Cercetasii României
Encyclopedia
Cercetaşii RomânieiCercetaşii României (Romanian
for "Romania's Scouts" or "Romanian Scouts"; in full Organizaţia Naţională Cercetaşii României - "National Organization of Romanian Scouts") is the primary national Scouting
organization of Romania
. Founded in 1914, it became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement
(WOSM) in 1993.
The coeducational Cercetaşii României has 2,278 members as of 2011.
s, physician
s, soldiers, etc. (Gheorghe Munteanu-Murgoci, Alexandru Borza
, Vladimir Ghidionescu, Constantin Costa-Foru
, Nicolae Iorga
, Ion G. Duca
, Locotenent-Colonel Ulisse Samboteanu and Colonel G. Berindei) who were familiar with the Scout movements in the United Kingdom
, France
, Belgium
, and Germany
.
The translation of Baden-Powell
's book Scouting for Boys
into Romanian
was published in 1915. That same year saw the official founding of the Cercetaşii României; on the occasion, Lord Baden-Powell sent a message of congratulations, with the admonition that Scouting should be adapted to the local situation.
During World War I
, Romanian Scouts were very active in defense activities (see Romanian Campaign (World War I)
). Ecaterina Teodoroiu
guided a patrol of Scouts and Guides and was employed as a nurse, before joining the Romanian Army and dying a heroine. Many Scouts who helped the transporting of the wounded were killed during the air attacks. On September 29, 1916, Baden-Powell sent a message expressing regret to the Scouts for the death of their fellows. At the end of the war, the Boy Scouts marched in the front of the Victory Train, under the Triumphal Arch
in Bucharest
.
In 1920, 67 Romanian Boy Scouts and their leaders were present at the first World Jamboree in London
, England
. Before World War II
, the Scout Movement developed further: many patrols were formed in towns and in villages, many camps, socials, expeditions and spectacles were organized, and a great number of magazines, literary writings and pedagogical studies were published for Scouts and their Chiefs. At the time, one of the devoted Boy Scouts was the philosopher Mircea Eliade
.
In 1930, the first Romanian Scout Jamboree
took place, in the presence of Hubert Martin
and many delegations of Scouts and Guides from other countries. Cercetaşii României had 45,000 members at that point, and the Guides Movement had 14,000. The organizer and Chief of the Guides Movement was Princess Ileana
, the daughter of Queen Marie.
Later, when the extremist movements (fascism
and communism
) divided the young generation, the Scout Movement remained an oasis of democracy
, tolerance, peace
and fraternity. Romanian Scouting preserved its apolitical character, but in 1937, it was replaced by a totalitarian
organization, Străjeria, as part of the dictatorial measures initiated by King
Carol II
(alongside the creation of the National Renaissance Front
). After World War II, there were attempts to restore the Scout Movement in Romania, but the emergence of the communist regime
brought a ban on all alternative youth movements, replaced by the Pioneer Organization
and Union of Communist Youth.
After the Revolution of 1989
, former Scouts and others, despite the difficult conditions, acted for the revival of Scouting in Romania. Cercetaşii României was again established in 1991, and in 1993 gained recognition by the World Bureau of the WOSM. In 2006, there are more than 2,000 registered Scouts.
The Scout Motto is Gata Oricând, translated as Always Ready in English; the Romanian noun for a single Scout is Cercetaş.
The membership badge of Cercetaşii României features stylized fir branches.
Cercetaşul este loial, îşi respectă cuvântul dat, nu minte, este curat în gând, în vorbă şi în faptă
Cercetaşul este util şi îşi ajută semenii în orice situaţie, este un prieten pentru toţi şi frate cu toţi Cercetaşii
Cercetaşul este econom şi cumpătat, este îngăduitor cu alţii şi sever cu sine, îşi îngrijeşte corpul şi duce o viaţă sănătoasă
Cercetaşul iubeşte şi ocroteşte natura şi este bun cu animalele
Cercetaşul îşi respectă şi ascultă părinţii, şefii si profesorii şi este disciplinat în tot ceea ce face
Cercetaşul este credincios şi respectă credinţa celorlalţi
Cercetaşul este curajos şi încrezător în puterile sale, vioi şi plin de însufleţire
Cercetaşul se străduieşte să facă în fiecare zi o faptă bună, oricât de neînsemnată ar părea ea
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
for "Romania's Scouts" or "Romanian Scouts"; in full Organizaţia Naţională Cercetaşii României - "National Organization of Romanian Scouts") is the primary 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 Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Founded in 1914, it became a 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...
(WOSM) in 1993.
The coeducational Cercetaşii României has 2,278 members as of 2011.
