Polish Scouting and Guiding Association


The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in 1918 and currently is the largest Scouting organization in Poland. The first ZHP was founded in 1916, the current one is the fourth organization with this name. It is a public benefit organization as defined by Polish law.

History

Pre-war history

The Polish Scout movement was started in 1910. Initially the ideas of Scouting were implemented by Andrzej Małkowski and his wife Olga. The three main branches of Polish Scouting included the Strzelec paramilitary organization for boys, a sport and education society Sokół and the anti-alcoholic association Eleusis. However, it wasn't until the Partitions of Poland came to an end that the ZHP would be officially founded by the merging of existing groups.
Soon after the merger in 1918, the ZHP members fought in all the conflicts Poland was engaged in around this time: Great Poland Uprising, Polish-Bolshevik War, Silesian Uprisings, and Polish-Ukrainian War, much like their predecessors during the Siege of Mafeking.
during the Siege of Lwów
All of the units joined together in 1918 and formed the ZHP, one of the founding members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Although many units retained their own traditions, a common law, common symbols and a common oath was introduced. The primary difference between most Scouting organizations and the Polish Harcerstwo was described by Andrzej Małkowski:
Harcerstwo is Scouting plus independence.

Before 1939 the ZHP was one of the largest social and educational associations in Poland with over 200,000 members. Among the "sponsors" of Polish Harcerstwo were all the presidents of Poland and several high-ranking officers, including general Józef Haller.

Gray Ranks

After the invasion of Poland of 1939, the ZHP, many of whom joined defense militias, were branded partisans and criminals by Nazi Germany, who had executed many Scouts and Guides, along with other possible resistance leaders. Nonetheless the ZHP carried on as a clandestine organization. In 1940, the Soviet Union executed most of the Boy Scouts held at Ostashkov prison.
The wartime Scouts evolved into the paramilitary Szare Szeregi, cooperating with the Polish underground state and the Armia Krajowa resistance. Older Scouts carried out sabotage, armed resistance, and assassinations. The Girl Guides formed auxiliary units working as nurses, liaisons and munition carriers. At the same time the youngest Scouts were involved in so-called small sabotage under the auspice of the Wawer organization, which included dropping leaflets or painting the kotwica sign on the walls. During Operation Tempest, and especially during the Warsaw Uprising, the Scouts participated in the fighting, and several Szare Szeregi units were some of the most effective in combat.
In December 1944 the Polish Committee of National Liberation reformed the Scouting movement under the name of the pre-WWII Scouting organization, though with authorities loyal to the puppet government and an ethos in line with that of the Soviet Pioneer Movement, pressuring the organization to become a member thereof, eventually altogether disbanding in even in that form in 1949. The organization was integrated into the Polish United Workers' Party, with most of its members now part of a new Soviet style, government-sponsored Pioneer organization - the Scouts of the Working Youth of Poland, which retained the original Polish Scouting movement's motto while adopting Pioneer traditions of Eastern Bloc countries, save for the uniform and the Pioneer salute used in the Soviet Union and other Pioneer associations of the Eastern Bloc. The only existing part of pre-war ZHP is the ZHP pgK, established to serve Polish Scouts outside their homeland.

Modern history

In 1956, after Stalin's and Bolesław Bierut's death, the Polish United Workers' Party youth movement ZMP OH was transformed and renamed to ZHP. However the new ZHP did not consider itself as a continuation of the pre-war ZHP, but as a new organization. After 1958 many pre-war instructors were removed from the new ZHP or marginalized and the original oath, law, educational content and methods were changed. The two finger salute common to the Polish Scouts was retained, and a new uniform debuted.
Despite this, the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association became one of the very few official organizations that retained some independence from the communist party. Because of this, its growth was rapid, and in 1980 it had more than three million active members. The Polish Scouts were engaged in a variety of duties, varying from helping in the fields of the most poor regions to organizing the visits of Pope John Paul II. After the martial law was imposed in 1981 the ZHP was the only large social organization not to be banned. The "VIII ZHP Convention" even supported the martial law. However, many of its high-ranking officials were interned because of their involvement in the Solidarność movement, as well as several Scoutmasters. The ZHP would later be admitted in the 1980s as part of the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth.
In 1989 after the period of peaceful transformation began, many groups of instructors formed separate Scouting organizations. These moves were prompted by political disagreements with the character of ZHP; they felt that its communist takeover left a permanent mark upon the organisation, and that the only way to effectively reform the movement was to found a new organisation. ZHR's founding will serve as an adequate example of this principle. After pope John Paul II's first pilgrimage to Poland in August 1980, some "non-conforming" instructors inside the ZHP created the Andrzej Małkowski Circle of Scout Instructors, with the objective to restore original Scout ideals. These instructors presented reformative motions to the 7th Congress of ZHP at the beginning of 1981, but these were all rejected. When martial law was imposed in December 1981, the a large number of organisations were outlawed, so ZHR were forced to conduct their activities - weekly meetings, yearly camps and so on - underground. The underground movement came to light in the fall of 1988. After they were unsuccessful in reforming the ZHP their way, the ZHR was founded.
In this reformative climate, ZHP did adopt some of Polish Scouting's pre-war traditions: e.g. the original oath and Scouts Law were reintroduced, and of course the overt communist aspects, such as the glorification of Lenin, were removed. However, the organisation remains co-educational. In 1993 Lech Wałęsa became the honorary protector of the ZHP, just like all former Polish presidents. In 1996 the ZHP rejoined the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The Scout association is also member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, International Scout and Guide Fellowship, International Catholic Conference of Scouting, International Catholic Conference of Guiding. These memberships have allowed ZHP to claim the greatest legitimacy, successfully dominating the other organisations of Polish Scouting, such as ZHR and ZHP pgK, the organisation which brings together Polish Scouts in the international Emigree community, with members in Australia, Argentina, Belarus, Canada, France, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Sweden, the United States, Ukraine, among other countries with Polish residents in the diaspora and as such the organization is affiliated to the International Link of Orthodox Christian Scouts. ZHP PGK, also known as ZHP Świat, has adopted policies similar to those of the Boy Scouts of America, where agnostics and atheists are not allowed to be instructors.

