Delftsche Zwervers
Encyclopedia
The Studentenstam De Delftsche Zwervers is a student society in Delft
, the Netherlands. Dating from 1915, it is the world's oldest student Scouting group, first as a club for former Scouts, from 1920 as a Rover crew. They are housed in the Scout Centre "Kruithuis", the monumental gunpowder
ammunition dump
of the Dutch Republic
, designed in 1660 by Pieter Post
. The members are students at the Delft University of Technology
and other higher education
institutions.
On 1920-10-11 the Delftsche Zwervers were founded as a Rover crew
for students. The society succeeded the (Delftsche) Studentenclub voor Oud-Padvinders, which had been formed on 1915-11-08. Until the end of the 1960s, the society was deeply rooted in Scouting
, but always critical of the national Scouting organisation. Later the group developed to a student society
, albeit still a member of Scouting Nederland
. Taking the founding date as that of (Delftsche) Studentenclub voor Oud-Padvinders in 1915, the Delftsche Zwervers is the oldest student Scouting Group in the world. This title has also been claimed by the Oxford University Scout and Guide Group
, which was founded in 1919 and is certainly the oldest student Scouting Group in the United Kingdom
.
The crew was founded as the third Rover crew in the Netherlands. A large influence on the work of the first Rover crews were the books of John Hargrave
(White Fox). On 11 and 12 June 1921 he was the instructor in a Rover camp in Ommen attended by the Delftsche Zwervers. Despite the "higher" layers thought Service was more important, Woodcraft remained in the first years the main part of the program of the Rover crews.
Delftsche Zwervers were important in the organisation of many national and international events, for example the 5th World Scout Jamboree
and the first Agoon, an international camp for handicapped Scouts
, at the "Goudsberg", Lunteren
, the Netherlands in 1949.
Zwervers is the literal translation of Rovers, because of its negative associations, hobo, tramps, the age group was later officially named Voortrekkers
, but the Delftsche Zwervers kept their original name.
The logo is a campfire, for Scouting, on a cog, for engineering.
Since the mid 1960s, the Delftsche Zwervers, together with some other Scouting Delfland scout groups, are housed in the Scout Centre Kruithuis in Delft
. The Kruithuis is the 17th century gunpowder
ammunition dump
of the Dutch Republic
, designed in 1660 by Pieter Post
. The walled and moat
ed complex consist of a gatehouse
, a former guardhouse
and various outbuildings, formerly for gunpowder handling and packaging, around a large central pond with two gunpowder storage towers in the middle. In 1998–2000, the Kruithuis complex was restored. The Delftsche Zwervers are housed in one of the gunpowder storage towers.
From time to time, each member of the Delftsche Zwervers organises an evening programme of his or her personal interest. As a result, the activities are diverse, including soldering
with LED
s, playing with old computers, role-playing game
s, painting
, sculpting in cellular concrete, pioneering, canoeing
. Members frequently go outdoors, for example camping and doing odd jobs on the Scouting campsite Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
or in the winter hiking in the Ardennes
.
One recurring activity is the organisation of the annual camps for children on the Scouting campsite Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
in Ommen
, The Netherlands. Since their establishment, the Delftsche Zwervers have aimed to contribute to society by organising activities for children in hardship situations. Beginning in 1922, members went camping with children from the Martha Stichting children's home in Alphen aan den Rijn
and later with other groups like refugee
children from East Germany. However, presently members organise and lead school camps for children in special education
from The Hague
. These camps are two weeks long. Each week a group of approximately 28 children and approximately 14 leaders. The children are divided into groups of three to four, a "tent
". For each tent is one leader directly responsible. The other leaders are two cooks, one "manus" (handyperson) responsible for the equipment, two leaders responsible for the games, one to two leaders as backup and one leader to keep order.
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
, the Netherlands. Dating from 1915, it is the world's oldest student Scouting group, first as a club for former Scouts, from 1920 as a Rover crew. They are housed in the Scout Centre "Kruithuis", the monumental gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
ammunition dump
Ammunition dump
An ammunition dump, ammunition compound, ammunition depot, bomb dump, ammunition supply point or ammo dump, is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives....
of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, designed in 1660 by Pieter Post
Pieter Post
Pieter Jansz Post was a Dutch Golden Age architect, painter and printmaker.-Biography:...
. The members are students at the Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
and other higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institutions.
History
Rover Scouts
Rover Scouting is a service division of Scouting for young men, and in most countries, women. A group of Rovers, analogous to a Scout troop, is called a 'Crew.'...
for students. The society succeeded the (Delftsche) Studentenclub voor Oud-Padvinders, which had been formed on 1915-11-08. Until the end of the 1960s, the society was deeply rooted in 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....
, but always critical of the national Scouting organisation. Later the group developed to a student society
Student society
A student society or student organization is an organization, operated by students at a university, whose membership normally consists only of students. They are often affiliated with a university's students' union...
, albeit still a member of Scouting Nederland
Scouting Nederland
Scouting Nederland is the national Scout organisation of the Netherlands with approximately 110,000 members Scouting Nederland is the national Scout organisation of the Netherlands with approximately 110,000 members Scouting Nederland is the national Scout organisation of the Netherlands with...
