The Association of Scouts of Azerbaijan (Azeri

Azerbaijani language

Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...

 Azərbaycan Skautlar Assosiasiyası), (ASA) the national Scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

 organization of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

, was founded in 1997, and became the 150th member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement

World Organization of the Scout Movement

The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...

 on August 20, 2000. The coeducational Azərbaycan Skaut Assosiasiyasi has 1,677 members as of 2011.

History

ASA was founded on October 11, 1997, when Namik Jafarov, former president of the association, gathered the first members of the new movement and held the first Scout camp in Nabran

Nabran

Nabran is a popular resort and municipality in Khachmaz Rayon of Azerbaijan, close to the Russia-Azerbaijan border. It has a population of 1,313. The municipality consists of the villages of Nabran, Dalğalı, Turist, Meşəli, Günəşli, Samurçay, and Şimal...

. On August 20, 2000 ASA was invited to join WOSM and the Eurasia Scout Region. Branch offices exist in Shaki Rayon, Barda Rayon, Nakhchivan, Ismailli Rayon, Khachmaz Rayon, Zaqatala Rayon, Aghjabadi Rayon, Ganja

Ganja, Azerbaijan

Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...

, and Yevlakh Rayon.

As of 2004, there are 1,356 registered Scouts and leaders. Half of the registered Scouts live in the capital city of Baku

Baku

Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

. The remainder is spread throughout the countryside. Scouts of Azerbaijan participated in the 1998–1999 World Scout Jamboree

World Scout Jamboree

The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17....

 in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, as well as several regional National Jamborees, and the second Eurasian Scout Conference, held in Baku in September, 2004.

Both the Scouts and the Association of Azerbaijan Girl Guides

Association of Azerbaijan Girl Guides

The Association of Azerbaijan Girl Guides is the national Guiding organization of Azerbaijan, with the official status of "working towards World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts membership". Both the Guides and the Association of Scouts of Azerbaijan are members of the National Assembly...

 are members of the National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA).

Ideals and program

The Scout Motto is Daima Hazır, Be Prepared in Azeri. The Azeri noun for a single Scout is Skaut.

The Scout emblem incorporates the tricolor blue-red-green colors of the flag of Azerbaijan

Flag of Azerbaijan

The flag of Azerbaijan is the national flag of Azerbaijan. It consists of an horizontal tricolour of blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star centered in the red band. The blue band refers to the nation's Turkic heritage, the red stands for progress, and the green...

 with two five edged stars rounded by rope and tied in a reef knot

Reef knot

The reef knot or square knot is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. Although the reef knot is often seen used for tying two ropes together, it is not recommended for this purpose due to potential instability of the knot.A reef knot is formed by tying...

 at the bottom. The Scout uniform consists of a khaki-colored shirt with shoulder straps, with adjustable sleeves, khaki-colored trousers or shorts, with a brown belt, and a tricolor blue-red-green neckerchief with a white border edge.

• 6–12 Cub Scouts
• 12–18 Scouts
• 18-above Rovers and Leaders

The Scout promise

Scout Promise

Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law. The wording of the Scout Promise and Scout Law have varied slightly over time and from country to...

 is "On my honor I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and Azerbaijan, to help other people at all times, to obey the Scout Law."

Scouting in Nagorno-Karabakh

Scouting might also be developed in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but being an Armenian-controlled territory within Azerbaijan, it is unknown whether Scouts there would be aligned to Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun

Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun

Hayastani Azgayin Scautakan Sharjum Kazmakerputiun is the primary national Scouting organization of Armenia, and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1997...

or to Azərbaycan Skaut Assosiasiyasi.

External links

• Yahoo group for Scouting in Azerbaijan
• http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/global/overseas/usagos_resource_bulletin_spring2006.pdf
• http://www.nayora.az/members.html
• http://www.aworc.org/bpfa/res/crep/az00001.html
• http://azeriscout.narod.ru/images/hex454.jpg
• http://azeriscout.narod.ru/images/hex6.jpg