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“Wild Scouts”: Swedish ScoutingPreparing Responsible Citizens for theTwenty-First CenturyAnna Westberg Broström aa Department of Child and Youth Studies , Stockholm University ,Stockholm , SwedenPublished online: 12 Mar 2013.

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Articles

‘‘Wild Scouts’’: Swedish ScoutingPreparing Responsible Citizens for the

Twenty-First Century

ANNA WESTBERG BROSTROMDepartment of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

The aim of this article is to analyze the Swedish scout program.Socialization is used as a theoretical tool in the analysis. Themethod is inspired by critical discourse analysis. What are childrenand young people being prepared for, how is it accomplished, andby whom? The findings reveal two discourses: doing things as aninvestment for the future versus having fun. In ‘‘the scout factory,’’the movement is the initiator, the leader the performer, and theyoung person the individual who is to become the finalproduct—a responsible citizen.

KEYWORDS critical discourse analysis, scouting, socialization

The Scout Movement is the largest youth organization in the world(Mills, 2011). In Sweden, there are 70,000 members, organized in fiveco-educational scout associations with different ideological and religiousprofiles. There is also a partner association, representing Sweden at the inter-national level. The aim of the Swedish Scout Movement1—that is, the fivescout associations—is to enable young people to develop into responsibleglobal citizens, based on the values expressed in the scout law and the scoutpromise (Scouterna, 2008).

The Swedish Scout Movement underwent major change during the firstdecade of the 21st century. Members were dropping out. The activities didnot attract children and young people. This follows an international trend

The research that this article is based on has been economically supported by the AnnaAhlstrom and Ellen Terserus Foundation. The author wishes to thank the anonymousreviewers for their helpful comments.

Address correspondence to Anna Westberg Brostrom, Department of Child and YouthStudies, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: Anna.Westberg-Brostrom@buv.su.se

Child & Youth Services, 34:9–22, 2013Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLCISSN: 0145-935X print=1545-2298 onlineDOI: 10.1080/0145935X.2013.766055

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(Strong & Posner, 2010). In 2006, a process to create a new Swedish scout pro-gram began, and in 2009, a definitive educational proposal was launched (Scou-terna, 2009a). Earlier, each Swedish scout association had its own program.

The educational proposal, consisting of 49 pages, describes the objec-tives and methods for different age sections. It can be compared to a curricu-lum since it treats guidelines, purposes, and values. The document waslaunched with four slogans: ‘‘It shall be more fun to be a scout,’’ ‘‘It shallbe easier to be a scout leader,’’ ‘‘The Scout movement has prepared youngpeople for life during more than a hundred years,’’ and ‘‘Society changesand the Scout movement with it’’ (Scouterna, 2009b).

The aim of the present article is to analyze the Swedish scout program.What are children and young people being prepared for, how is itaccomplished, and by whom? The analysis focuses on the socialization pro-cess; ‘‘The process whereby children are taught, and learn, to meet theexpectations of, and fit into, a given society’’ (James & James, 2008, p.127). Socialization is used as a theoretical tool in the analysis (James & James,2008; Lee, 2001; Zinnecker, 2002). The analysis focuses on the text; the ScoutMovement’s idea of socialization, the discourse practices; the ideas of howthe movement’s socialization model is to be fulfilled, and social practices;referring to the socialization process as such and the activities and actorswithin the process. The methodological approach is inspired by Critical Dis-course Analysis (Fairclough, 1992, 2003).

There are several reasons to why research in this field is important. TheScout Movement is a traditional youth organization that is struggling to sur-vive, and to remain relevant and vital in the 21st century (Strong & Posner,2010). The Scout Movement is educational, voluntary, nonprofit, and nongo-vernmental. It arranges leisure activities for children and young people, but isunderstudied by scholars (Proctor, 2009a; Warren, 2009). Members of themovement, no matter what national setting, have always been encouragedto become good citizens (Proctor, 2009a; Vanhoenacker, 2011). This makesthe scout program an excellent case where socialization in a contemporary,non-school and non-family context, may be analyzed.

