Bronze Wolf Award

infobox WorldScouting
type = award
name = Bronze Wolf


caption = Award with ribbon
f-date = 1935-08-02
founder = International Committee
country = worldwide
members = 320 (2005 data)
award-for = Outstanding service to ScoutingThe Bronze Wolf is the only award made by the World Scout Committee. It is given solely in recognition of outstanding service by an individual to the World Scout Movement. The Bronze Wolf award was first approved by the International Committee meeting in Stockholm on August 2, 1935. The Committee unanimously awarded the first Bronze Wolf to the Chief Scout of the World, Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell.

History

During the early years of the development of the Scout Movement throughout the world, it was the practice of the Founder, Lord Baden-Powell, to give the Silver Wolf to Scouters in any country who had done outstandingly valuable work for the Movement.

The award was of course highly valued, but it began to be realized that the Silver Wolf was a British Scout decoration, even though it was given by the Chief Scout of the World. Accordingly, the International Committee decided in 1924 to ask Baden-Powell if he would consider the institution of a special award which might be offered in their name, "to be awarded on the recommendation of the International Committee for outstanding international services to the Scout Movement".

The Chief Scout was anxious to avoid a multiplicity of awards, but at the same time he realized that there was a definite need for something to fill this particular need. In 1932 he reopened the question and after further consultations with the International Committee it was decided in June 1934 to create the award of the Bronze Wolf. As its name implies the decoration is a wolf in bronze and it is worn round the neck on a green ribbon with a yellow edging.

On the proposal of one of its members, Mr. Walter W. Head, the International Committee unanimously awarded the first Bronze Wolf to Lord Baden-Powell himself.

During the first twenty years of the award, only twelve awards were made. This was in accordance with the International Committee's policy that the award should only be made for "outstanding international services" and with their earlier decision that no more than two awards would normally be made during any one biennial period. However, this decision was made when the strength of Scouting throughout the world was much less than it is today.

Today, the Bronze Wolf is still the only award made by the World Scout Committee – the successor to the International Committee. It is given solely in recognition of outstanding services by an individual to the World Scout Movement. Under present guidelines, approximately one award for each 2,000,000 members worldwide is made each year. As of 2002, a total of 320 awards had been made.

References

*cite web|url=http://www.scout.org/wsrc/fs/bronzewolf_e.shtml
work=WOSM Resource Center|title=The Bronze Wolf|accessdate=5 May|accessyear=2008

ee also

* List of recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award
* Silver Wolf of The Scout Association
* Silver Buffalo Award of the Boy Scouts of America
* Silver Fish of Girlguiding UK