Volume 3, Number 1
January-February, 1997

WHAT IS PLAST UKRAINIAN SCOUTING?

This is the start of the third year of the publication of our Newsletter Ukrainian Scouting, the purpose of which is to acquaint our fellow scouts all over the world of our existence, our aims, our past and current work, and to inform them about scout events in Ukraine. For those of our readers, who might have missed the first 11 issues of our newsletter (and there may be many of you) we want to summarize here the salient facts about our organization.

UKRAINIAN SCOUTS IN THE WORLD SCOUTING COMMUNITY

Scouting in Ukraine was started over 85 years ago, in 1911, under the name Plast (a direct translation of the word scouting). It has been in existence continuously, even though the country had been occupied by various foreign regimes, such as Nazis, Communists, etc. which have outlawed the very existence of Scouting in Ukraine. While it was not always possible to work in our homeland, Ukrainian Scouting was able to continue and to thrive in the numerous Ukrainian exile communities throughout the world, where it attracted thousands of ethnic Ukrainian youth. Throughout these 85 years, the one leading principle of Ukrainian Scouting was to preserve the idea of world Scouting for Ukrainian Youth, and then to bring it back to the mother country, if and when the conditions became favorable once more there for renewing this most worthwhile youth movement. This, indeed, happened in 1991, when Ukraine became independent and when individual freedoms and human rights in our country were restored. Ukraine needs Scouting to educate its young people in the spirit of good citizenship, leadership, and to foster civil initiative. Ukrainian scouts from the Ukrainian diaspora played a prominent part in the important task of bringing back the scout movement to the newly independent country.

PLAST STRATEGY FOR UKRAINIAN SCOUTING

The strategy of the Ukrainian Plast Scout Movement in the world was simple: to reestablish Ukrainian Scouting Ukraine and to make Scouting a democratic, tolerant, progressive and humanistic force in the dynamic; evolution of the country It is an organization which would educate its members not just good and honest citizens, but which would also produce future leaders of the country, in every area of its public life. To do that, Plast decided that it must continue to be a non-political, inter-religious, multi-ethnic, and democratic organization, open to all citizens of Ukraine of both genders. Ukrainian Scouting organizations in the Ukrainian diaspora in the West always hoped to transfer their accumulated resources, knowledge, and experience to Plast in the mother country, and to see Plast join the Scout Brotherhood of the World.

PLAST AND WORLD SCOUTING

From the very beginning of its existence, Plast was trying to become a part of the World Scout Movement and join the World Scouting Brotherhood. However, rules of World Scouting Organization (WOSM) allow only those scouting organizations, which represent independent countries, to become members; thus Plast had to wait for 85 years, until Ukraine's Independence. With the establishment of the independence of Ukraine and with the acceptance of a fully-registered Plast by the country's democratically-elected Government, Ukrainian Scouting has once more applied for membership in WOSM. We believe, that, based upon the rules for Membership in WOSM, Plast today completely meets all of the requirements for full membership in the World Brotherhood of Scouting. Let us reiterate the most important points:

INTER-RELIGIOUS COOPERATION AMONG UKRIAINIAN SCOUTS

During its 85 years of existence, Ukrainian Scouting was never divided into separate religious groups. Both major religious denominations in Ukraine (Eastern Christian Orthodoxy and Eastern-Rite Catholicism) were always strongly represented in Plast and were always actively working together. According to its charter, membership in Plast in Ukraine is open to youth of any religious faith.

No formal Inter-Religious dialogues were ever needed in Plast. The plastuny (scouts) of various faiths all worked well with each other, developing mutual religious tolerance and true ecumenism. The Plast oath binds each Plast member to be faithful and to observe the practices of ones own religion, without interfering with the religious practices of others. In this respect, Plast, with its 85-year tradition of mutual inter-religious tolerance, can serve as an example to many other countries, where separate organizations had to be formed, based on different religions.

DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINIAN PLAST

From its very inception, Plast adhered to the main principles of democracy, with: all its offices from that of cub-scout leader, to that of the Chief Scout being freely elected and accountable to the rank-and-and-file membership. Scouting Plast always brought the traditional Ukrainian Spirit of community rule into the society at large. This was not easy to accomplish in Eastern Europe, which, in the 20th century, has been often ruled by various dictatorial ideologies. lndividual initiative, freedom of expression, a tradition of free debate, and mutual tolerance were always the hallmarks of the Plast spirit. Perhaps, as a result of this tradition, when a free Ukraine was reborn in 1991 there was no question that it could only be a democracy. The country did become a democratic republic, adopted a Democratic Constitution, and held free elections, including a peaceful change of Presidency in contrast to many other countries, where democracy has been trampled by tanks and bullets.

