Slovenia

Promise:

Guide/Scout Promise

On my honour I promise that, with divine help, I will conscientiously strive to serve God and my country, help others and obey the Guide/Scout Law.

Cub Guide/Scout Promise

I promise that with divine help I will strive to do my very best to become a better person, help others and obey the Pack Law.

Law:

Guide/Scout Law

1 A Guide’s/Scout’s honour is to be trusted.

2 A Guide/Scout is loyal to God and her/his country.

3 A Guide/Scout helps others and does at least one good deed every day.

4 A Guide/Scout is a friend to all people and a sister/brother to all other Guides/Scouts.

5 A Guide/Scout is courteous.

6 A Guide/Scout respects nature, seeing in it the work of God.

7 A Guide/Scout obeys her/his parents and her/his superiors and conscientiously performs her/his duties.

8 A Guide/Scout whistles and sings in difficulties.

9 A Guide/Scout is hard working and thrifty.

10 A Guide/Scout is pure in thought, word and deed.

The youngest members of the Association (Cub Guides and Cub Scouts) have a special Law and a special Promise reflecting the Guide/Scout values that suit their age.

Cub Guide/Scout Law

1 The Cub Guide/Cub Scout is as considerate of others as of herself/ himself.

2 The Cub Guide/Cub Scout lives merrily and honestly in the Pack.

Age groups:

Ranger/Rover 16-20

Girl Guide/Boy Scout 11-15

Cub Guide/Cub Scout 8-10

Development of the movement:

Scouting in Slovenia began when Slovenia was a part of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1922, Bosnian and Serbian Scouts attended a meeting of ‘Sokoli’ (Falcons) a political and sporting Movement of Yugoslavia and of some other European countries

Officially, the organization was founded in October 1922. The Slovene Scout Region was established in early 1923 in Ljubljana. The organization was part of the Yugoslav organization, which was a founder member of WAGGGS in 1928 and member of WOSM as well. The first Slovene Scout and Guide Camp was organized during the summer of 1923, in a Slovene alpine resort.

The Scout Organization was officially dissolved in 1941, due to the occupation regime during the Second World War. Just before the dissolution, there were 1,380 members of the Slovene Scout and Guide Organization.

However, Slovenian Scouting and Guiding continued: at first in refugee camps, and afterwards in Argentina and Canada where the Slovene refugees found their new homes. The Movement also revived among the Slovene ethnic groups in neighbouring countries: the Slovene Carinthian Scouts (in 1957) in Austria, the Slovene Scouts of Trieste (in 1951 boys and in 1958 girls), and the Slovene Scouts of Gorizia (in 1963 girls and in 1964 boys).

In 1984 Peter Lovöin joined the Scout and Guide Movement and decided to start Scouting and Guiding in the Slovene capital Ljubljana. In 1985 he went to camp with the Scouts of Gorizia and in 1986 he made the Scout Promise as one of them. In the same year, he gathered a group of young people round him in one of the parishes of Ljubljana.

The group was growing, and in the autumn of 1988 moved to another parish of Ljubljana. At St. George’s festival in 1989, 12 boys and girls made the Scout Promise.

With the new school year, four Patrols were established. They enthusiastically lived the Scout and Guide ideal, and the Scout and Guide Movement began to spread all over Slovenia.

On 31 March 1990, the Slovenian Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association (ZSKSS) was officially founded. The first legal Scout/Guide Promises were made by 29 Girl Guides and Boy Scouts in a suburb of Ljubljana on 20 May, 1990.

The Organization of ZSKSS

ZSKSS consists of:

a) ‘steg’ (there are 54 local Guide and Scout units in Slovenia)

b) the Guide and Scout Regions

c) the national organization of ZSKSS (Assembly of the Association, the Executive Committee, the Supervisory Committee, Court of Honour)

Membership has grown from 45 members in 1990 to over 4000 members in

Programme:

Every three years the Programme Committee chaired by the National Programme Commissioner proposes an educational objective or a theme for the whole Association which is adjusted to regional and local levels. The objective is chosen after analysis of the needs of young people and reading of trends in Slovenian society. The Association tries to incorporate the WAGGGS’ world theme as well. In the last triennium ZSKSS worked on projects about natural and cultural heritage and focusing more on education for active citizenship.

ZSKSS is currently in the process of renewing its educational programme. As part of this, the ‘Storm of Hope’ – a national camp of all leaders’ communities – was organized in August 1999. One of the aims of the meeting was to work on a definition of ZSKSS’s educational aims as the basis for the new educational programme.

The main areas of the Association’s work in future will be: a sense for others (solidarity); natural and cultural heritage; male-female relations; spirituality and church; education (contents, structure, role of non-formal education); democracy and citizenship.

Relationship to society:

Communication and Co-operation

The Slovene Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association enjoys a special status as a national youth organization. As such, it receives support from the government Office for Youth. ZSKSS regularly receives grants from the Slovenian Government for different projects. It is also an active member of the National Youth Council of Slovenia.

ZSKSS has a special status as an organization with public importance because of co-operation with the Ministry of Defence in the area of civil protection.

ZSKSS is recognized by Slovenia’s Episcopal Conference. It is a member of the Slovenian Lay Council.

The Slovene Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association co-operates with ZTS, the other national scouting organization, on a few projects a year.

There is a publication for all members Skavitč, published every two months. ZSKSS has a special group working on electronic communication, SkavtNet Solvenia. The Association now has a website.

Training:

The ZSKSS has a special committee dedicated to the training of leaders, chaired by the Training Commissioner, a regular member of the organization’s Executive Committee.

The Committee for Leader Training works very closely with the Committee for the Programme. Training courses are arranged for leaders with different experience and knowledge. The committee organizes seven training courses each year. Each course is designed to train a different target group of leaders.

A Training Commissioner is also responsible for the training of trainers, which includes two annual meetings (one one-day and one weekend) of trainers and one training course every two years. According to the needs of the leaders, the Training Commissioner also organizes two to three seminars or workshops on different topics of current interest. Details are described in the Training Scheme, which was accredited by WAGGGS in 1998.

Projects

• Bethlehem Light of Peace
• Environmental Education Training