This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Zaian (talk | contribs) at 18:08, 27 March 2006 (General info moved to Scout Leader page, leaving info about US Scoutmaster role, and historic use of the term.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:08, 27 March 2006 by Zaian (talk | contribs) (General info moved to Scout Leader page, leaving info about US Scoutmaster role, and historic use of the term.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
A Scoutmaster is the primary adult Scout Leader of a Scout Troop. The Scoutmaster is responsible for guiding the Scouts in running their Troop. By advising the youth leaders (most notably the Senior Patrol Leader) of the Troop, the Scoutmaster seeks to provide them with opportunities for personal growth through leadership and activity.
There are many training programs for adult Scout leaders, with the Wood Badge being considered the top level.
In the United States, the term Scoutmaster is used for the adult leader of the Scout Troop. Corresponding to the role of Scoutmaster is the position of Cubmaster in Cub Scouts, Team Coach in Varsity Scouts, Crew Advisor in Venturing, and Skipper in Sea Scouting. Scoutmaster is a gender-neutral term, being used for both women and men, though early in Scouting history, Scoutmistress was also commonly used. The term Scouter is used to refer to any scout leader, in any program.
Outside the United States, many English-speaking Scout Associations use different terms for this position. Historically, the term Scoutmaster was used by the founder of Scouting, Robert Baden-Powell, but as the word 'master' picked up old-fashioned or negative connotations, many of these changed their terminology following the example of The Scout Association in the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the terms Scout Leader, Assistant Scout Leader, Cub Scout Leader, Venture Scout Leader, Group Scout Leader and so on are now used. Collectively all adult leaders are called Scouters. In South Africa, the terms Troop Scouter, Pack Scouter and so on are used.
See also
- Scout Leader
- Harcmistrz, the highest Scouting instructor rank in Poland