National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine

National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine
Національна організація скаутів України
Country	Ukraine
Founded	27 March 2007
Membership	4,650
Chairman	Viktor Bocharnikov
First Vice-Chairman	Andriy Chesnokov
International Commissioner	Olena Hlushka
Affiliation	World Organization of the Scout Movement
Website www.scouting.org.ua
Scouting portal

Plast Girl Scout gives the Scout sign.

The National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Національна організація скаутів України, Natsionalna organizatsiya skautiv Ukrajiny, NOSU)^[1] was established in 2007 by the three largest Scout organizations in Ukraine-the all-Ukrainian youth organization "SPOK", Plast and the All-Ukrainian organization Sich (Січ) meaning Cossack fortress. Membership stood at 4,650 Scouts in 2011.^[2]

Recent history

In 2004, the Ukrainian Scout Youth Public Organization Spilka Pionerskykh Orhanizatzii Kyïva (literally Kiev Pioneer Movement Organization or SPOK, with a membership of 3,750 in 18 of 26 Ukrainian oblasts) applied for WOSM membership. In January, 2005, this motion was recommended by the World Scout Bureau. Since more than 5% of the National Scouting Organizations voted against the application, Germany and the Boy Scouts of America among the opposing votes, SPOK was not admitted to WOSM and withdrew the application. As a result of this, a special mission of the World Scout Committee was sent to Ukraine. Ukrainian Scouting endeavored to set up a new Scouting body unifying Plast and SPOK in order to satisfy WOSM requirements, to be worked out by 2008, as all parties were motivated to join the international community.

Following the recommendations of Resolution 2/05 adopted by the 37th World Scout Conference in Tunisia, the constitutive congress of the National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine (NOSU) was held on 27 March 2007. The congress, which gathered Scout representatives from most regions of Ukraine, approved the Constitution of NOSU and elected its governing bodies. This event was made possible thanks to efforts of three Scout associations (Plast, SPOK and Sich) to work towards unification of Scouting in Ukraine in a new single National Scout Organization so as to be able to join WOSM.

The Constitution of NOSU was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in November 2007, thus confirming the creation of a single National Scout Organization in Ukraine. An amended version of this Constitution was received on 4 February 2008 and formally approved by the Constitutions Committee and the World Scout Committee.

In 2008, NOSU applied for membership through the World Scout Bureau into the World Organization of the Scout Movement.^[3] In accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of WOSM, the World Scout Committee considered this application at its meeting from 29 February to 2 March 2008, and recommended that it be accepted. Under the terms of Article VI.2 of the WOSM Constitution, "if within three months the recommendation is unopposed or opposed by less than five percent of the Member Organizations", NOSU was declared a Member, as the National Scout Organization of Ukraine, of the World Organization of the Scout Movement as from 1 July 2008.

WOSM Acting Secretary General Luc Panissod visited NOSU in mid-March 2008. He had the opportunity to meet and talk with various groups of young people (candidates to join, patrol leaders, summer camp young leaders) and adult leaders responsible of local Scout groups. He also met with the Deputy Minister of Family, Youth and Sports, one of the founding members of one of the Scout associations, who confirmed full support of the authorities to NOSU. He also had several working sessions with leaders of NOSU to assess the level of development of the organization.

The organization has a loaned headquarters and several campsites. Elements of a progressive scheme include merit badges, which are illustrated in their handbook and are obtained on a progressive basis. At present, NOSU is a small organization and has only one professional staff regularly employed in application of existing legislation. Being a new organization, NOSU still has to develop an efficient working organization.

NOSU membership is open to girls and boys, women and men, in three age sections: Cubs (6-10), Scouts (11-16) and Rovers (16-24). As at 31 December 2007, NOSU comprised 2,475 members including 718 female youth members, 1,546 male youth members, plus some 200 adult leaders and Council members.

NOSU membership is made approximately of 40% from Plast, 40% from SPOK and 20% from Sich. The same percentages are reflected at the National Council level. While double membership still exists (one can be member of NOSU and member of one of the three above associations), direct membership for new members is strongly encouraged. It is the objective of NOSU's leadership that NOSU will be successful enough to attract more members from the three associations who are not yet members of NOSU. Further unification of Scouting through integration of other Scout groups in Ukraine is envisaged through the chartering system.

The Chairman of the National Council is Viktor Bocharnikov, the First Deputy Chairman of the National Council is Andriy Chesnokov and the International Commissioner is Olena Halushka. All duties in Ukrainian Scouting, from local to the National Council levels, are performed by a combination of volunteer workers and paid professionals. In becoming a member of WOSM, NOSU will become, as it so desires, a member of the Eurasia Scout Region.

Constituent organizations

• 

  Plast

• 

  All Ukrainian Youth Public Organization SPOK

See also

• Scouting in Ukraine

References

1. ^ http://www.scouting.org.ua Офіційний веб-сайт Національної організації скаутів України
2. ^ "Triennal review: Census as at 1 December 2010". World Organization of the Scout Movement. http://scout.org/en/content/download/22261/199900/file/Census.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 
3. ^ [1]