities, and all others

using different media.



Chapter FiveSummary, Findings and Recommendations

Summary

This study is a repetition of the first image study done in the Asia-Pacific

Region in 2000. It describes the image of Scouting in the APR as per-

ceived by 7,103 or 83% of the expected Scouts/Scout Leaders, non-

Scouts/Scout Leaders, and parents of Scouts. The study focuses on the

knowledge, attitudes, and recommended actions for Scouting to create

an impact and be better promoted in the 17 respondent countries of the

Asia-Pacific Region: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Republic of China,

Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New

Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

The weighted mean, standard deviation, and t-test were used to deter-

mine the knowledge and attitude of the target publics about Scouting.

Frequency and ranking were used to identify the sources of information

about Scouts. Difference of means was used to find the difference between

the results of the image study in 2000 and 2008. Ranking was done to

determine which Scout section the respondents were familiar with and

difference of proportion identified the difference in response between the

2000 and 2008 image surveys. All levels of significance were computed at

.01. The questionnaire is the instrument used in the study.

Findings

The findings reveal that—

A. Knowledge about Scouting

1. Scouts/Scout Leaders know MUCH about Scouting while non-Scouts/

non-Scout Leaders know LITTLE about the Movement. There is therefore

a significant difference in the knowledge about Scouting between Scouts/

Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/Scout Leaders.

There is a significant INCREASE in the perception regarding knowledge

about Scouting among Scouts/Scout Leaders who participated in the

2008 compared to those in the 2000 image study. On the other hand

there is a significant DECREASE in the perception about the knowledge of

Scouting among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the 2008 compared to

the 2000 image study.

2. In specific countries of the APR the responses of Scouts/Scout Leaders

regarding their knowledge of Scouting ranges from FAIR (India, Australia,

Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Mongolia) to Very MUCH (Bangladesh).

Knowledge about Scouting of non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

countries of the APR ranges from VERY LITTLE (Australia and Japan) to

MUCH (Nepal).

There is a significant INCREASE in the perception regarding knowledge

about Scouting among Scouts/ Scout Leaders in the 2008 image study

compared to those in the 2000 study in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Japan,

Nepal, and the Philippines. For Australia and Thailand, there is a signifi-

cant DECLINE in the perception regarding knowledge about Scouting.

There is likewise a significant INCREASE in the perception regarding

knowledge about Scouting among non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in the

2008 image study compared to those in the 2000 image study in

Bangladesh. Nepal, and Thailand, whereas there is a DECLINE in percep-

tion regarding knowledge about Scouting in Australia, Indonesia, and

Japan. There is no significant change in Scouting knowledge between the

non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders in 2008 compared with 2000 in Bhutan,

Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, New Zealand, and Singapore.

3. The target publics are familiar with the following sections in Scouting,

ranked from most familiar to least familiar: Scouts, Cub Scouts, Senior

Scouts, Rover Scouts, and Venturers.



4. The target publics agree with all the specific knowledge statements

about Scouting, except for “Scouting is a recreational club” where they

are Uncertain. Non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders agree with all the items

about Scouting.

5. Almost all the target publics of the countries in the APR either

Strongly Agree or Agree with the following statements:

Scouting serves society.

• Scouting is a voluntary movement.

• Scouting is a worldwide movement.

• Scouting is an educational movement

• Scouting educates people in useful/life skills

• Scouting helps preserve and conserve the environment

• An aim of Scouting is education for life

except for the target publics of Australia and the non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders of Japan who are UNCERTAIN about them. The target publics of

the APR Strongly Agree that Scouting promotes peace, except those of

Australia and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of Bhutan and Japan.

6. Most of the target publics identify the following as the most common

sources of information about Scouting: adult Scout Leaders, schools,

Scout gatherings, and Girl Scouts/Guides.

There is a significant INCREASE in the proportion of Scouts/Scout

Leaders in the 2008 image study compared with the 2000 study who

considered the following sources of information: Adult Scout Leaders,

school, television, and radio. On the other hand, there is a significant

DECLINE in the proportion of respondents who considered magazine

and newsletter as sources of information among Scouts/Scout Leaders

in the 2008 compared with the 2000 image study.

There is a significant INCREASE in the proportion of non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders in 2008 compared with the 2000 image study who

considered school and television as sources of information on Scouts.

There is a significant DECLINE in the proportion of respondents who

considered the following


• Scout gathering

• Boy/Girl Scout Guides

• Magazines and Newsletters

as sources of information among Scouts/Scout Leaders who participated

in the 2008 study compared to the 2000 image study.