Standards and ideals

Czuwaj

The Scout Motto is "Czuwaj", translating literally as "be aware" or "stay awake" in Polish, symbolizing readiness. It was a historic admonition of medieval knights to one another, while on guard holding back the Mongols. The Polish nouns for single Scouts are Harcerz and Harcerka.

Guide and Scout Promise (Przyrzeczenie Harcerskie)

"Mam szczerą wolę całym życiem pełnić służbę Bogu i Polsce, nieść chętną pomoc bliźnim i być posłusznym Prawu Harcerskiemu."
"It is my sincere wish to serve God and Poland with the whole of my life, to give my willing help to other people, and to obey the Guide and Scout Law."

Guide and Scout Law (Prawo Harcerskie)

Polish
  1. Harcerz sumiennie wypełnia swoje obowiązki wynikające z Przyrzeczenia Harcerskiego.
  2. Na słowie harcerza polegaj jak na Zawiszy.
  3. Harcerz jest pożyteczny i niesie pomoc bliźnim.
  4. Harcerz w każdym widzi bliźniego, a za brata uważa każdego innego harcerza.
  5. Harcerz postępuje po rycersku.
  6. Harcerz miłuje przyrodę i stara się ją poznać.
  7. Harcerz jest karny i posłuszny rodzicom i wszystkim swoim przełożonym.
  8. Harcerz jest zawsze pogodny.
  9. Harcerz jest oszczędny i ofiarny.
  10. Harcerz pracuje nad sobą, jest czysty w myśli, mowie i uczynkach; jest wolny od nałogów.
English
  1. A Guide/Scout conscientiously fulfils the duties stemming from the Guide and Scout Promise.
  2. A Guide's/Scout's word is to be trusted like that of Zawisza the Knight.
  3. A Guide/Scout is useful and helps others.
  4. A Guide/Scout is a friend to everybody and a brother to every other Guide/Scout.
  5. A Guide/Scout acts chivalrously.
  6. A Guide/Scout loves Nature and tries to get to know it.
  7. A Guide/Scout is well disciplined and obedient to her/his parents and superiors.
  8. A Guide/Scout is always cheerful.
  9. A Guide/Scout is thrifty and generous.
  10. A Guide/Scout is working on herself/himself; she/he is pure in thought, in word and in deed; she/he is free from addictions.

    Brownie/Cub Scout Promise (Obietnica Zucha)

"Obiecuję być dobrym zuchem, zawsze przestrzegać Prawa Zucha"
"I promise to be a good Brownie/Cub Scout and always obey the Brownie/Cub Scout Law."

Brownie/Cub Scout Law (Prawo Zucha)

Polish
  1. Zuch kocha Boga i Polskę.
  2. Zuch jest dzielny.
  3. Zuch mówi prawdę.
  4. Zuch pamięta o swoich obowiązkach.
  5. Wszystkim jest z zuchem dobrze.
  6. Zuch stara się być coraz lepszy.
English
  1. A Brownie/Cub Scout loves God and Poland.
  2. A Brownie/Cub Scout is brave.
  3. A Brownie/Cub Scout always tells the truth.
  4. A Brownie/Cub Scout remembers about her/his duties.
  5. Everybody feels happy with a Brownie/Cub Scout.
  6. A Brownie/Cub Scout tries to be better and better.

    Scouting Anthem (Hymn Harcerski)

Wszystko co nasze Polsce oddamy,
w niej tylko życie, więc idziem żyć,
świty się bielą, otwórzmy bramy.
Rozkaz wydany: Wstań! W słońce idź!
Ramię pręż, słabość krusz,
ducha tęż ojczyźnie miłej służ!
Na Jej zew w bój czy w trud,
pójdzie rad harcerzy polskich ród!
Harcerzy polskich ród!
Everything we have we give to Poland,
She is our life, so we go to live
The dawn is rising, let's open the gates,
We have our order: Stand up! Into the sun!
Toughen yourself, crush your weaknesses,
Exert your soul to serve the homeland!
On her call to the battle or to help,
Glad goes the kindred of Polish Scouts and Guides!
Kindred of Polish Scouts and Guides!

Symbols

Aside from the Anthem the other symbols are:

Age groups

There are four age groups, although the age limits are not strictly adhered to:
The basic unit of ZHP is a drużyna, consisting of approximately 30 boys or girls. Each drużyna is formed by several units named zastęp consisting of about seven people. A few troops can be connected in one szczep. Several groups or/and troops from a specified area form a hufiec which in turn is a part of one of the regions called chorągiew. For example, a particular Scout can be a member of