Frequently Asked Questions

If you are between the ages of 7 and 17, you can apply to the nearest "Scout Club" in order to become a Scout. A Scout Club is not only a club that carries that name: scouting is one of the branches of many sports clubs, so you may also find clubs that run scouting without having "Scout Club" in their name.

Alternatively, you can take part in scouting by obtaining an individual licence in one of the units established under the protocols the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey has signed with various institutions (the Ministry of National Education, the Presidency of Religious Affairs, universities, etc.).

You can obtain the details of the representative in your province from the Provincial Representatives page. Once you reach our Scouting Provincial Representative, they will direct you to the nearest Scout club.

You can contact the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey. Here you can get information about scouting in your province and about the leaders you can reach.

Phone: 0312 441 59 00 - 01 - 02
E-mail: tifburo@tif.org.tr

Once you find a Scout club, your leaders will pass on the information and documents you need in order to obtain a uniform and a licence, and will help you through the process. To obtain a licence, documents such as a health declaration through e-Devlet, a document showing the athlete's relationship with the club, a parent/guardian consent form and two photographs are required. Your licence procedures are carried out by the Provincial or District Directorates of Youth and Sports; the licence is issued on behalf of the Scout club.

The medical report requested during the licence procedure exists so that our Scout leaders are aware of your situation; in it the doctor provides the information describing your state of health. Whether you can take part in scouting, and under which conditions, is decided by the leaders of your Scout club. Children and young people with disabilities can also take part in scouting. The Scout clubs you apply to will inform you about these matters.

If you have completed the age of 18 and hold a high-school diploma, you can become a Scout leader. To do so you need to join a Scout club and obtain a licence through it. During this period you should also have a Scout uniform.

Alternatively, you can take part in scouting by obtaining an individual licence in one of the units established under the protocols the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey has signed with various institutions (the Ministry of National Education, the Presidency of Religious Affairs, universities, etc.).

Once your licence procedure is complete, you become a candidate for that Scout club's leader pool. As your uniform is also ready by then, you need to join our organisation by taking the Scout Promise, again through your club leader.

Types of leadership can be grouped under three main headings: Support Leadership, Unit Leadership and Leader Training.

When your work in the club's leader pool is viewed positively by the club leaders, the club recommends you for the first Basic Leadership Course to be held. By attending this course you can begin to progress towards Unit Leadership.

• Being a high-school graduate.
• Being sent to the course by a Scout club or by an institution with which a protocol has been signed.
• Having completed the age of 18.
• Having a uniform.
• Being registered in the TİF Automation system.
• Having your leader training logbook approved by your advisor.
• Coming to the course with your licence, a notebook, a pen, etc.

You can continue in your role in the club's leader pool. When the other conditions are met, you may open and run a troop for one year. If, after completing that year, you do not attend the first Troop Leader (Oymakbaşı) Course to be held, or you do not pass it, your troop is closed and you cannot serve as a troop leader until you successfully complete the Troop Leader Course; you can, however, serve as an assistant troop leader. You may attend the Leader Development Courses that are held.

The minimum age limits differ for leaders running a unit and for assistant leaders. The leader directs and manages the unit; the assistant leader supports the leader, develops their leadership knowledge and skills and, in a sense, serves an apprenticeship.

What is the difference between unit leaders and assistant leaders and the other leaders in the club's leader pool? The leaders the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey places particular emphasis on are unit leaders and assistant leaders; this group of leaders is trained and equipped with knowledge and skills as a priority. The leader pool, on the other hand, is a body set up so that leaders whose time is limited can support the work of the units in their spare time and make that work easier. The Federation expects the leaders it will train to show that they deserve that training, and the proof is a Scout leader or assistant leader who actually works with Scouts. Scouting is for children and young people; therefore the leaders who devote effort and time to raising Scouts are the ones who matter.

Under the new regulation there are steps you must take before unit registration. First of all you should find a Scout club: look for a Scout club or the scouting branch of a sports club. If you cannot find one, ask your Provincial Representative for help.

Ideally you should bring together volunteer friends like yourself and found a club named "… Scout Club Association"; the information required for this is in our Legislation section. Until that club is founded, you can do the following:

• You can apply to a sports club you know and have a "scouting" branch set up under that club, just as with other sports branches.
• If none of this is possible, your Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports has a sports club with a scouting branch; you can talk to that club's leader and come under its umbrella.

Once you have found the Scout club, all Scouts and leaders who will come under that umbrella must obtain licences on behalf of the club. Licence procedures are carried out at the provincial and district directorates of the Ministry of Youth and Sports once the required documents have been completed and approved by the club.

In addition, under the guidance of the Provincial Representative, you can open a unit on the basis of the protocols the Scouting and Guiding Federation of Turkey has signed with institutions, and register it by obtaining your individual licences from the provincial and district youth and sports directorates.

We recommend that our new Scout leaders first organise their activities together with activities run by experienced leaders, and thus gain experience. In any case, all the leaders and units under the club's umbrella will help one another.

1. Before organising an activity, make sure that it is included in your Annual Work Programme and that this programme has been approved as a club activity.
2. Taking the required deadlines into account, the Club Leader requests the activity in the automation system at least 15 days before it takes place. You can hold the activity once the Provincial Representative and the Technical Board have found it appropriate and approved it.
3. Before organising the activity, have the individual consent forms for those over 18 and those under 18 filled in by hand and signed by your Scouts and leaders. Make sure that every Scout and every parent is informed about the activity in this way.
4. Obtain the activity approval from the provincial or district directorates of Youth and Sports by applying with the required documents (sample group petition, group approval, provincial representation approval letter, consent forms for those over and under 18).
5. Make sure that participants carry photocopies of their identity cards and their licences or copies of them.
6. You can now hold your activity with peace of mind.
7. During your activity, document your work with a digital camera or video camera.
8. On returning from the activity, fill in the Club Activity Report Form (TİF.Form-24) and the Activity Report Name List (TİF.Form-29) and submit them to your club leader together with three photographs in which everyone who took part can be seen.
9. Your club leader will submit the activity report through the automation system within 20 days of the end of the activity. Follow this up, because an activity whose report is not submitted within 20 days is deemed not to have taken place.

• The decision of the sports club's board of directors to apply to the sports federation for registration of the undertaken sport.

• For the Scout leader (club leader) assigned in the undertaken sport, a 2nd, 3rd or 4th Wood Badge certificate or a leadership certificate.

• The receipt showing that the branch registration fee has been paid (4,000.00 Turkish Lira).

• The branch registration undertaking.

• The leadership registration form.

• The Club Leader Agreement.