7. All the Scouts/Scout Leaders in the APR mention Adult Scout Leaders

as sources of information about Scouts. Except for Sri Lanka, all other

countries cite Boy/Girl Scouts/Guides as sources of information about

Scouts. On the other hand, all non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders mention

School as a source of information, except Australia, India, and New

Zealand. Boy/Girl Scouts/Guides are a source of information of non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders, except for Australia, Singapore, and Sri

Lanka.

8. In general, Scouts/Scout Leaders of the APR agree on the favorable

statements pertaining to attitude towards Scouting, while the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders generally are uncertain about them; this

difference is significant.

The target publics all DISAGREE with the statements, which show an

unfavorable attitude towards Scouting and therefore strengthens their

favorable attitude towards the Movement. The target publics are all

UNCERTAIN about some statements, which are unfavorable to Scouting:

The attitude towards Scouting between the Scouts /Scout Leaders in the

2008 and the 2000 image studies did not significantly change—both

groups manifested a favorable attitude towards Scouting. On the other

hand, the attitude towards Scouting between the non-Scouts/non-Scout

Leaders in the image study in 2008 and in 2000 changed significantly

from a favorable attitude in 2000 to an uncertain feeling in 2008.

9. Scouts/Scout Leaders in the countries of the APR have a FAVORABLE

attitude towards Scouting (as shown in their agreement with positive

statements), except for four countries: Australia, China, Maldives and



Mongolia who have an UNCERTAIN attitude towards the Movement. Non-

Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders likewise have a FAVORABLE attitude towards

Scouting in the APR, except for eight countries: Australia, Bhutan, Hong

Kong, Japan, Maldives, Mongolia, New Zealand and Singapore, whose

Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about their attitude

towards Scouting in the Region.

Bangladesh and Nepal Scouts/Scout Leaders show a significant improve-

ment in the general attitude towards Scouting from 2000 to 2008. On

the other hand, those of Australia, Bhutan and China show a significant

decline in the general attitude towards Scouting. The non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders of Bangladesh have a favorable opinion about Scouting

and the difference between the 2008 and 2000 image studies is signifi-

cant. There is no significant difference in the attitude towards Scouting

of non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders of the other countries.

In the 2008 study, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Australia show an Uncertain

attitude towards Scouting whereas they showed a favorable attitude in the

2000 study. The difference in the results is significant. The respondents

from Nepal are the opposite: in 2008 their attitude is favorable whereas

they were Uncertain in 2000; the difference is likewise significant.

10. The target publics STRONGLY AGREE on one item: that Scouts are

helpful. They all AGREE with the following favorable statements:

• Scouts are spiritually strong.

• Scouts do useful community work.

• Scouts are models to all young people.

• Adult Scout Leaders take their job seriously.

• Scouting is fun and enjoyable.


• Scouting is respected in the community.



• Scouting promotes world peace and world brotherhood.

• Scouting is the world’s most successful movement for young people.

The target publics all DISAGREE with the following unfavorable statements:

• Scouts lack discipline.



• Scouting is out of date or old-fashioned.

The target publics are all UNCERTAIN about the following

unfavorable statements:




Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with all the favorable items.

The Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders AGREE with most of

the favorable statements and DISAGREE with most of the unfavorable

statements, except in the following statements where they are uncertain:

Favorable statement (Uncertain):

• Scouting programme is better than the programmes offered by other

youth organizations.

Unfavorable statements (Uncertain):









It is interesting to note that the opinions of the Scouts

/Scout Leaders and non-Scouts/non-Scout Leaders differ significantly on

the following statements:


• Adult Scout Leaders don’t practice what they preach.





• Scouting is no longer relevant to today’s youth.

Scouts/Scout Leaders DISAGREE with the statements whereas the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about them.

Another difference in opinion is observed in the statement “Scouting

programme is better than the programmes offered by other youth

organizations.” Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with this while the non-

Scouts/non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about it. The differences in

all the responses of the Scouts/Scout Leaders and non Scouts/non

Scout Leaders are significant.

11. The countries of the APR Strongly Agree/Agree with the statements:

“Scouts are helpful” and “Scouts do useful community work,” except in

Japan where the Scouts/Scout Leaders AGREE with the two statements

while the Non-Scouts/Non-Scout Leaders are UNCERTAIN about them.


the following positive statements with a few exceptions:


• Scouts are models to other young people.



