History

Scouting was founded in our country in 1910. We hold an official document showing that it was established in Beirut, then Ottoman territory. At its founding it was called “Keşşaflık”; a keşşaf is one who explores abundantly.

The book serving as the Regulation of the Ottoman Scouts was printed; because of the dominant language of the place where it was printed it is in Arabic, and today it is kept in the museum of the Beirut scouts. The emblem on its cover is the first scout badge of our country. That same year scouting began at the Galatasaray, Istanbul and Edirne high schools and spread rapidly.

After the Balkan Wars the Scouting Society was attached to the Ministry of War (the Ministry of National Defence).

Of the three brothers who spread scouting in Istanbul, Abdurrahman Robenson was martyred in the Sarıkamış Operation and Yakup Robenson in the Suez Canal Operation; Ahmet Robenson returned from Sarıkamış as a war veteran.

The Orphan Scouts Hearth was founded by Kâzım Karabekir Pasha. Children orphaned during the Armenian atrocities in particular were cared for and raised there. The Pasha had a new badge and a record book of merit made for the scouts.

Scouts came from every corner of the country and took part in the Battle of Gallipoli in their scout uniforms. The martyrdom of 94 of our scouts from Balıkesir High School is documented by the photograph they had taken before leaving for the front; a farewell ceremony is held at that school every year.

Photographs survive of Ottoman pashas inspecting our scouts during the defence of Jerusalem.

Our scouts joined the War of Independence with a “Scout Regiment” of 5,000 members and were granted their own regimental banner.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk accepted the title “Chief of the Scouts”. Since that day the Chief of the Scouts has been the President of the Republic.

With the Republic, scouting activities were attached to the Ministry of National Education.

On 1 December 1950 our membership of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) was accepted.

Scouting was attached to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Work continued under the “Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports”, formed by the merger of the Ministry of Youth and Sports with the Ministry of National Education.

The Girl Scouts of Türkiye became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

When the ministry was divided in two, scouting began to be run separately within the Ministry of National Education and the General Directorate of Youth and Sports.

The Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey was founded under the General Directorate of Youth and Sports. The world scouting organisations recognised it as the sole authorised scouting body in Türkiye.

From 2005 onwards the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey grew very rapidly; it became first an autonomous and then an independent federation.

The scouting organisation within the Ministry of National Education was closed and, through the protocols signed, all scouts began to work under the roof of the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey.

TIFAKE (the Search, Rescue and Humanitarian Aid Institute of the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey) is on site at every disaster. The federation has protocols with AFAD, the Turkish Red Crescent, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the General Directorate of Forestry and the Presidency of Religious Affairs. It has been named the fastest and highest-quality growing organisation in the world and the second largest in Europe, and has received the Peace Envoys Heroism Award. More than 20,000 refugee scouts who have sought asylum in our country are also part of the federation.