Iceland

Promise:

Promise

Ég lofa að gera pað sem í mínu valdi stendur til pess:
Að gera skyldu mína við guð og ættjörðina,
Að hjálpa öðrum og að halda skátalögin

Girl Scout Promise

On my honour I will do my best:
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help others, and obey the Girl Scout Law.

Law:

Skátalogin

1 Skátí segir ávallt satt og stendur við orð sín.

2 Skáti er traustur félagi og vinur

3 Skáti er hæverskur í hugsunum, orðum og verkun

4 Stáki er hlyðinn

5 Skáti er glaðvær

6 Skáti er öllum hjálpsamur

7 Stáki er tillitssamur

8 Stáki er nýtinn

9 Stáki er snyrtilegur í umgengni og ber virðingu fyrir eigum annarra

10 Allir skátar eru náttứruvinir

Girl Scout Law (English)

1 A Girl Scout tells the truth and keeps her word.

2 A Girl Scout is a loyal companion and friend.

3 A Girl Scout is modest in thought, word and deed.

4 A Girl Scout is obedient.

5 A Girl Scout is cheerful.

6 A Girl Scout is helpful to others.

7 A Girl Scout is considerate.

8 A Girl Scout is thrifty.

9 A Girl Scout is well mannered and respects the possessions of others.

10 All Girl Scouts are friends of nature.

Motto:

Motto - Ávallt viðbứinn

Girl Scout Motto - Always Prepared

Age groups:

Svannar Ranger/Rover 18+

Dróttskátar Senior/Venture 15-18

Skátar Girl Scout 11-14

Ylfingar Cub 9-10

Ljósálfar Brownie 7-8

Development of the movement:

The first troop for girls in Iceland was formed in the capital, Reykjavík, in July 1922 under the direction of the YWCA. The connection between the YWCA and Girl Scouting only lasted a short while, but the Movement spread independently throughout most of the country. Within a few years many new troops for girls started.

Icelandic Girl Scouts became a member of WAGGGS in 1928, and in 1939 the Icelandic Girl Scout Association was formed. In 1944 the two national Girl and Boy Scout Associations merged and became Bandalag Íslenskra Skáta (the Icelandic Boy and Girl Scout Association). The Association is believed to be the first merged Association in the world.

Programme:

The Constitution of Bandalag Íslenskra Skáta states that the main purpose of the Association is to aid children and young people into becoming independent, active and responsible individuals in society. The Association aims to fulfil that purpose through working in small groups, with outdoor experiences, projects teaching various useful skills, with international co-operation.

Every county’s Boy and Girl Scout groups are members of Bandalag Íslenskra Skáta. Each group has both boys and girls as members. The groups are divided into patrols with about six members, and about five patrols form a troop. In larger areas, troops join to form the county. Each county works mostly independently but organizes its programme according to the policies of Bandalag Íslenskra Skáta.

It is the responsibility of the Association to develop the programme for all age levels, and to co-ordinate leader training. The Association also handles the contact with Boy and Girl Scouts, as well as Associations from other countries.

In addition to the National Executive Board, three permanent committees are elected to handle the overall responsibilities of the work of the Association: the Programme Committee, the Training Committee and the International Committee.

Relationship to society:

Working widely around Iceland are Rescue Squads. The members are Boy and Girl Scouts older than 18 years of age. The services they provide are, amongst other things, locating and rescuing lost people, for example, in the wilderness; giving aid and assistance on the occasion of natural disasters such as earthquakes; assistance during volcanic eruptions or bad weather; and providing first aid at large outdoor gatherings. In many parts of the country the Rescue Squads are a part of the county’s Boy and Girl Scout group, but in other places they work independently. The Rescue Squads are a recognized part of the country’s public emergency system.

Various temporary community projects have also been a part of the Association’s programme. Among them is the “Látum ljós okkar skína” campaign, where the Association distributes cats eyes to all six-year-old schoolchildren in the country, along with information about how to behave in traffic. As the day is very short in Iceland during the height of winter, this message is particularly important. Along with ‘cats eyes’, the children also receive an issue of the Skátablaðið, in which the Movement is introduced.

Communication and Co-operation

In December 1993 a Skátahandbók (The Scout Manual) was published, which is an overall manual dealing with everything that has to do with the Movement and the indoor and outdoor programme. The Association publishes two to three issues of Skátabla]i] (The Scout Magazine) a year, where various articles on related Association issues are published. Skátamál (Scout Issues) is published eight times a year and serves first and foremost as a newsletter, being distributed to all Girl and Boy Scouts in Iceland.

Training:

A training centre is operated at Úlfjótsvatn, and it is the central point of leader training in the country. The training organized ranges from skills training, to Patrol Leader training, to Gilwell courses.

Outdoor and Environmental Activities

The programme for Icelandic Boy and Girl Scouts includes as many outdoor activities as possible, taking into consideration the landscape and the weather. During the winter the many huts owned by the various groups around the country are in constant use, and during the summer the patrols and troops attend the many organized camps or arrange their own camping expeditions. Every third year a national jamboree is organized. At Úlfjótsvatn, situated 70km from Reykjavík, the Association owns a campground.

* Information compiled in 1999