BACKGROUND: THE SCOUT AND GUIDE MOVEMENTS

The Scout Movement was originally created to reduce tensions between dif-ferent classes in Edwardian society, and to enhance the quality among poten-tial recruits. It evolved into an international youth movement that usedoutdoor life as a cure of social disruption caused by industrialization andurbanization. The founder promised that scouting would provide ‘‘a healthyoutlet for youth rebellion’’ (Parsons, 2004, p. 5). In 1908, RobertBaden-Powell (2005) published Scouting for Boys, the book that laid thefoundation for the Scout Movement. Scouting for Boys encouraged boys todevelop as young citizens and future adults:

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This ideal Scouting citizen would be patriotic, strong (physically andmentally), loyal, honest, trustworthy, competent in outdoor knowledgeand useful to the community. (Mills, 2011, p. 541)

Scouting for Boys was encyclopedic and offered much information tothe reader who wanted to be a scout, but also to someone who wanted tobe a scout leader (MacDonald, 1993). The book consisted of stories, facts,games, plays, exercises, literature tips, and instructions to leaders. Exampleswere given from the author’s military life, as well as from stories about KingArthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and from fictional work by ArthurConan Doyle and Rudyard Kipling. Baden-Powell emphasized that the aim ofthe program was not to discipline boys, but to teach them to discipline them-selves (2005, p. 212). Since the first edition, several new and revised editionsof the book have been released, including translations into many languages.In 1912, a separate handbook for Girl Guides=Girl Scouts was also published(Anderson & Behringer, 2010). In the feminized version of scouting, girlslearned ‘‘female skills,’’ like taking care of home and children. The movementhad to balance between being respectable and adventurous to secureengagement from both parents and girls (Anderson & Behringer, 2010; Mills,2011; Proctor, 2005, 2009b).

Kahane (1997) argues that the Scout Movement can be viewed as a toolfor adult control and as a context for developing autonomy and initiativesamong young people. He further argues that the interweaving of controland autonomy can explain the movement’s ability to survive over time,and its unique position in the lives of young people (Kahane, 1997). Today,there are two international scout organizations, one for girls (World Associ-ation of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts; WAGGGS), and one for both sexes(World Organization of the Scout Movement; WOSM). Together they have38 million members (Proctor, 2009a, 2009b).

The two world organizations have strategy documents for the nationalscout associations who wish to develop their program. The needs and aspira-tions of young people have to be taken into account, according to the docu-ments. The young person is responsible for his=her own development, butthe program has to be oriented toward objectives. Development areas andthe scout method are described. Each document emphasize that the programhas to be adapted to suit different countries and new generations of youngpeople, and that some elements in scouting and guiding are optional andothers are not (Benard & Collier Jespersen, 2005; WAGGGS, 2006).

PREVIOUS STUDIES ABOUT SCOUT MANUALS

At the time when the Scout Movement was established in the beginning ofthe 20th century, the idea of acquiring citizenship through doing and not

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reading, made it unique in relation to other contemporary organizations(Proctor, 2009a). The movement has however produced and still producesdifferent sorts of instructions. These texts may be viewed as ‘‘manuals forsocialization’’ (Auster, 1985). Earlier studies have focused on gender socializ-ing messages in Boy Scout and Girl Scout handbooks (Denny, 2011) and ondefinitions of girlhood in Girl Scout manuals (Anderson & Behringer, 2010).The unique contribution with the current article is that it presents empiricalfindings from a contemporary ‘‘socialization manual’’ that has both girls andboys as its target group. The analysis focuses on the Swedish ScoutMovement’s agenda and project; what children and young people are beingprepared for, how it is accomplished and by whom.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: SOCIALIZATION

In the 1950s the sociologist Talcott Parsons developed a theory about theways in how society functions. According to him, society’s value orientationsare laid down during childhood. The socialization of children is therefore tobe viewed as fundamental to the future functioning of the social system(James & James, 2008, p. 127). The present article analyzes the Swedish scoutprogram. In doing so, this study empirically investigates the Swedish ScoutMovement’s definition of socialization.