History
Romania was a founding member of the WOSM, having formally had Scouts between 1914 and 1937. The first patrol of Boy Scouts was established in Romania in 1912, thanks to a group of professorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s, physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s, soldiers, etc. (Gheorghe Munteanu-Murgoci, Alexandru Borza
Alexandru Borza
Alexandru Borza was a Romanian botanist, Greek-Catholic monk and honorary protopop of Cluj.As part of a group of professors, physicians, soldiers, etc., he helped bring Scouting to Romania....
, Vladimir Ghidionescu, Constantin Costa-Foru
Constantin Costa-Foru
Constantin Gheorghe Costa-Foru was a Romanian journalist, lawyer and human rights activist.He was born in Bucharest, on 26 October, in a wealthy family of Jewish origin...
, Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga
Nicolae Iorga was a Romanian historian, politician, literary critic, memoirist, poet and playwright. Co-founder of the Democratic Nationalist Party , he served as a member of Parliament, President of the Deputies' Assembly and Senate, cabinet minister and briefly as Prime Minister...
, Ion G. Duca
Ion G. Duca
Ion Gheorghe Duca was prime minister of Romania from November 14 to December 30, 1933, when he was assassinated for his efforts to suppress the fascist Iron Guard movement.-Life and political career:...
, Locotenent-Colonel Ulisse Samboteanu and Colonel G. Berindei) who were familiar with the Scout movements in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The translation of Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
's book Scouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys
Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship is the first book on the Scout Movement, published in 1908. It was written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, its founder...
into Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
was published in 1915. That same year saw the official founding of the Cercetaşii României; on the occasion, Lord Baden-Powell sent a message of congratulations, with the admonition that Scouting should be adapted to the local situation.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Romanian Scouts were very active in defense activities (see Romanian Campaign (World War I)
Romanian Campaign (World War I)
The Romanian Campaign was part of the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central Powers. Fighting took place from August 1916 to December 1917, across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian...
). Ecaterina Teodoroiu
Ecaterina Teodoroiu
Ecaterina Teodoroiu was a Romanian woman who fought and died in World War I, and is regarded as a heroine of Romania.In Romanian historiography, Ecaterina Teodoroiu is placed in the context of gendered experience of the Great War on the Eastern Front, on the same pedestal as Queen Maria of...
guided a patrol of Scouts and Guides and was employed as a nurse, before joining the Romanian Army and dying a heroine. Many Scouts who helped the transporting of the wounded were killed during the air attacks. On September 29, 1916, Baden-Powell sent a message expressing regret to the Scouts for the death of their fellows. At the end of the war, the Boy Scouts marched in the front of the Victory Train, under the Triumphal Arch
Arcul de Triumf
Arcul de Triumf is a triumphal arch located in the northern part of Bucharest, on the Kiseleff Road.The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence , so that the victorious troops could march under it...
in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
.
In 1920, 67 Romanian Boy Scouts and their leaders were present at the first World Jamboree in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Scout Movement developed further: many patrols were formed in towns and in villages, many camps, socials, expeditions and spectacles were organized, and a great number of magazines, literary writings and pedagogical studies were published for Scouts and their Chiefs. At the time, one of the devoted Boy Scouts was the philosopher Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day...
.
In 1930, the first Romanian Scout Jamboree
Jamboree (Scouting)
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom...
took place, in the presence of Hubert Martin
Hubert S. Martin
Hubert S. Martin was the first director of the International Scout Bureau in 1920, a position he held until his death in the 1930s.Interestingly the Nazi plan for the invasion of England, prepared by Walter Schellenberg, refers to Martin, calling him a "half-Jew".Martin was an early official in the...
and many delegations of Scouts and Guides from other countries. Cercetaşii României had 45,000 members at that point, and the Guides Movement had 14,000. The organizer and Chief of the Guides Movement was Princess Ileana
Princess Ileana of Romania
Princess Ileana of Romania was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand I of Romania, King of the Romanians, and his consort Queen Marie of Romania. She was born Her Royal Highness Ileana, Princess of Romania, Princess of Hohenzollern...
, the daughter of Queen Marie.
Later, when the extremist movements (fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
) divided the young generation, the Scout Movement remained an oasis of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, tolerance, peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and fraternity. Romanian Scouting preserved its apolitical character, but in 1937, it was replaced by a totalitarian
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
organization, Străjeria, as part of the dictatorial measures initiated by King
King of Romania
King of the Romanians , rather than King of Romania , was the official title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Romania from 1881 until 1947, when Romania was proclaimed a republic....
Carol II
Carol II of Romania
Carol II reigned as King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until 6 September 1940. Eldest son of Ferdinand, King of Romania, and his wife, Queen Marie, a daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second eldest son of Queen Victoria...