. Taking the founding date as that of (Delftsche) Studentenclub voor Oud-Padvinders in 1915, the Delftsche Zwervers is the oldest student Scouting Group in the world. This title has also been claimed by the Oxford University Scout and Guide Group
Oxford University Scout and Guide Group
The Oxford University Scout and Guide Group is the oldest student Scout and Guide club in the United Kingdom, being originally founded in 1919. When Rover Scouts were part of Scouting in the UK, the Group included a Rover Crew, the 13th Oxford...
, which was founded in 1919 and is certainly the oldest student Scouting Group 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...
.
The crew was founded as the third Rover crew in the Netherlands. A large influence on the work of the first Rover crews were the books of John Hargrave
John Hargrave
John Gordon Hargrave , nicknamed 'White Fox', was one of the leading figures in the Social Credit movement in British politics.-Early life:...
(White Fox). On 11 and 12 June 1921 he was the instructor in a Rover camp in Ommen attended by the Delftsche Zwervers. Despite the "higher" layers thought Service was more important, Woodcraft remained in the first years the main part of the program of the Rover crews.
Delftsche Zwervers were important in the organisation of many national and international events, for example the 5th World Scout Jamboree
5th World Scout Jamboree
The 5th World Scout Jamboree was the World Scout Jamboree where 81-year old Baden-Powell gave his farewell.- Organizational details :The Jamboree in Vogelenzang, Bloemendaal in the Netherlands was opened on 1937-07-31 by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, with 28,750 Scouts from 54 countries...
and the first Agoon, an international camp for handicapped Scouts
Extension Scouting
Extension Scouting is a programme within Scouting which caters for young people with special needs. Extension Scouting for young people with special needs was originally called Scouts Malgré Tout, which is French for "Scouts Despite Everything"...
, at the "Goudsberg", Lunteren
Lunteren
Lunteren is a place in Gelderland Province, Netherlands. It has a railway station and the train travels between Amersfoort and Ede.It is known also because of three Conference Centres in the vicinity, like Het Bosgoed, which hosting especially academic conferences and De Werelt Congress Hotel.It...
, the Netherlands in 1949.
Zwervers is the literal translation of Rovers, because of its negative associations, hobo, tramps, the age group was later officially named Voortrekkers
Voortrekkers
The Voortrekkers were emigrants during the 1830s and 1840s who left the Cape Colony moving into the interior of what is now South Africa...
, but the Delftsche Zwervers kept their original name.
The logo is a campfire, for Scouting, on a cog, for engineering.
Housing and activities
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. The Kruithuis is the 17th century gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
ammunition dump
Ammunition dump
An ammunition dump, ammunition compound, ammunition depot, bomb dump, ammunition supply point or ammo dump, is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives....
of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, designed in 1660 by Pieter Post
Pieter Post
Pieter Jansz Post was a Dutch Golden Age architect, painter and printmaker.-Biography:...
. The walled and moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
ed complex consist of a gatehouse
Gatehouse
A gatehouse, in architectural terminology, is a building enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a castle, manor house, fort, town or similar buildings of importance.-History:...
, a former guardhouse
Guardhouse
A guardhouse is a building used to house personnel and security equipment...
and various outbuildings, formerly for gunpowder handling and packaging, around a large central pond with two gunpowder storage towers in the middle. In 1998–2000, the Kruithuis complex was restored. The Delftsche Zwervers are housed in one of the gunpowder storage towers.
Soldering
Soldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a lower melting point than the workpiece...
with LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s, playing with old computers, role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculpting in cellular concrete, pioneering, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
. Members frequently go outdoors, for example camping and doing odd jobs on the Scouting campsite Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
Gilwell Ada's Hoeve is the oldest Dutch national Scouting campsite, and from July 1923 until the 1960s hosted the Wood Badge trainings for Scouting leadership in the Netherlands. The site was founded as a Scouting campsite in 1923 by Philip baron van Pallandt on his Eerde Estate in Ommen...
or in the winter hiking in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
.
One recurring activity is the organisation of the annual camps for children on the Scouting campsite Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
Gilwell Ada's Hoeve
Gilwell Ada's Hoeve is the oldest Dutch national Scouting campsite, and from July 1923 until the 1960s hosted the Wood Badge trainings for Scouting leadership in the Netherlands. The site was founded as a Scouting campsite in 1923 by Philip baron van Pallandt on his Eerde Estate in Ommen...
in Ommen
Ommen
Ommen is a municipality and a Hanseatic city in the Vecht valley of the Salland region, which is at the heart of the province of Overijssel in the eastern Netherlands. Historical records first name Ommen in the early 12th century and it was officially founded as a city in 1248...
, The Netherlands. Since their establishment, the Delftsche Zwervers have aimed to contribute to society by organising activities for children in hardship situations. Beginning in 1922, members went camping with children from the Martha Stichting children's home in Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn , where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 72,674 in 2010, and covers an...
and later with other groups like refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
children from East Germany. However, presently members organise and lead school camps for children in special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
from The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. These camps are two weeks long. Each week a group of approximately 28 children and approximately 14 leaders. The children are divided into groups of three to four, a "tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
". For each tent is one leader directly responsible. The other leaders are two cooks, one "manus" (handyperson) responsible for the equipment, two leaders responsible for the games, one to two leaders as backup and one leader to keep order.