The concept of socialization can be understood as the process wherebychildren are taught the values and traditions relevant to a particular society orculture. This process is traditionally regarded as something that is done tochildren (James & James, 2008, p. 127). The traditional socialization theorieshave however been criticised in several ways, for example, because childrenare viewed as passive, and not seen as actors with agency (Zinnecker, 2002).The traditional socialization concept draws attention to the future. Becomingis in focus instead of being. Childhood is only a phase that should be passed.This view implies that you only learn when you are young, and not as adult.The concept of socialization has also been criticized, because it definesthe socialization process as universal and independent of time and place(Zinnecker, 2002).

Lee (2001) argues that the division between adults as ‘‘beings’’—complete and independent, and children as ‘‘becomings’’—incomplete anddependent, is a product of historical development. The ideas of socializationand development carry the sense of childhood as a journey toward a desti-nation. Traditional social scientific knowledge of childhood has been builton a sense of certainty about adulthood and its stability. Lee argues that suchstable, complete, standard adulthood can no longer be presumed to exist,that we live in an age of uncertainty, and that the distinction between becom-ing and being has been eroded (Lee, 2001).

Within the field of childhood sociology, a new definition of socializationhas been developed. Socialization is described as something that continues

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throughout life. Children are viewed as social actors who engage with thesocial world. Children are also thought to socialize one another, not onlybeing socialized by adults (James & James, 2008).

METHOD

Fairclough (2003) recognizes that there are different ways of definingdiscourse. One way to use discourse is in the sense of ‘‘representing someparticular part of the world’’ and ‘‘representing it from a particular perspec-tive’’ (p. 129). Fairclough (1992) emphasizes that discourses not only reflector represent social entities and relations, but also construct and constitutethem (p. 3).

The aim of the present article is to analyze the Swedish scout program.The methodological approach is inspired by critical discourse analysis(CDA), which is informed by linguistics and social theory. It combines ananalysis of the text (both spoken and written language), discourse practices(processes of text production, distribution and consumption) and the socialpractices (of which the discourse is a part). The discourse practices refer tothe mediating level between the text and its social context. When analyzingdata, the three dimensions—the text, discourse practices, and socialpractices—overlap (Fairclough, 1992, 2003).

The empirical material in the present article consists of texts thatdescribe the ideas with the program; the educational proposal, booksaddressing leaders and participants and thirdly slogans that were used whenthe program was launched. The empirical material also consists of textsdescribing social practices for translating the ideas into activities; semesterprograms and an Activity Bank.

The analysis focuses on ‘‘the text’’—the Scout Movement’s idea of socia-lization, ‘‘the discourse practices’’—the ideas of how the movement’s sociali-zation model is to be fulfilled, and ‘‘social practices,’’ referring to thesocialization process as such and the activities and actors within the process.

Some guidelines have informed my analysis. I have looked at thevocabulary that is used, the ways of wording. Intertextuality: the relationsbetween the text and other texts which are external to it, the presence of ele-ments of other texts within the text. Interdiscursivity: relations with other dis-courses, how different discourses are articulated and mixed in the text. Theorder of discourse: the social organization and control of linguistic variation,the ways of meaning making that is dominant, mainstream, marginal, opposi-tional or alternative in a particular order of discourse (Fairclough, 1992,2003). The last step has been to look at the text in relation to the theoreticalframework, and in relation to earlier research about the Scout Movement.The fourth and the fifth steps have been a way to analyze ‘‘the effects ofthe discourse practice upon the social practice’’ (Fairclough, 1992, p. 237).

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RESULT AND ANALYSIS

One of the slogans used when the educational proposal was launched was‘‘it shall be more fun to be a scout.’’ The text is, however, intended for theadult leaders. The educational proposal describes objectives and methods.It is divided into nine sections in the following order:

1. The background2. A definition of the Scout Movement3. Starting points in the scout program4. The age sections5. The overall objectives with the program6. The objectives organized in sub-objectives and by age group7. The scout method8. The program instruments9. A closing argument

Moreover, there is a foreword and an appendix, describing the analysisthat formed a basis for the work with developing the program.

