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PETROZAVODSK, August 1. /Correspondent of SPB-TASS Sergey Kulikayev/. The All-Russia scout gathering opened in Karelia on August 1. This event is the main in celebrating the centenary of the world wide scout movement.
As the National scout organization coordinator Sergey Vozdvizhensky has told the SPB-TASS correspondent, 2,5 thousand Russian scouts from 38 regions of Russia, as well as from Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Estonia and Kazakhstan participate in the gathering. "The centenary jubilee is a good occasion to draw attention to opportunities of our movement in education of youth," - the leader of scouts of Russia has noted. "We are not united by beer, but our hearts and souls open to the world, we do good deeds," - Sergey Vozdvizhensky has told, - "and the main task of the scout movement of Russia is to unite youth in aspiration to do something real for the benefit of the country."
On August 1, on the coast of Onego lake in honour of the centenary of the scout movement 100 fires will flare up, and then within 10 days in the picturesque place of Syamozero scouts will complete ecological tasks, study information technologies, and go hiking.
100 years ago in 1907, colonel Robert Baden-Powell took a troop of 22 boys camping on Brownsea Island in England and has lead the first game of scouts. In 1908 the colonel published a book about new fascinating game for teenagers. The Scouting for Boys book was published in Russia in 1908 under the title of The Young Scout, and the next year young officer Oleg Pantyuhov by the example of his English colleague gathered the first Beavers patrol in Pavlovsk near St.-Petersburg.
Since then April 30, 1909, is considered the year of birth of scout movement in Russia. In 1910 Sir Robert Baden-Powell visited Russia and was received by emperor Nikolay II. Till 1917 in Russia it was about 50 thousand scouts.
The subsequently created in the USSR pioneer organization partially borrowed principles and operational experience from scouts.
In history of modern Russia scout movement after a long-term break has revived in 1990. Some scout organizations appeared independently after acquaintance to publications about scout principles. It has led to the fact that scout associations in Russia differ in forms of work and level of preparation, and that is why till now in Russia there is no uniform scout organization.
Now in 22 regions of Russia scout movement numbers about 2,5 thousand members. It was logic to choose Karelia the place of anniversary gathering, as since 2005 headquarters of the National scout organization is located in this northern republic.
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