Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija

Infobox WorldScouting
name =Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija


image-size =
caption =Latvian Scout and Guide Central Organisation
type =
owner =
age =
headquarters =Kalpaka bulv. 10-18
location =Riga
country =Latvia
coords =
f-date =1917/1990
defunct =
founders =
founder =
award-for =
members =1,436
chiefscouttitle =
chiefscout =
chiefscouttitle2 =
chiefscout2 =
chiefscouttitle3 =
chiefscout3 =
website =http://www.lsgco.bkc.lv/
affiliation =World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Organization of the Scout Movement
next =
prev =

Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija, ("Latvian Scout and Guide Central Organisation"), the primary national Scouting and Guiding organization of Latvia is a member of both the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The coeducational Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija serves 1,436 members as of 2008.

History

The Latvian Scouting program is based on the principles and methods created by Robert Baden-Powell, later forbidden by the Soviet government in 1940. The first Scout troop in Latvia was established on April 17, 1917 under tsarist Russia, by Arvīds Bredermanis and other Scouts from Tartu, Estonia, followed by several other Scout troops in the Riga area. The official founding of Scouting in Latvia is counted to be 1917.

The Latvian Scout Organization Latvijas Skautu Organizācija was established in 1921, and Latvia was a founding member of the World Organization, from 1922 to 1940.

Guiding was started in Latvia in 1921 under the Latvian Youth Organizations. In early 1922 "Latvijas Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija" was set up, and Girl Guiding was permitted to operate as an independent organization. Latvia enjoyed a visit from Olave Baden-Powell, World Chief Guide, in 1933 and had a very active Guiding movement until it was banned in 1940.

In 1940, after the Soviet occupation of Latvia, a special officer was appointed by the communists to abolish Scouting. Scouting continued unofficially and underground, operating without uniforms and in the forests to avoid detection. In 1941, the Communists killed the Latvian Scout founder and President, General Kārlis Goppers (1876-1941). The former Scout Commissioner for Latvia, Valdemārs Klētnieks, fled to the United States as a refugee after World War II. [cite book|last=Goodman|first=E. Urner|authorlink=E. Urner Goodman|title=The Building of a Life|publisher=Standard Printing|location=St. Augustine, Fla.|year=1965 Goodman, who was National Program Director of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in the 1940s, and his wife took in the exiled Latvian Scout Commissioner, Valdemārs Klētnieks, and his family at their Vermont farm. As of 2006, Klētnieks' grandson and great-grandson are members of the BSA and his daughter lives in Riga.]

With the fall of communism, Scouting reemerged, and in 1989, the first Latvian Scout and Guide camp was organized. In 1990, Latvian Scouts held their fifth National Jamboree, "Renewal" and invited several other countries to participate.

"Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija" (the Latvian Scout and Guide Central Organization, LSGCO) rejoined the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in 1993, as well as the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. There were 452 registered Scouts (as of 2008)cite web |title=Triennial Report 2005-2008 |url=http://scout.org/en/content/download/11615/94838/file/Triennial_Report_EN.pdf |publisher=World Organization of the Scout Movement |accessdate=2008-07-13] and 984 registered Guides (as of 2003).

Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija is the largest youth organization in Latvia. LSGCO's goal is to develop physical, mental, moral and social skills in Latvian youth and to develop a loyalty to Latvia. The main purpose is to recognize the needs and wants of Latvian youth and to encourage self development.

Ideals and principles

The organization is based on the following principles:
*Duty to God-encourage the fulfillment of their religion.
*Duty to others-to help other people, your nation and country
*Develop friendship and cooperation among all nations.
*Duty to oneself-being responsible for ones development.

The Scout and Guide Motto is "Esi Modrs", translating as "Be Watchful" in Latvian, the response to which is (masculine) "Arvien Modrs!", and (feminine), "Arvien Modra!", "Always Watchful!" The Little Fire Motto is "Centīšos!", "I will try". The Latvian noun for a single Scout is "Skauts".

Guide Oath (Gaidu solijums)

: Ar goda vārdu solos visiem spēkiem: censties: būt uzticīga Dievam un: Latvijai, palīdzēt tuvākajiem katrā: brīdi, pildīt gaidu likumus.

: "On my honor, I will do my best; to do my duty to God and Latvia, to help other people as all times and to obey the Scout/Guide Law."

cout Law

*A Scout is trustworthy
*A Scout is loyal to fatherland
*A Scout is self-denying and helpful
*A Scout is friendly and tolerant
*A Scout is courteous
*A Scout is a friend to nature
*A Scout is obedient
*A Scout is alert in hardsips
*A Scout is active and thrifty
*A Scout is clean in thoughts, words and deeds

Program sections

*Mazskauts-Cub Scouts/Guntiņa "Little Fire" or Brownies-7 to 11
*Skauts or Scouts/Gaida or Guides-12 to 16
*Lielgaida or Rovers/Rangers-over 16

Gaidu likumi (Guide Law)

# Gaida ir patiesa
# Gaida ir uzticīga Tēvijai
# Gaida ir pašaizliedzīga un palīdzīga
# Gaida ir draudzīga un iecietīga
# Gaida ir pieklājīga
# Gaida ir dabas draudzene
# Gaida ir paklausīga
# Gaida ir moža grūtībās
# Gaida ir darbīga un taupīga
# Gaida ir tīra domās, vārdos un darbos.

Little Fire Promise

: Censties gribu guntiņa: Paklausīga, laba būt,: Lai mirdz mans tikumiņš: Kā mirdz spoža uguntiņa

Little Fire Law

# Guntiņa klausa vecāko
# Guntiņa valda sevi

Emblem

The membership badge of Latvijas Skautu un Gaidu Centrālā Organizācija Scout emblem incorporates three stars of the coat of arms of Latvia, which embody the idea of the inclusion of historical districts (Vidzeme, Latgale and combined Courland-Semigalia ("Kurzeme-Zemgale") into the united Latvia.

References

Further reading

* World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Bureau (2002), "Trefoil Round the World". Eleventh Edition 1997. ISBN 0-900827-75-0

External links

* [http://www.lsgco.bkc.lv/ Official website]