In addition to the educational proposal, the movement has producedbooks. The Leader Prepares You has the scout leaders as its target group. Itexplains the program on 272 pages. Three books address the younger agesections. These books mix fiction and facts. A book and the booklet (a bookis under production) address the two oldest age sections and are based onfacts. This can be compared with Scouting for Boys (Baden-Powell, 2005) thathad both children and adults as its target groups. Scouting for Boys was a mixof fiction and facts.

The following part of this article describes the Scout Movement’s idea‘‘to prepare children and young people for life’’ and to make them ‘‘respon-sible citizens.’’ The third and the fourth section focus on the different waysthese ideas are to be fulfilled: ‘‘to de-control as the children age’’ and to pack-age scouting into something that is perceived as ‘‘fun.’’ The fifth sectionfocuses on the socialization process as such: ‘‘the scout factory.’’ In this fac-tory, the movement is ‘‘the initiator,’’ the scout leader ‘‘the performer,’’ andthe scouts the persons who shall become ‘‘the final products.’’

Preparing Young People for Life

What is striking with the educational proposal is that the plan is formulatedfor every area of young people’s lives. Vanhoenacker (2011) has describedscouting as a ‘‘total education’’ (p. 1048). The educational proposal thus con-tains a description of the program’s overall objectives within social develop-ment, physical development, spiritual development, emotional development,and intellectual development. In addition to this classification, the objectives

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are structured into sub-objectives and by age group. The idea is ‘‘that this willsimplify the work with the objectives.’’ The 14 sub-objectives are:

1. Leadership2. Active in the group3. Problem solving4. Critical thinking5. Existence6. Personal values7. Physical challenges8. Relations9. Understanding of the outside world10. Feeling for nature11. Active in society12. Imagination and creative expressions13. Self-awareness and self-esteem14. Taking care of your body

In each sub-objective there is a progression described. In sum, the edu-cational proposal is oriented toward objectives both in general and in detail.

The educational proposal points out that there is a role for everyone,but ‘‘it is the development of young people which is the focus of the activi-ties.’’ The Scout movement is defined as a youth movement aimed at thosewho are between 8 and 25 years of age. The scouts are divided into fiveage sections, ‘‘but because children and young people develop at differenttimes there is a built-in flexibility in the age division.’’

The educational proposal thus defines clear and desired objectives anda detailed description of the steps to achieve them. It reveals certain percep-tions of what develops at different ages. All members are encouraged toreach the same objectives. The document is focused on development andprogression. It is oriented toward the future, without explaining why to dothings at the present time.

In the educational proposal, the criteria for what makes an activityscouting are described in terms of the overall purpose (personal develop-ment) and how it is implemented (the scout method is used). It is explainedthat the scout method ‘‘implies a certain degree of independence, autonomyand ability to work in groups’’ and that most children develop this at aroundeight years (this argument can however be questioned since a majority ofSwedish children starts preschool at the age of one year). It is further arguedthat persons up to 25 years old are usually considered to be young. That isthe reason why the program starts at the age of 8 years old and ends whenthe scout became 25 years old.

A slogan that was used when the educational proposal was launchedwas ‘‘The Scouts have prepared young people for life for more than a

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hundred years,’’ but the history is not presented in the document; RobertBaden-Powell and Scouting for Boys are not mentioned. One interpretationis that the history is something to feel proud of, but it is also a burden forthe movement. The slogan, according to my interpretation, is however inter-textually linked to Scouting for Boys and based on the original scout motto:‘‘Be prepared—always prepared.’’

The educational proposal identifies challenges that children and youngpeople face, and considers how the movement will meet these challengesand ‘‘prepare young people for life.’’ The formulation of ‘‘prepare for life’’ illus-trates who ‘‘will prepare’’ (the leaders) and who ‘‘is being prepared’’ (childrenand young people). It indicates that life is something that starts later. Life iswhen children and young people are not children or young people any longer.Life begins as adults and there is a plan for that forthcoming life.

