Scouting and Guiding in Belarus

In April 1926 many leaders and members were arrested and imprisoned by Joint State Political Directorate.

Russian exiles in France turned cadets into Scouts, but in a more Catholic (local French) manner.

In 1929, American Methodists helped found a Girl Scout organization in Vilnius (which was named Vilna at that time).

Whereas Russia, Poland and Ukraine in particular had ready-made Scouting available once allowed in 1990-1991, Belarus had to start essentially from scratch.

Emergence of democratic principles in the mid-1980s made possible the creation of alternatives to the communist pioneer organizations.

Close connections were formed with Guide and Scout organizations of many European countries, when children from areas affected by the Chernobyl accident were invited to summer camps abroad during the Chernobyl Children's Project in 1990.

Several countries have multiple organizations, divided on the basis of religion (for example, France and Denmark), ethnic identification (as is the case in Bosnia and Israel), or language (like Belgium).