World Scout Moot
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| World Scout Moot | |||
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| Date | 1931 onwards | ||
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The World Scout Moot is an event for senior branches of Scouting (traditionally called Rovers) and other young adult Scouts, gathering up to 5,000 people. Moots provide an opportunity for young adults in Scouting to meet, with the objective of improving their international understanding as citizens of the world. Moots are held every four years and are organized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM).[1]
Participants must be 18–25 years old at the time of the event. Scouts who are 26 or older can take part as International Service Team (IST) volunteer staff.
History
[edit]"Moot" is an Old English word for a gathering. Rover Moots were taking place at provincial, national and international levels in the UK, Australia and Canada from the mid-1920s.[2][3][4]
The first World Rover Moot was held in 1931 at Kandersteg, Switzerland, with following events held almost every four years until 1961, when the 7th World Rover Moot took place in Melbourne, Australia. Originally entitled the "World Rover Moot", the Moot was replaced by World Moot Years between 1965 and 1982. This was done with the aim of increasing the number of events and accessibility to Rovers.
In 1985, after lobbying led by Australia, the World Scout Conference decided to reinstate the World Scout Moot to the calendar of world Scouting events, with the naming changed to reflect that not all countries had continued with a Rover section, notably the UK and the USA. At the World Scout Conference in January 1988, bids were presented by Australia and Switzerland, with Australia awarded the 8th World Scout Moot for Dec 1990/Jan 1991, and Switzerland granted the 9th World Scout Moot for July 1992. In 1993, it was decided to hold future Moots every four years.
The 10th World Scout Moot was hosted by Sweden in 1996, the 11th World Scout Moot by Mexico in 2000, and the 12th World Scout Moot by Taiwan in 2004. After originally scheduled for 2008 in Mozambique, the 13th World Scout Moot was held in Kenya in 2010 – the first ever such event to take place in Africa.
The 14th World Scout Moot was hosted by Canada in 2013, while the 15th World Scout Moot was held in Iceland in the summer of 2017.[5] The 16th World Scout Moot was due to take place in Ireland in 2021, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic the event was postponed to 2022 and subsequently cancelled.[6] The 16th World Scout Moot will now be hosted by Portugal in July/August 2025.[7]
During the 2024 World Scout Conference in Cairo, Scouts of China (Taiwan) were successful in their bid to host the 17th World Scout Moot in 2029.[8]
| Year | Event | Location | Host Country | Attendance | Countries/ regions attended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 1st World Rover Moot | Kandersteg |  Switzerland |
3,000 | 20 |
| 1935 | 2nd World Rover Moot | Ingarö |  Sweden |
3,000 | 26 |
| 1939 | 3rd World Rover Moot | Monzie Castle |  United Kingdom |
3,500 | 42 |
| 1949 | 4th World Rover Moot | Skjåk |  Norway |
2,500 | 40 |
| 1953 | 5th World Rover Moot | Kandersteg | Switzerland |
4,168 | 41 |
| 1957 | 6th World Rover Moot | Sutton Coldfield | United Kingdom |
3,500 | 61 |
| 1961 | 7th World Rover Moot | Melbourne |  Australia |
969 | 15 |
| 1990–91 | 8th World Scout Moot | Melbourne | Australia |
1,000 | 36 |
| 1992 | 9th World Scout Moot | Kandersteg | Switzerland |
1,400 | 52 |
| 1996 | 10th World Scout Moot | Ransberg | Sweden |
2,608 | 78 |
| 2000 | 11th World Scout Moot | Teotihuacan |  Mexico |
5,000 | 71 |
| 2004 | 12th World Scout Moot | Hualien |  Taiwan |
2,500 | 85 |
| 2010 | 13th World Scout Moot | Nairobi |  Kenya |
1,924 | 66 |
| 2013 | 14th World Scout Moot | Low, Quebec |  Canada |
2,000 | 83 |
| 2017 | 15th World Scout Moot | Úlfljótsvatn |  Iceland |
5,000 | 106 |
| 2021 | 16th World Scout Moot | Malahide Castle |  Ireland |
Cancelled (COVID) |
- |
| 2025 | 16th World Scout Moot | Lisbon & Porto |  Portugal |
7,500 estimated[10] | - |
| 2029 | 17th World Scout Moot | - | Taiwan |
- | - |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "World Events". scout.org. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ "Great Rover Moot". The Age (newspaper). Melbourne, Australia. 16 November 1927. p. 23. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "Archive Catalogue" (PDF). ScoutsRecords.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "The Rovers' Den". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Canada. 29 May 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
- ^ "History of the World Scout Moot". www.scout.org. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
- ^ "Important Announcement". www.worldscoutmoot.ie. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "Escutismo: Portugal recebe o «World Scout Moot»" [Scouting: Portugal hosts the «World Scout Moot»]. Agência ECCLESIA (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ "Taiwan to host World Scout Moot in 2029". Focus Taiwan. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ "Rover World Moots - SCOUTS South Africa Wiki". scoutwiki.scouts.org.za. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Lusa (25 July 2025). "Mais de 7500 jovens participam no primeiro encontro mundial de escoteiros em Portugal" [More than 7,500 young people participate in the first world scout meeting in Portugal] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 28 July 2025.
