The history of Scouting in Slovenia goes back to the times when Slovenia was a part of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In 1922, a meeting of an important political and sporting movement of Yugoslavia and some other European Countries, called "Sokoli" (Falcons), took place in Ljubljana. Scouting was established in Slovenia in 1922. It was officially dissolved on June 10th, 1941 because of World War II.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement welcomed Slovenia into its membership in September 1994. Zveza Tabornikov Slovenije (ZTS) has been recognized as the national member organization of Slovenia. The enthusiastic young girls and boys of the Slovenian contingent at the European Jamboree impressed everyone with the quality of their Scouting skills. This reflects very well on the training being provided to all members of the Movement in Slovenia.

Zveza Tabornikov Slovenije is a recognized member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement since September 1994. As the recognized national Scout organization in Slovenia ZTS guarantees the rights of WOSM membership which this bestows upon an individual to the members of another Slovenian Scout organization, Zdruzenje Slovenskih Katoliskih Skavtinj in Skavtov (ZSKSS), founded in 1990). This enables individual members of ZSKSS to participate in international Scout events and meetings.

There are two different Scouts organizations in Slovenia - ZTS (Scout Association of Slovenia) and ZSKSS (Slovenian Catholic Scout Association).

The Scout motto is "Bodi Pripravljen!" or "Be Prepared." And many usually add "Z NARAVO K BOLJSEMU CLOVEKU" or "With Nature to a Better Life!" on the end." So, "BODI PRIPRAVLJEN!" and "Z NARAVO K BOLJSEMU CLOVEKU."

Officially the Organization was founded on Sunday, October 22, 1992. Boys and girls were separated from each other into their own groups and camps, while the organization was the same for both.

The Scout Organization was officially dissolved on June 10th, 1941 because of World War II. Just before the dissolution there were 1380 members of the Slovene Scout Organization.

The Scout movement in Slovenia after the war could not continue, because of the communist government in Yugoslavia. However, Slovene Scouting continued; at first in refugee camps, and afterwards in Argentina and Canada, where the Slovene refugees found their new homes. The Movement also revived among the Slovene ethnic groups in the neighboring Countries: The Slovene Carinthian Scouts (in 1957) in Austria, the Slovene Scouts of Trieste (Slovenska Zamejska Skavtska Organizacija - Trst)- in 1951 boys and in 1958 girls, and the Slovene Scouts of Gorizia (Slovenska Zamqiska Skavtska Organizacija - Slovenski Goriski Skavti- in 1963 girls and 1964 boys).

In 1984, a secondary school student from Ljubljana, Peter Lovsin, acquainted himself with the Scout Movement. He decided to begin with Scouting in the Slovene capital - Ljubljana. Therefore in the summer of 1985 he went to camp with Scouts of Gorizia (Slovenski Goriski Skavti), and in 1986 he made the Scout Promise as one of them. In the same year he soon gathered a group of enthusiastic young people around him in one of the parishes of Ljubljana. Brothers and sisters from Trieste (Trst) and Gorizia (Gorica) helped as much as they could.

The group was growing and in autumn of 1988 moved to another parish of Ljubljana. So in 1990, there were 21 Girl Guides and 18 Boy Scouts. The Scout Movement began to spread all over Slovenia.

On March 31, 1990, the Slovene Catholic Girl Guides and Boy Scouts Association (ZSKSS) was officially founded. The first legal Scout Promises were made by 29 Girl Guides and Boy Scouts, in suburb of Ljubljana on 20th May 1990.

The Association has 3,000 members in 41 groups all over Slovenia.

Zvcza Tabornikov Slovcnije is a recognized member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement since September 1994. As the recognized National Scout Organization in Slovenia, SST's guarantees the rights of WOSM membership which this bestows upon an individual to the members of another Slovenian Scout Organization, Zdruzenje Slovenskih Katoliskih Skavtirtj in Skavtov (ZSKSS, founded in 1990). This enables individual members of ZSKSS to participate in international Scout events and meetings.

ZSKSS WEB PAGE:

THIS INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY VALERIJ GRASIC, THE SLOVENIAN CATHOLIC GIRL GUIDES AND BOY SCOUTS ASSOCIATION WEB PAGE, EUROFAX AND WOSM.

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