The target publics of the countries in the APR are mostly either UNCER-

TAIN or Strongly Disagree/Disagree with the following unfavorable

statements about Scouting:





• Scouting is out of date or old fashioned.


C. Suggested Actions

12. for Scouting to Create More Impact in the APR, The following sug-

gestions of the target publics received the highest ratings: (1) Promote a

better leader image; (2) Introduce higher skills; (3) Improve training

and ensure support of adult leaders; (4) Promote fun in Scouting; and

(5) Promote youth exchange programmes.

14. To promote Scouting in the Region, the following suggestions received

the highest ratings: (1) Have more community development/service

activities; (2) Have a well-organized Public Relations structure; (3) Have a

strong promotional and advertising campaign; (4) Use the Internet; and

(5) Incorporate Scouting in the school’s co-curricular activities.



Recommendations

The recommendations have been organized following the framework

illustrated in Figure 20. Furthermore, they are offered for consideration

by countries who will find them applicable to their particular situation.

Programme and Adult Resources

1. There is a prevailing misconception among the target publics (Scouts

and non-Scouts alike—young people and adults) that Scouting is a

recreational club. This seems to show the need for a balance between

fun and learning and demonstrating useful Scouting skills.

2. A regular revisiting of the Scouting programme to make it more

relevant to the times will add life skills and higher order thinking skills, in

addition to Scouting skills necessary to participate in regular Scouting

activities (camping, hiking, etc.). To adjust to changes in modern society,

young people need to develop resistance skills, resiliency, conflict resolu-

tion, critical thinking skills, communication skills, entrepreneurial skills,

problem-solving and decision-making skills, and other life skills. Some of

these skills are already integrated in trainer training courses and steps

need to be taken to ensure that the Scouts learn them.

3. The qualitative statements about Scouting shows that the target

publics’ image of Scouting is still the traditional one, mentioning the

activities and symbols for which it is known—community service, camp-

ing, survival skills, good citizenship, leadership, team spirit, the Good

Turn, character, and the uniform. The unfavorable statements relate to

its lack of promotion, its focus on the usual Scouting skills, which seems

to show that it is being left behind by progress, not changing, not

innovative, and its being expensive. These insights can be taken into

consideration in reviewing the Scouting programme.

4. The role of the Scout Leaders has to be clearly defined in Scouting. The

findings that Scouting members and non-members alike are uncertain

about Scouts becoming too dependent on their leaders and about Scout-

ing developing militaristic leaders is disturbing. Actions speak louder than

words. Scout Leaders might be projecting a very directive leadership

towards Scouts, which is not the essence of Scouting. A re-examination

of roles and the behavior of professional and volunteer leaders need to be

clarified and assessed so that the image they are projecting is what it

should be. Scouts can be given more autonomy to be on their own

without Scout Leaders, where advisable. Maximize the potentials of Patrol

Leaders. After all, that is the essence of the Scout Method.

5. It is about time to explore different modes of delivering training—not

just the face-to-face classroom style training courses. Technology has

opened up new training approaches—mentoring, modular, distance

learning, and other alternative learning systems. Through these, the

training of leaders can be extended to unreached areas where Scouting

can take root.

Marketing Strategy

1. Public relations is a profession and can be handled excellently by

professionals, hence it would be well for NSOs to hire or seek the help

of PR professionals to develop a PR structure and strategize marketing

of Scouting.

2. Concentrate on the promotion of Scouting to let the non-Scouts/non-

Scout Leaders know what Scouting really is so that their attitude

towards the Movement will improve. The study shows that the knowl-

edge of the public about Scouting has not improved since 2000. The

public still knows little about the Movement. This little knowledge is the

probable reason why the non-members have an uncertain attitude

towards Scouting, considering that in 2000 they had agreed with

positive statements about Scouting.

3. The involvement of non-Scouts in Scout activities, especially parents,

relatives, friends, and colleagues makes Scouting visible to the commu-

nity and educates the public about what Scouts do. Scouting can benefit



from free publicity if Scouts become very visible on occasions when

help is most needed, for example, in times of emergency, whether

brought about by natural or man-made disasters—floods, fire, volcanic

eruption, earthquake, etc. for which the Asia-Pacific Region is famous.

