Location Ljubljana Founded March 31, 1990 | Country Slovenia Membership 4,700 | |
Headquarters Ulica Janeza Pavla II. 13 Chief Scout Irena Mrak Merhar
Žiga Kovačič | ||
Združenje slovenskih katoliških skavtinj in skavtov (ZSKSS, Slovenian Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association) is the national Guiding organization of Slovenia. It is an independent, voluntary, youth, educational and open Slovenian Scout and Guide association which was established in 1990 taking into account pre-Second World War Slovenian Scouting and was built up on experience and values from other scout and guide associations especially AGESCI (Associazione Guide e Scout Cattolici Italiani) who helped establishing the concept of the organizations activity (structure, education, programme).
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ZSKSS is a member of WAGGGS (WAGGGS).
Affiliated to ZSKSS is the Slovenska Zamejska Skavtska Organizacija (SZSO) serving Slovenian Scouts in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy, which is also affiliated to the Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani.
For individual members of ZSKSS, Zveza tabornikov Slovenije, the Slovenian WOSM member, guarantees the right of personal WOSM-membership.
History
The history of Scouting in Slovenia dates to when Slovenia was a part of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and possibly back to 1915. In 1922, a meeting of Sokol, an important political and sporting movement in Yugoslavia, took place in Ljubljana, and Bosnian and Serbian Scouts attended. Scouting was officially established in Slovenia in October 1922, when a large number of Scout groups in Slovenia contributed to the establishment of the Scout Parish for Croatia and Slovenia, founded in Osijek. The Slovenia Scout Region was established in early 1923 in Ljubljana. The first Slovene Scout and Guide camp was organized during the summer of 1923 at a Slovene alpine resort. Scouting in Slovenia was officially dissolved on June 10, 1941 because of World War II. Just prior to the dissolution, there were 1,380 members of the Slovene Scout Organization.
Scouting in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was coopted by the Tito government in 1950, at which time WOSM membership was forfeited.
Slovene Scouting continued in exile, at first in refugee camps, and afterwards in Argentina and Canada, and in the Slovene communities in nearby Gorizia and Trieste, where Slovene refugees found new homes. The Movement also revived among the Slovene ethnic groups in neighboring countries: The Slovene Carinthian Scouts (in 1957) in Austria (today part of the Pfadfinder und Pfadfinderinnen Österreichs); the Slovene Scouts of Trieste (Slovenske Zamejske Skavtske Organizacije (SZSO) Trst) in 1951 for boys and in 1958 for girls; and the Slovene Scouts of Gorizia (SZSO - Slovenski goriški skavti), in 1963 for girls and 1964 for boys.
In 1984, a secondary school student from Ljubljana, Peter Lovšin, became acquainted with the Scout Movement. He decided to begin apolitical Scouting in Ljubljana. In the summer of 1985 he went to camp with Scouts of Gorizia, and in 1986 he made the Scout Promise as one of their rank. In the same year he gathered a group of young people around him in one of the Catholic parishes of Ljubljana, with assistance from Scouts of Trieste and Gorizia. The group was growing and in autumn 1988 moved to another parish of Ljubljana. By the Saint George festival in 1989, 12 boys and girls made the Scout Promise, and by 1990, there were 21 Girl Guides and 18 Boy Scouts. The Catholic Scout Movement began to spread all over Slovenia. On March 31, 1990, the Združenje slovenskih katoliških skavtinj in skavtov (ZSKSS) was founded. The first legal Scout Promises were made by 29 Girl Guides and Boy Scouts, in a suburb of Ljubljana on May 20 of that year. Officially the ZSKSS was registered on Sunday, October 22, 1992.
In 1996 ZSKSS was accepted as an associate member of WAGGGS. ZSKSS received full membership in WAGGGS in 1999.
Program
The primary purpose of the Association is to contribute to the full physical, mental, spiritual and social development of young people so that they can become people of strong character, responsible citizens and members of local, national and international communities. It has the status of an association of public interest in the field of education and the status of a national youth organization.
Their mission is realize through the following activities:
In addition to volunteers, the organization has five full-time employees (a secretary and four professional workers). Their offices in Ljubljana are in a long-term lease and they have another long-term lease at the Slovenia Forest Service for a house in Kočevski rog. There they have the Environmental Scout Centre.
The organization has a strong network in local communities and thus a large range of target groups, and at the same time a great support apparatus of volunteers across Slovenia.
Sections
The association works in four age sections:
Mottos
The Beaver Scout Motto is Trden jez, translating as Solid dam in Slovenian. The Cub Scout Motto is Kar najbolje, translating as Best as possible in Slovenian. The Scout Motto is Bodi pripravljen!, translating as Be Prepared in Slovenian. The Rover Scout Motto is Služiti, translating as To serve in Slovenian.
Scout Oath
Pri svoji časti obljubljam, da si bom z božjo pomočjo prizadeval/a služiti Bogu in domovini, pomagati svojemu bližnjemu in izpolnjevati skavtske zakone.
On my honor I promise that with divine help I will conscientiously serve God and my native land, help other people and obey the Guide/Scout Law.
Scout Law
A Guide's/Scout's honor is to be trusted.
A Guide/Scout is loyal to God and homeland.
A Guide/Scout helps others and does at least one Good Turn every day.
A Guide/Scout is a friend to all, and a sister/brother to every other Scout.
A Guide/Scout is couteous.
A Guide/Scout respects nature seeing in it the work of God.
A Guide/Scout obeys her/his parents and her/his superiors and conscientiously performs her/his duries.
A Guide/Scout whistles and sings in difficulties.
A Guide/Scout is hard-working and thrifty.
A Guide/Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed.