The Scouting 2007 Centenary comprised celebrations around the world in which Scouts celebrated 100 years of the world Scout movement. The original celebrations were focused on the United Kingdom, such as the camp on Brownsea Island, the birthplace of Scouting, and the 21st World Scout Jamboree in Chelmsford, Essex.
National Scout movements added extra celebrations in amongst the international ones, including the Australian Scout Jamboree held 1–13 January 2007 at Elmore, Victoria, Australia, and KanderJam at the Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland.
Global activities
The Centenary celebrations began on 1 January 2007, and members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) were encouraged to start their programme on that day, and continue right through the year. In London, there was a New Year's Day Parade of Scouts. In towns, flags were flown to celebrate Scouting. Europa postage stamps were issued monthly throughout 2007 for the celebration.
Scout and Guide Spirit Flame
On 22 February 2007, the 150th anniversary of Robert Baden-Powell's birth, a torch was lit at his grave in Nyeri, Kenya. Several thousand Scouts and Guides from around the world attended the ceremony that included a procession from Baden-Powell's old home nearby.
The flame was carried by Scouts and Guides through Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, Belgium and finally the UK to arrive on Brownsea Island, UK on the eve of Scouting's Sunrise. The spirit flame was brought to Brownsea Island via Sea Scouts that rowed a small boat across Poole Harbour. After the Sunrise celebrations on 1 August 2007. the flame continued onwards to the 21st World Scout Jamboree.
Sunrise ceremony
The first Scout Camp opened on 1 August 1907 by the Movement's founder General Baden-Powell. At 8am, he blew a kudu horn to gather round the 20 boys that were on the island for that camp. Exactly one hundred years later, around 400,000 Scouts in the UK took part in an event to commemorate this. On Brownsea Island, a Scout read out Baden-Powell's words of 100 years ago, calling for peace, comradeship and co-operation. Members of Scout associations worldwide renewed their promise at 8am local time; and Scout troops organised a "good turn" in aid of their local communities. Additionally, at 8am Western European Summer Time, Scouts internationally used the Internet to celebrate and communicate with Scouts on Brownsea Island as part of the World Scout Jamboree. Scout groups turned the event into a day-long celebration.
A flame that traveled from Africa was used to light a campfire that burned through the night, marking the passing of the first 100 years of the Scout movement.
The Chief Scout of the United Kingdom, Peter Duncan, blew the same kudu horn, and one Scout from each Scouting country passed over a "Bridge of Friendship", and shook the left hand of every other Scout as they passed.
World Jamboree 2007
The 21st World Scout Jamboree was the main event of the year, with more than 40,000 young people from around the world taking part in a 12‑day event in Chelmsford in the south of England. The event started on 27 July 2007, where the camping participants celebrated the Scouting Sunrise in one place. While this is not the largest encampment of Scouts ever held (over 50,000 young Scouts camped in Birkenhead at the Coming of Age Jamboree in 1929), it is expected that the large numbers of day visitors and the concurrent camps around the world made this jamboree the largest Scouting event since the movement started 100 years earlier.
Brownsea Island camps
There were several camps on the famous birthplace of Scouting, including a Sunrise Camp, a Replica Camp, and a New Centenary Camp. The replica camp was held twice, each 4.5 days camping running around the August celebrations. The activities included historical 1907 activities, several with a modern twist. The first of the replica camp's was for purely Boy Scouts and the second included a patrol of girls. As well as Scouts there were boys from the Boys Brigade, as in the original 1907 camp.
Activities by national Scout organisations
Scouts Australia
Scouts and Scouting supporters in Australia gathered at public venues to celebrate the Dawn of the New Scouting Centenary. In Canberra, Australia's capital, local Scouts joined the Chief Scout of Australia to renew their Scout Promise in a commitment of world peace and social betterment. Other events occurred in Sydney at the Opera House and in Melbourne.