People older than 25 years are usually not considered to be young,according to the document (that must be understood in relation to the factthat the Swedish state supports organizations that arrange leisure activitiesfor people who are up to 25 years old). Different problems that childrenand young people face are described. The Scout Movement offers solutionsfor each of these problem areas. According to the document, being a scout isapparently the best way of growing up. Here we find a clear continuity. TheScout Movement was originally intended to offer a solution for different kindof youth problems (Parsons, 2004).

Preparing Responsible Citizens

The original program text, Scouting for Boys (Baden-Powell, 1908=2005), dis-cussed the importance of keeping fit. The main argument for this was that itwas important for the British Empire. Today’s educational proposal proclaimsthat the scouts want to work against obesity and poor body image. Thescouts are taught to feel satisfied with their bodies and the way they look.They experience the joy of movement and physical activities in differentenvironments. They learn the importance of taking responsibility for theirbodies and health through:

‘‘Eating right, doing exercises and taking care of their hygiene’’

‘‘By understanding the consequences of alcohol, tobacco and drugs’’

‘‘By taking responsibility for sexual relations by having a healthy attitude to sex’’

The oldest scouts are also encouraged to support others to have a posi-tive body image and to make healthy life choices. The ambition that themembers shall influence others in the right directions implies increaseddemands on young people to represent and spread the movement’s ideals,

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according to my interpretation. In this way, the governing of the oldestmembers is very explicit: the oldest members have a larger responsibilityfor these issues than their younger companions.

There are more areas where scouts are urged to influence others. Theyare for example encouraged to take a stand for an ecologically sustainablelifestyle. These areas can be interpreted as the Swedish Scout Movement’svision about what it means to be a ‘‘responsible citizen.’’ The Scout Move-ment’s idea about their members’ adulthood is very explicit. The expectedresult, the ideal grown-up, is described in detail. Between pages the readeralso gets information about non-wished behavior. In this way the scout asan adult citizen is constructed.

Increase Complexity and De-Control as the Children Age

The scout method is described as a tool to accomplish the goals. The method,according to the educational proposal, consists of the scout law and the scoutpromise, the patrol (a small team of 5–8 individuals within the larger group),learning by doing, symbols and ceremonies, outdoor life, local and globalengagement in society, and an attentive and supportive leadership. The edu-cational proposal describes the scout method as essential. It is defined as ‘‘amethod for personal development through nonformal education, designed togive young people the opportunity to develop based on their own personalpremises.’’ The document emphasizes that you need to start early and gradu-ally increase complexity to fully use the strength of the scout method. Withineach component, a progression is described:

Example I. ‘‘Attentive and supportive leadership’’ is described as animportant component of the scout method. The leader’s task is to create aspace for the children and young people to design their own activities.The scout leader shall act as a role model. In the younger age sections, theleader should be in charge, but as the scouts grow older and take moreresponsibility for the activities, the leader should increasingly focus on sup-port in the background. Gradually the children and youths are trained to takeon leader responsibilities.

In sum, the leaders shall gradually both increase complexity andde-control. This gives a certain perception of the people ‘‘who are to be pre-pared’’ and how ‘‘preparing’’ is going to be implemented. It follows the foun-der’s idea to teach children to discipline themselves (Baden-Powell, 1998=2005;Benard & Collier Jespersen, 2005; WAGGGS, 2006). The child requires an activeleader, whereas a young person requires a leader that stays in the background.The child is easier and less complicated ‘‘to prepare’’ than a young person. Thesubject will gradually be more independent and take responsibility for his=herown development. ‘‘Preparing’’ will change from being explicit to implicit, fromexternal to internal. The young person is ‘‘fully prepared’’ when he or she hasturned into a leader—and is able to teach others to discipline themselves.

