1st Facebook Scout Group
Those that believe Scouts still meet in damp draughty village halls may be surprised to know that the largest Scout Group in the world is to be found rooted firmly in the virtual world.The 1st Facebook Scout Group may have only been running for a year, but it can already boast almost 10,000 members, the majority of which are involved in Scouting in the real world too.
Founder of the 1st Facebook Scout Group, Mark Foster, admits to being surprised about the Group's success, "It just occurred to me there should be a Scout Group on Facebook. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek to start with, it was never meant to have the impact it has."
Members are not limited to traditional catchment areas, with Scouts joining from countries as far afield as Hong Kong, Chile and the Maldives.
Like in the real world Scouts are not adverse to adventure in the virtual world, with it being one of the first UK charities to recognise the value of communicating with young people through social networking websites.
In 2005 they launched an Explorer Scout page on MySpace, and many Scouts across the UK can be found to have a presence on various Social networking sites. Such sites make it easier for Scouts to stay in touch with each other as well as arrange events and expeditions.
"I'm going to university in October and it will be difficult to stay in touch so it will allow me to keep up with Scouting. I don't want travel and time restraints to be a problem" said 18-year old Andrew Duke, a member of 1st Facebook and Essex Scout Network.
Scouts still flock to large camps. Over 12,000 Scouts and Guides camped last week at the Essex International Jamboreee and members of 1st Facebook have been meeting up, sometimes for the first time, recognizing each other from their distinctive navy blue and white scarves.
The Jamboree took place a year after the Scouts celebrated their 100th anniversary when over 28 million scouts in more than 216 countries renewed a vow to do their best and emphasized the environmental and friendship message of the world's largest co-educational youth movement.
"I'm sure Baden-Powell would have loved the idea," said Foster. "It's all about what he started the Movement for; it's just what Scouting is about - making friends."
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