(alongside the creation of the National Renaissance Front
National Renaissance Front
The National Renaissance Front was a fascist Romanian political party created by King Carol II in 1938 as the single monopoly party of government following his decision to ban all other political parties and suspend the 1923 Constitution, and the passing of the 1938 Constitution of Romania...
). After World War II, there were attempts to restore the Scout Movement in Romania, but the emergence of the communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
brought a ban on all alternative youth movements, replaced by the Pioneer Organization
Pioneer Organization
The Pioneer Organization was a pioneer movement in Communist Romania, founded on April 30, 1949.Most students joined the organization while in the second grade and remained pioneers throughout eighth grade, therefore, in practice, the normal age range extended from seven to fifteen, or nearly...
and Union of Communist Youth.
After the Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, former Scouts and others, despite the difficult conditions, acted for the revival of Scouting in Romania. Cercetaşii României was again established in 1991, and in 1993 gained recognition by the World Bureau of the WOSM. In 2006, there are more than 2,000 registered Scouts.
Program and ideals
- Lupişori: Wolf Cubs-8 to 11
- Temerari: Pioneers/Scouts-12 to 14
- Exploratori: Explorers/Venturers-15 to 18
- Seniori: Seniors/Rovers-18 to 21
- Lideri: Leaders-21+
The Scout Motto is Gata Oricând, translated as Always Ready in English; the Romanian noun for a single Scout is Cercetaş.
The membership badge of Cercetaşii României features stylized fir branches.
Scout Oath
Promit pe onoarea mea să fac tot ce este posibil pentru: a servi patria mea România şi credinţa mea, a ajuta pe aproapele meu în orice moment, a mă supune Legii Cercetaşului.- I promise on my honour to do all that is in my power in order to: Serve my country, Romania, and my belief, Help my fellow man in any moment, Respect the Scout Law, So help me God.
Scout Law
Cercetaşul îşi iubeşte patria sa, România şi pe toţi cei care trăiesc in eaCercetaşul este loial, îşi respectă cuvântul dat, nu minte, este curat în gând, în vorbă şi în faptă
Cercetaşul este util şi îşi ajută semenii în orice situaţie, este un prieten pentru toţi şi frate cu toţi Cercetaşii
Cercetaşul este econom şi cumpătat, este îngăduitor cu alţii şi sever cu sine, îşi îngrijeşte corpul şi duce o viaţă sănătoasă
Cercetaşul iubeşte şi ocroteşte natura şi este bun cu animalele
Cercetaşul îşi respectă şi ascultă părinţii, şefii si profesorii şi este disciplinat în tot ceea ce face
Cercetaşul este credincios şi respectă credinţa celorlalţi
Cercetaşul este curajos şi încrezător în puterile sale, vioi şi plin de însufleţire
Cercetaşul se străduieşte să facă în fiecare zi o faptă bună, oricât de neînsemnată ar părea ea
- The Scout loves his country, Romania and all the people who live in it
- A Scout is loyal, trustworthy, he never lies; his mind and actions are clean
- A Scout makes himself useful; he helps others in any situation; he is every ones friend and the brother of all the Scouts
- A Scout is thoughtful and moderate, he is tolerant with others and severe with himself, he takes care of his body and leads a healthy life
- A Scout loves and protects nature and he is good to animals
- A Scout loves and obeys his parents, his chiefs and his teachers and he is disciplined in everything he does
- A Scout is faithful and he respects other's faith/religion
- A Scout is courageous and he trusts his own powers; he is joyful and full of life
- A Scout likes to study and he teaches others
- A Scout strives to do a good deed every day, however small it might seem
See also
- Scouting in RomaniaScouting in RomaniaThe Scout Movement of Romania consists of several associations with slightly different aims. Among them are:* Organizaţia Naţională Cercetaşii României , member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, founded in 1991 with 4,927 members...
- Organizaţia Naţională a Scouţilor din MoldovaOrganizatia Nationala a Scoutilor din MoldovaThe Organizaţia Naţională a Scouţilor din Moldova , the national Scouting organization of Moldova, became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1997...
- Asociaţia Ghidelor şi Ghizilor din RomâniaAsociatia Ghidelor si Ghizilor din RomâniaThe Asociaţia Ghidelor şi Ghizilor din România is the national Guiding organization of Romania. Guiding in Romania began in 1928, was restarted in 1990 and became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1993. The coeducational organization has 1,000 members .- History...
- Hungarian Scout Association in RomaniaHungarian Scout Association in RomaniaThe Hungarian Scout Association in Romania is the Scouting organization of the Hungarians in Romania. Currently, there are 134 Scout groups, of which 107 are active.- History of Hungarian Scouting in Transylvania:...