The Public Scout and Girl Guide Movement (Arabic: الحركة العامة للكشافة والمرشدات) is the national Scouting organization of Libya. It was founded in 1954, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1958 and of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1981. The coeducational Public Scout and Girl Guide Movement has about 18,500 members (13,698 Scouts and 4,766 Guides) as of 2004.
In 1966, Ali Khalifa el-Zaidi (علي خليفة الزائدي) was awarded the Bronze Wolf, the only distinction of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, awarded by the World Scout Committee for exceptional services to world Scouting. Other recipients include Dr. Mansour Mohamed El-Kikhia (د. منصور الكيخيا) in 1981 and in 1983, Dr. Mohamed H. Fhema (د. محمد افحيمه).
The Scout Motto is Kun Musta'idan or كن مستعداً, translating as Be Prepared in Arabic, though the local variant is Wa a'eddou or و أعدوا. The noun for a single Scout is Kashaf or كشاف in Arabic.
Scouts and Guides have a unified headquarters for planning and coordination of policies, but their activities are separate. There is strong Guide/Scout cooperation in planning training courses, youth program, seminars and hosting international activities. Jamborees, leader training courses, seminars and conferences are held throughout the year on the sub-provincial, national and international levels.
The organization has adopted relevant programs in the fields of conservation, Scouting with the handicapped, child health and desert Scouting.
Libyan Scouts are active in the Arab Region as well as the African Region.
The membership badge of the Public Scout and Girl Guide Movement incorporates a palm tree and other agricultural produce.
The Public Scout and Girl Guide Movement escaped the ban on almost any form of independent organisation, when Muammar Gaddafi was ruler of Libya, because of its non-political stance and because Gaddafi was briefly a Scout while growing up in the southern town of Sabha. But in the Libyan civil war Scouts acted as front-line support troops for the anti-Gaddafi forces.
Famous quotes containing the words public, scout, girl, guide and/or movement:
“I cannot trust myself to put in words what I feel at this time. Every kind thought that is in your minds and every good wish that is in your hearts for me finds its responsive wish and thought in my mind and heart for each of you. I love this city. It has been my own cherished home. Twice before I have left it to discharge public duties and returned to it with gladness, as I hope to do again.”
—Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901)
“Simone Clouseau: Jacques would make a wonderful father. He has many redeeming qualities, you know.
Sir Charles: Name one.
Simone Clouseau: Oh, he’s kind, loyal, faithful, obedient.
Sir Charles: You’re either married to a boy scout or a dachshund.”
—Blake Edwards (b. 1922)
“When a little girl opens her bright eyes in the sunlight, there is no variety of options.”
—Jean Arnold, U.S. inventor. As quoted in Feminine Ingenuity, ch. 9, by Anne L. MacDonald (1992)
“Whatever we’re doing, whoever we are, it isn’t enough. . . . Little wonder we have trouble finding role models to guide us through these shoals. No one less than God Herself could be all the things we’d like to be to all the people we’d like to feel approval from.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)
“You watched and you saw what happened and in the accumulation of episodes you saw the pattern: Daddy ruled the roost, called the shots, made the money, made the decisions, so you signed up on his side, and fifteen years later when the women’s movement came along with its incendiary manifestos telling you to avoid marriage and motherhood, it was as if somebody put a match to a pile of dry kindling.”
—Anne Taylor Fleming (20th century)