Country Worldwide Founder Lawrie Dring | Founded 1996 President Klaus Tegeder | |
The World Federation of Independent Scouts (WFIS) is a non-governmental international Scouting organization with 82 affiliated Scout organizations in 41 countries. The affiliate Scout organizations collectivley had an estimated 200,000 members in 3562 Scout Groups in 2010. WFIS was formed in Laubach, Germany, in 1996 by Lawrie Dring, a British Scouter with the independent Baden-Powell Scouts' Association (BPSA).
Contents
- WFIS Worldwide Committee
- Regional divisions
- List of members
- WFIS Africa
- WFIS Asia
- WFIS Europe
- WFIS America
- Jamborees and international camps
- International Scout Fellowship
- Uniform
- References
The World Federation of Independent Scouts is open to any Scouting association that is not affiliated with another international organization. WFIS requires that member associations "follow, and use, Baden-Powell's original program, traditions, uniforms, morals, ethics, and structure as laid out in Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys," amended only for "health, environmental, first-aid, and safety reasons."
The current President of the WFIS World Council is Klaus Tegeder, elected for a five-year term commencing in August 2007. He is the former President of WFIS-Europe and still leads a German Scout troop.
WFIS Worldwide Committee
The WFIS Worldwide Committee is the chief executive body of the World Federation of Independent Scouts and is composed of elected volunteers. WFIS-Worldwide acts as an umbrella association for each of the regional Scout organisations.
Regional divisions
The WFIS is divided into eight regions:
The Asian Region and Middle East Region are currently inactive, although there are WFIS Associations operating there.
List of members
Including prospected members
WFIS Africa
5860 members in 2010
WFIS Asia
155,303 members in 2010
WFIS Europe
10,834 members in 2010
WFIS America
3643 members in 2010
Jamborees and international camps
The first WFIS World Jamboree was held in Denmark in 2002, with 850 Scouts attending. The event's motto was Together we are strongest. The Second WFIS World Jamboree was held from 7 to 14 July 2007 with over 3000 Scouts attending. It was held near Medellín, Colombia. The Third WFIS World Jamboree was held at Parque Bicentenario, near Puebla, México, in July 2011.
In addition to World Jamborees, the WFIS also regularly host regional international camps. Eurocamp is one example of this with the following camps having taken place:
WFIS also hosts a Jamboree On The Internet:
Member Associations also regularly invite each other to their own camps, examples including:
International Scout Fellowship
The International Scout Fellowship is an affiliate of WFIS, but not a member. It is open to former and current adult members of WFIS, to other adult friends of Independent Scouting who wish to contribute to independent Scouting, regardless of their Scouting backgrounds.
The ISF is governed by its World Council which is composed of representatives of each member Chapter. It meets once a year, usually electronically. Its day-to-day affairs are directed by the Executive Committee, which is elected by the World Council.
All positions in the ISF are staffed by volunteers. There are no paid employees.
Uniform
The badge is that of the WFIS in reverse colours. There is no set uniform of the ISF. Member chapters determine their own uniforms with the badge of the ISF. Other chapters may use casual dress such as T-shirts, etc.
The emphasis of the ISF is on tangible results in supporting Independent Scouting associations, not on formalities.