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‘‘Wild Scouts’’: Transforming the Boring Look Into Something Fun

That scouting is traditional, boring, and dull is a common attitude in Sweden,as well as in other parts of the world (Nicholas & King, 1999; Proctor, 2002;Westberg Brostrom, 2012). As mentioned earlier, the membership of theSwedish Scout Movement has declined. Against this background the move-ment underwent major change during the first decade of the 21st century.The new program was a part of this process. One of the slogans used whenthe program was launched was ‘‘that it shall be more fun to be a scout.’’ Tosucceed with the plan of making young people responsible citizens, theactivities have to be fun and young people have to enjoy, from the ScoutMovement’s point of view. That it shall be ‘‘more fun,’’ signals that it yet isn’tand that the movement needs a change, in order to be an attractive arena foryoung people.

The educational proposal is focused on development and progression.The document describes how to prepare young people for life. It alsodescribes and explicit idea of an ideal grown-up. In this aspect, being amember of the Scout Movement could be interpreted as ‘‘an investmentfor the future.’’ This argument, however, does not seem to encourage chil-dren and young people to participate. Scouting also has to be fun. That is,the Scout Movement has to combine the two discourses of ‘‘investment forthe future’’ and ‘‘having fun,’’ in order to appeal to children and youngpeople. That the movement is given a new, updated, and more adventur-ous image by using elements from a popular TV show, is an example ofthis strategy.

Different kinds of instruments are linked to the educational proposal:for example semester programs for different age sections, a plan for a hik-ing, a camp and a family day. The activities are planned in detail, butleaders are asked to adapt and modify them for their own situations andneeds. The children should be involved in the planning. In the autumn of2009, the common theme was ‘‘Wild Scouts,’’ which was inspired by ‘‘WildKids,’’ a popular show for children on Swedish television, where two teamsof children are camping and competing against each other (Aktivitetsban-ken, 2009a, 2009b, 2009c). The ‘‘Wild Scouts’’ theme can be interpretedas adults’ assumptions, and attempts to approach children’s and young peo-ple’s preferences about what is fun. The combination of Wild and Scoutmight be interpreted as challenging people’s ideas about scouts. ‘‘Wild’’ sig-nals something that is out of control. It also signals autonomy among youngpeople. This may be the main reason for the movement’s use of the WildScouts concept.

The Wild Scouts theme is built upon adventure, teamwork, outdooractivities and challenges, and it takes place in nature. The patrols competeagainst each other and collect points. The youngest scouts train to cook overopen fire, learn about the environment through play, and visit an animal farm

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(Aktivitetsbanken, 2009b). Those who are 10–11(12) years learn about theclimate through a quiz and an evaluation exercise. The questions areattached to the document (Aktivitetsbanken, 2009c). It is noted that thosewho are 12(13)–14(15) years may think that they are too old for ‘‘Wild Scouts.’’The leaders are then asked to use elements from ‘‘Expedition Robinson,’’ a TVshow that addresses an older audience. The scouts get an assignment tomake afire and to get soapwater to boil over as quickly as possible. Theymay also planand conduct a hiking without a leader (Aktivitetsbanken, 2009a).

In sum, the present case demonstrate that the Swedish branch of theScout organization is striving to combine ‘‘investing for the future’’ and ‘‘hav-ing fun.’’ The Swedish Scout Movement emphasizes an ambition to preparechildren and young people for life. Gradually the child will take responsi-bility for his=her own development. While doing this, the intention is thatthe child also will have some fun.

The Scout Factory: Initiators, Performers, and Products

The educational proposal targets the whole Swedish Scout Movement. Differ-ent compromises have been made between the five Swedish scout associa-tions. In sum: the educational proposal and linked instruments give animpression of standardization.

A main thought with the new scout program is to focus on the aim andmethod, before planning the activities as such. The Scout movement hashowever also developed a database with activities: Aktivitetsbanken (TheActivity Bank). Leaders and others who are interested may search for activi-ties, contribute with own activities and find information about the move-ment. The search engine is designed so that anyone looking for anactivity may click on the desired combinations of age, group size, timeneeded, concept and goal or alternatively search by keywords. One can,for example, search for a task that is addressed to those who are 8–10 years,that will take place outdoors, and that will contain some kind of physicalchallenge.