On the safer side, there are many community service projects that

Scouts can do which can earn for them free publicity:

• Visiting home for the aged

• Organizing a camp for the differently-abled

• Walk for charity

• Partnering with a government or non-government organization and

assisting them in their projects, for example, planting trees in cooperation

with the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources or Forestry

• And countless others

These are all opportunities to advertise Scouting for what it really is.

NSOs and Scout Leaders just have to be aware of opportunities and

grab them. Surprisingly, although there was mention of the Good Turn,

no one among the respondents mentioned the Scout motto “Be Pre-

pared” as symbolizing Scouting. Does this show that Scouts are no

longer thought of as being prepared every time, especially when help is

needed?

4. Be Prepared, the Good Turn, the uniform, and camping are expres-

sions of the Scout culture. They are unique to Scouting. They are what

differentiates Scouting from other youth organizations. They are selling

points of Scouting and can be focused on. Make the Scouts proud to

wear the uniform not only during ceremonies but during every Scouting

activity. Needless to say, Scout Leaders need to be models in this. This

is branding that makes Scouting known.

5. The popularity of computers among the young people and adults has

opened more avenues for making the public aware of Scouting. All

types of media and methods can be explored to promote Scouting:

• Creating a website

• Lecturing in the streets

• Doing a round of schools to promote Scouting

• Organizing exhibits in community centers or town halls

• Using posters, banners, and billboards in public areas

• Publishing a Scout newspaper, magazine, or bulletin

• Celebrating events in a grandiose way, like B-P Day, Foundation of

Scouting, etc.

• Making Scout membership a privilege by partnering with commercial

establishments in giving perks to Scouts showing their membership card

• Organizing a Scout band, rondalla, or a choir that can be invited to

participate in community activities to provide music and entertainment

The NSOs suggest many possibilities of promoting Scouting—anywhere

and everywhere and to everyone—in the streets, school, communities

among non-Scouts, parents, friends, relatives, showbiz celebrities, and

all others using different media.

Internal and External Publics

1. Scouts, Scout Leaders, and Scout gatherings are still the major

sources of information on Scouting, hence all of them need to project a

positive image—smart Scouts following the Scout Law, Scout Leaders

serving as models, and Scout gatherings that mirror a positive image of

what Scouting is.

2. Two issues have emerged for which there is no definite answer

because some countries have found them advantageous and some not:

whether Scouting should be school-based or not and whether it should

involve political figures or not.

3. Partnering with other organizations in activities that will improve life

in the community will strengthen the organization and earn support for

the Movement. Institutions like the schools, churches, youth organiza-

tions, community clubs, sports clubs, government and non-government

agencies like the Red Cross, concerned citizen groups, military agencies,

social organizations, and any other body working with similar objectives

as the Boy/Girl Scouts / Guides can partner with them and either—

• become a sponsoring institution adopting the Scouting programme



• organize a joint activity or project for the good of the community

• organize themselves into “Friends of Scouting” or “Scouting Senior Citizens”

to support the Organization.

Membership and Resources

No matter how excellent the Scouting programme is if there are no Scouts

to make use of it, the programme will be useless. Hence, the NSOs have to con-

tinue to face the challenge of sustaining /improving their membership. This can be

done using different strategies:

1. Maintain a Membership Committee whose task is to plan, promote, and monitor

membership growth

2. Conduct annual Membership Recruitment Campaign

3. Identify strategic areas for recruitment, especially those not yet reached

by Scouting

4. Restudy the registration fee system to determine how it can be made affordable

to Scouts without being a burden to their parents, not necessarily lowering the fee

but enabling the Scouts to earn it.

5. Recognize Councils / provinces / districts with remarkable membership growth

6. Focus on a retention programme, which in the long run will provide for more

efficient and lasting growth. Study the membership growth. Identify the section

where the NSO usually loses its members and study how to fill in that gap so that

the Scouts will proceed to the next section of the Scouting family. Hence, it is also

important that Scout Leaders of different sections have good relationship with each

other so that the Scouts can transition to the next section smoothly. It would be well

to assign a leader in charge of transitioning boys to the next section in the Group.

The recommendations above are specific to the foci indicated. However, they

should not be taken in isolation, assigning a group to take care of an aspect. Each

NSO should bring its acts together, through a serious and systematic procedure of

strategic planning, implementing, monitoring implementation, and evaluating.



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image of scouting in the asia-pacific region

Documents

acknowledgmentthis image

bangladesh scouts

nepal scouts

scout association of

scout association of

bharat scouts guidesindia

scout association of

survey teams scouts