Belarusian Republican Scout Association

The first Scout groups were established in Belarus in 1909 while it was part of the Russian Empire, and disbanded by the Soviets in 1922.

Belarusian Scouting was reborn and reorganized in 1989. The National Organization of Russian Scouts (NORS), based in Australia, is assisting the rebirth of Scouting in Belarus. Belarusian Scouts have regular contacts and exchanges with members of Scouts et Guides de France and the CIS Scout associations. Belaruskaya Natsianalnaya Skautskaya Asatsiyatsia joined the World Organization of the Scout Movement effective March 13, 1998 as the Scout association representing Belarus.

World Scouting News, March, 1998, reported "The Belarusian National Scout Association includes more than 7,500 members, both boys and girls, in three branches ranging from 8 to 17 years of age. They are spread all over the country but the majority of members come from the major cities."

"In December 1991, a national coordinating committee was set up under the aegis of WOSM in order to promote the unification of the various Scout Associations which appeared in different parts of the country. Scouting grew steadily with support from the Christian Orthodox Church... as well as the Youth Commission of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus." In March 1997, as a result of a long process of reconciling divergent nationalistic trends in Scouting, a constituent assembly was held in Minsk. This assembly approved the creation of a united National Scout Association.

World Scouting News further reported "The Belaruskaya Natsianalnaya Skautskaya Asatsiyatsia regularly invites underprivileged children, some of them coming from the Chernobyl contaminated areas, to some of their national summer camps."

The Scouts et Guides de France are working with Scouting in Belarus. Guidisme et Scoutisme en Belgique/Gidsen- en Scoutsbeweging in België has provided support in the region of the city of Homyel.

The coeducational BNSA had 3,408 members as of 2004. WOSM membership was terminated on March 31, 2004 by the World Scout Committee.[2][3] WOSM now lists the country as a potential member.

The BNSA was provisionally suspended for "Non-adherence to the Constitution of the Organization and nonfunctioning as a democratic National Scout Movement" in 2002, after "Complaints (...) received from unrecognised groups within the country about the conduct of the recognised NSO", which led to a report by WOSM's Chairman of the Constitutions Committee, demanding a legitimate general assembly and an independent auditing of its accounts.[4]

There was also an earlier provisional suspension for non-payment of membership fees.[5]

The Scout Motto is Bud' Gotov, Be Prepared in Russian, as BNSA does not use the Belarusian language, Russian is the sole official language. The name of the organisation in Belarusian is Беларуская рэспубліканская скаўцкая асацыяцыя (Bielaruskaja respublikanskaja skaŭtskaja asatsyjatsyja). The Russian noun for a single Scout is Скаут.

The membership badge of the Belaruskaya Natsianalnaya Skautskaya Asatsiyatsia incorporates the Patriarchal cross of Eastern European iconography.

• Scouting in Belarus
• Belarusian Republican Youth Union

• World Scouting News, March, 1998

• official webpage