A fundamental idea with the educational proposal is that ‘‘it shall beeasier to be a scout leader.’’ The semester programs with Wild Scouts as atheme and the Activity Bank offers packaged solutions for the leaders. Themovement controls the aim, the method and the activities. The leaders donot have to create their own meetings, but can devote all their energy to per-form. The Scout Movement is the initiator, the scout leader the performer,and the scouts the persons who shall become the final products; responsiblecitizens. In this way the ‘‘Scout factory’’ is constructed. This model is thoughtto improve quality. It should be noted, that the leaders at the same timeare given the opportunity to be creative if they wish, by creating their ownsemester programs, by changing in existing programs or by contributing tothe joint Activity Bank.

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CONCLUSION

The analysis in the present article has focused on the socialization process.The Swedish scout program has been analyzed. The result demonstrates thatthe Scout Movement offers a detailed plan for every area of life. It describesstep by step how the young person will be educated and the result that isexpected; to become a responsible citizen. In ‘‘the scout factory,’’ the move-ment is the initiator, the leader the performer, and the young person the indi-vidual who to become the final product.

The movement is mapping out a plan for their young members’ futureadulthood, for the adults to be. Adulthood is thus treated as stable and com-plete. When the scout has turned into an adult, no further development forthe member is projected. This reflects a traditional socialization discourse,where the society’s value orientations are laid down during childhood andchildhood is thought of as a journey toward a final destination (see James& James, 2008; Lee, 2001; Zinnecker, 2002).

The task of children and young people is to become adults and respon-sible citizens, from the Swedish Scout Movement’s point of view. The adultshowever, are to stay adults. This is the movement’s strategy to renew itselfand to survive. When turning 25 years old, a person no longer has the samepossibilities as when he or she was younger to be a scout. Then one’schildhood and youth is over, and one has to take on leader responsibilities.The movement thus reserves its program for its younger members.

The new program gives an explicit idea of an expected adulthood, butalso an implicit idea of childhood and youth. The adult leader shall be moreinvolved when the child is younger, but gradually lessen the control. The childrequires control whereas the young person requires autonomy. The youngperson, however, requires a more complex use of the scout method, thanthe child. In other words, the young person is more difficult to educate thanthe child. He or she is more difficult to convince about the fun of being a scoutand becoming an adult. Young persons are thus not thought of as persons thatpassively agree to be socialized. In this aspect, the Scout Movement is inspiredof a newer definition of socialisation, where children and young people areviewed as social actors who engage with the world (see James & James, 2008).

The present article illustrates that the contemporary Swedish ScoutMovement is striving to combine the discourses of doing things as an invest-ment for the future and having fun. They try to balance the two discourses inorder to govern their young members (and attract new ones). The order ofdiscourse (Fairclough, 1992, 2003) is, however, obvious within the new scoutprogram; the future is treated as more important than the present time, thefinal product as more important than the process and adulthood as moreimportant than childhood, from the Scout Movement’s point of view.

To conclude, in this specific socialization process, having fun seems tobe the method per se to transform young people to responsible adults, but it

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is not treated as something that is important in its own right. The leaders areinstructed to involve children in their planning. The question of how this willbe implemented, when the leaders themselves are served with semesterprograms designed by others, remains however unanswered.

NOTE

1. The Swedish Scout movement is coeducational. In Swedish, boys and girls who are members of the

movement are called scouts, whereas in English girls can be called ‘‘girl scouts’’ or ‘‘girl guides,’’ and boys

‘‘boy scouts’’ or just ‘‘scouts.’’ I will use the term scout for both sexes. I have chosen to use the Swedish

movement’s own English translations for the organization, age sections, etc., when available. Prior to 2012,

the Swedish Scout Movement was made up of five scout associations with different ideological and

religious profiles: The Swedish Guide and Scout Association, The Guide and Scout Organization of the

Mission Covenant Youth of Sweden, The Swedish YMCA-YWCA Guide and Scout Association, The

Temperance Guide and Scout Association, and The Salvation Army Guide and Scout Association. They

cooperated in a federation called The Swedish Guide and Scout Council. In 2012, the Swedish Scout

Movement re-organized itself. A new joint organization has been launched: Scouterna (The Scouts).

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