POLITICS AND POLITICAL PARTIES

Like any democratic country, Ukraine has various political parties from the extreme left to the extreme right all of them enjoying full political freedoms and representation in the Parliament

(Verkhovna Rada). In political life and in political parties of various types in Ukraine there always were members and leaders who were plastuny at one time during their lives. And no wonder Plast has always strongly encouraged active involvement of adult plastuny in all aspects of public life, including politics, religion, community service professional life, the arts and sciences, charity work, etc. The main aim of Plast has always been to provide able, honest, active, and self-motivated leaders and toilers for all aspects of the life of community including its political life. But, at the same time, Plast, as an organization, was always strongly neutral in its political leanings. Even though, often-times, various political parties had tried to gain control of the movement, Plast has always managed to stay non-political, not affiliated, nor supporting any one political movement. Plast provides leaders and model citizens for the nation and for humanity but not for any particular political ideology.

INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS AMONG UKRAINIAN SCOUTS

For many years, because of foreign occupation of Ukraine, Ukrainian Scouting existed only in exile, becoming thus basically an ethnic Ukrainian youth organization. But that was not its goal. As soon as it was able to renew its existence in its own country, a solemn declaration was issued: Plast, Ukrainian Scouting Organization, will be open to all citizens of Ukraine, who support the Scout Oath, regardless of their national origin, religious affiliation, or race. Thus, Plast is aiming to develop good, and responsible citizens of the Ukrainian State and solid members of the world scouting community. The only requirement of a plastun is to be a good citizen of the country and to support the betterment of mankind. This declaration is incorporated into the Plast Charter, which was accepted by the Government of Ukraine. Today Plast in Ukraine has members of almost all the ethnic minorities in our country and has absorbed into its ranks whole units of minority scouts.

SCOUTING AND PEACE

The imperialist principle of divide and rule has left numerous conflicts in the world, which proliferate for a long time in former colonies. A great many bloody conflicts in the present-day world stem from stem from this colonial legacy. Many of the newly independent states of the former Soviet empire have undergone conflicts of this type. However, in Ukraine, even though there were some very touchy situations, the country managed to avoid any bloodshed because, from its very inception, Ukraine stood for equal human rights of all ethnic and religious minorities. Thus, groups like Hungarians in Transcarpathia and Tartars in the Crimea enjoy full protection of the Ukrainian Constitution and the Laws of Ukraine. The Plast charter mirrors this enlightened state policy.

WOMEN IN UKRAINIAN SCOUTING

Women were admitted only recently to the ranks of many national scouting organizations in the world, where often some gender-related problems still remain. However, Ukrainian Plast, from its very beginning, admitted both boys and girls on equal footing. In this respect, Ukrainian Scouting was a trailblazer: it demonstrated in practice that co-education in Scouting is not only possible and feasible, but highly desirable and useful in terms of the overall strategic goals of scouting. Since Ukrainian scouts for over 85 years have practiced what many countries are just now introducing, the world scout movement can benefit from our experience of integration of both genders into a single organization. Indeed, several Scout organizations have inquired about our solutions to various gender-related problems.

THE FUTURE

Plast, after its revival in Ukraine over five years ago, enthusiastically embraced the idea of world Scout Brotherhood. The youth of Ukraine wants to work with scouts from other lands, to take part in international events to make friends, and to further the causes of human brotherhood, peace, and friendship, and to take part in common projects, such as support for clean environment, human freedom, health-maintenance, and the eradication of poverty. We feel that we can contribute

significantly to the world scouting community, in many ways. A united Ukrainian delegation took part in the 1 8th World Scout Jamboree in 1995. Plast hosted the First All-Ukrainian Scout Jamboree in 1996, near the village of Nevytske in the Carpathian Mountains, where scouts from nine countries participated in meets, competitions, hikes, etc. and established close personal friendships, etc. Now, Ukrainian Scouts, the thousands of boys and girls of Ukraine, hope that very soon they will be able to formally join the World Scouting Brotherhood. Informally, of course, they have been true members of the world Scout community for over 85 years.

The Ukrainian Scouting Pages are adapted from material published by the Plast National Executive in Ukraine in Ukrainian Scouting
Editor: Lubomyr Onyshkevych

Your feedback, comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Please write to us via e-mail at: Ukrainian Scouting
Letters to the editors should be sent to:
Ukrainian Scouting, P. O. Box 22, Ternopil, 252001, UKRAINE

LINKS TO UKRAINIAN SCOUTING-PLAST