Plast and the World Scout Movement

By Roman Tashleetsky

For Ukraine’s scouts the importance of joining the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) can be compared with Ukraine’s joining the European Union. Membership in this organization provides a unique opportunity to represent national scouting in the world, since only one scouting group is accepted from each country.

Plast, the Ukrainian scouting organization, was reestablished in Ukraine at the beginning of the 1990s. Now, Plast has 130 local centres in 22 oblasts and about 10,000 active members. With almost a century’s history and experience, it seemed certain that Plast would be seen as a deserving representative of Ukraine in the world’s scouting community. In fact, the words “plastun” and “scout” are synonyms.

However, this viewpoint was not shared by some in the WOSM who opposed Plast’s membership, stating that it is a youth organization that uses scouting methods rather than a scouting organization in a pure sense. While acknowledging Plast’s respectable history, they argued that there are many people in Ukraine who cannot associate themselves with Plast, namely implying Russian-speaking youth. In addition, they criticized the pledge that Plast’s members make to “Be faithful to God and Ukraine” saying that there was too much emphasis on patriotism, even though other WOSM member groups have a similar pledge that makes references to a duty to one’s country.

WOSM advised Plast to work on its “openness” (geographic, cultural, linguistical and religious) and solicited other scouting organizations in Ukraine to submit applications to join the international body. However, there were no other organizations that could pretend to represent all of Ukraine; they were too local and had few members.

There are at least two factors that have contributed to the difficulties in establishing Plast as Ukraine’s national scouting organization: one is connected with the state’s desire to control any such youth group (in the way the former Soviet-era Pioneers were); the other centres around WOSM’s representative in Ukraine, Oleksandr Bondar.

Bondar heads up the WOSM’s Eurasia Scout Region office in Yalta and has been given the task of coordinating the development of the scout movement in the “CIS States.” (Interestingly, the Baltic States have been assigned to the European Region.)  A former Muscovite, the Russian-speaking Mr. Bondar is reputed to be hostile to Plast. Using his connections at the WOSM he misinformed them about Plast’s nature, while promoting Scouts of Ukraine – an organization loyal to him.

Another youth organization SPOK (The Union of Pioneer Organizations of Kyiv) also claimed to be a “scouting” one. Originally, SPOK acted as the successor of the Pioneers, then morphed into a leisure group but now says it is following scouting principles.  Initially based only in Kyiv, it claims to have over 3,500 members, though this number has not been verified. In addition, SPOK is neither religious nor patriotic – a serious contradiction of scouting principles. However, at Mr. Bondar’s suggestion at the beginning of 2005 WOSM considered Scouts of Ukraine and SPOK as the main candidates to join the international scouting association.

The situation became so absurd that even President Yushchenko got involved. He has been an honourary plastun for many years and is therefore aware which organization can best represent Ukraine. Yushchenko sent a letter to WOSM asking them reconsider the issue with Ukraine’s candidates.  His request was supported by the Youth and Sport Minister Yurij Pavlenko and the Ukrainian Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Church.

Nevertheless, the World Scout Committee recommended the admission of SPOK to the WOSM. Fortunately, eight national scouting organizations opposed SPOK’s application (if 5 per cent oppose an application the decision is deferred to the next World Scout Conference). In view of concerns raised about the validity of SPOK’s application, the World Scout Committee decided that it would carry out an independent investigation under the responsibility of its Secretary General into the Ukrainian scouting situation.

As a result, Plast and WOSM representatives met in Kyiv at the end of June 2005 to discuss a model for entry into the world scouting movement. Plast suggested three solutions: 1) Plast, as a basic organization, would be joined by SPOK and other scouting organizations; 2) Establishing a Federation of Scouting organizations consisting of Plast, SPOK and other organizations; 3) Establishing a new organization with dual membership – in one’s own organization and the new body.

Consequently, SPOK recalled its application. Plast and SPOK have agreed to cooperate and to submit a letter by June 2006 to the WOSM with their proposed joint model.

However, according to Oleh Klymchuk, a Plast leader who participated in last year’s WOSM meeting in Kyiv, the process will likely be protracted. A Plast-SPOK decision on a proposed model for Ukraine’s representation at the international scouting organization is unlikely until the end of the year.

Roman Tashleetsky is a Ukrainian graduate student at the Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. He holds a diploma in English and French Language and Literature from the Lesia Ukrainka National University of Volyn.