Ottoman Youth Groups

Figure 1.--This may be the Ottoman para-military youth group, but there are no details associated with the photograph. It looks to have been taken during World War I.

Youth groups in Turkey first appeared during the Ottoman period, mostly just before World War I. There seems to have been some enthusiasm in the major cities of the Empire for a youth movement. Not necesarily scouting, but a movement combining patriotism, athleticism and skill-building for children and youth, atvleast the boys. We see Boy Scouts otganized by phsucal education teachers in schools (1909). We have not yet found evidence of Girl Guides in the Ottoman era. The Scouting efforts seem to have been were put on a hold during the Balkan Wars (1911-13) and World War I (1914-18). This probably reflects the British image still associated with Scouting. We do see a substantial Turkish nationalist group being organized beginning just before the World War I. Much of this effort was associated with World War I.

Boy Scouts

Scouting began in Britain as a Christian youth movement. Islam in Muslim countries seem to have had nothing to so with youth groups, especially Scouting. We see Boy Scouts troops organized first at secular schools. The first were founded by physical education teachers in schools (1909). Two brothers Ahmet and Abdurrahman Robenson were sports teachers at the Galatasaray and Kabataş secondary schools in Constantinople (Istanbul) (1909), only 3 yars aftr Scouting was founded in Britain. [Bediz] Nafi Arif Kansu and Ethem Nejat organized Scout troops at Darüşşafaka, Galatasaray, and İstanbul secondary schools. [Karayel] Wedo not know great deal about the Ottoman Scouting program. This is especilly the case as to how early Scouts deal with the nationality issues. The Ottoman Empire bgan as a Tirlic stte in anatolia, but with conquests inthe Balkans and Arab lands, had a Turkic minority. By the 20th century, Turkey had lost most of its Balkan Chritian lands, but still controlled most Arab lnds in the Middle East and North Africa. One source reports that Scouting was created independently in outlying areas of the Ottoman Empire, especially Lebanon and Syria.[Wilson, pp. 35, 180, 196, 242-243, and 217] Both areas had substntial Christian populations. This may have been a factor. We note a group in Palestine, but it does not look to a Scout group. There was, however, one exception. The Scouting efforts seem to have been put on old during the Balkan Wars (1911-13) and World War I (1914-18). This probably reflects the British image still associated with Scouting. During the War, an Austrian Scout unit was organized in Constantinople (1915). Austria-Hungary was an ally in the War. It functioned until the end of the War (1918). [Schückbauer, p. 11.] This troop was a unit of the Österreichischer Pfadfinderbund (Austrian Scout ssociation). They also help found Scout troops in Damascus, Beirut and Aleppo. [Pribich, p. 23.}

Girl Guides

We have not yet found evidence of Girl Guides in the Ottoman era. Girl Guiding was at first controversial in Britain where it was founded. Many Britons did not see Scouting activities as approprate for girls. So it is understandable that it would have been seen as even more controversial for conservative Ottoman society.

Nationalist Groups

We do see a substantial Turkish nationalist group being organized beginning just before the World War I. Much of this effort was associated with World War I. One source suggests that Ottoman scouting activity began with the Türk Gücü Cemiyeti (Turkish Strength Association) (1913). [Toprak, pp. 531-36.] This was not a Scout group, but it was a youth group. It was more of a paramilitary and nationalist youth group which had some similarity to scouting. There was a strong Turkish patriotic thread. This of course complicated founding units in the non-Turkish areas which by the time primarily meant the Arab lands of the Middle East. Turkish officials no doubt wanted to do so, but the appeal in the Arab areas was a different matter. Other aspects of the progrm may have been an easier sell. We note Ottoman youth groups in Palestine. After the initial founding, the movement was reorganized as Ottoman Strength Association, The Government took a hand in expnding the movement by establishing units in schools, we think secondary schools. The Government made membership mandatory for boys in state secondary schools madreses (Isamic religious schools attached to mosques). [Beşikçi, pp. 226-232.] The program seems quite different than Scouting. It emphasized military exercise and drill and some of it was done with fire arms. This included pre-military age students. The goal was to prepare the boys for military service. It seems to us to have been more of a cadet program. At the time it should be noted that secondary students were the elite of Ottoman society, very few boys reached that level of education. The same was true in Europe but the proprtion of boys reaching seconday schools was much smaller in the Ottoman Empire. The weakness of the edicational system was one of the many problems wgich caused the Ottoman Empire to be seen as the 'Weak man of Europe'. The Ottoman youth group effort was essentially expanding physical education and giving it a military focus. The Ministry of Education (MOE) decided to use the War to make a fundamental change in the Empire's education system. They set out to mold a generation of courageous and nationalistic youth. And they decided to expand the effort beyond the school children which did not reach many children, especially the secindary schools. A small step was the MOE ]s decision to add military training in the education program of state orphanages. The War Ministry turned over 300 rifles to the boys’ orphanage in Kadıköy for drill nd practice. The Directorate of the Orphanages reported that the boys who were trained with weapons quickly showed obvious signs of 'order and nationalist feeling'. [BOA-A] Ottoman officials changed the name of their nationalist youth group again. The new name was Genç Dernekleri (Youth League). One source suggests that the Ottomans got the idea from German para-military youth organizations, but we are not sure what to what they are referring. The Ottoman Youth League became overseen by the War Ministry. [Köroğlu, pp. 59-61.] Boys 12-17 years of age wwere asigned to the youth unit, Gürbüz (Healthy Boys). Older youth 17-20 years of age were placed in the Dinç (Vigorous). All boys had to join and not just those in schools. This was a masive expansion of the Ottoman youth group effort because it was not based on the schools. [BOA-B] Not all primary-age children attendd school and only a fraction of teenagers were in secondary schools. The expansion thus brought peasant boys into the organization. In addition, as part of a national effort to focus on the war effort, most Ottoman schools were closed. The League turned to network of village heads to help recruit boys. The Inspectorate of the League instructed every provincial and district governor to establish a League branch and register all boys of the appropriate ages. Village headmen (muhtar) compiled lists of the boys and their ages and ensured that they join the League and particupated in the required activities. The Youth League not only prepared boys for military service, but also stoked nationalst sentiment in rural areas that wre not politicized. Here there was a traditional peasant resistance to conscription. And it impaired the League's efforts. As the League began drilling boys with arms, a rumor began to spread that Ottoman Government was amassing 'an army of children' and that they were about to draft children under 15 years old. [Sarısaman, pp. 439-501.] Mothers especially in provincial areas openly resisted, refusing to sending their boys to League activities. Another problem for the League as that boys were needed as part of the rural work force to produce food. The League trained some 0.2 million boys a fraction of the age cohart.

Sources

Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivi (BOA). ([Primary Ministry's Ottoman Archives. (Ankara). A) BOA MF.MKT., 1212/63, 02/Z/1333 (11.10.1915). B) BOA, MF.MKT., 1215/23, 28/Ca/1334 (02.05.1916).

Bediz, Rıza. "İzcilik ve İzci Kampları" (1955).

Beşikçi. Ottoman Mobilization (2012).

Karayel, B. Sami. "İzci Rehberi" (1914).

Köroğlu, Erol. Ottoman Propaganda and Turkish Identity: Literature in Turkey During World War I (London 2007).

Pribich, Kurt. Logbuch der Pfadfinderverbände in Österreich (Vienna: Pfadfinder-Gilde-Österreichs, 2004).

Sarısaman, Sadık. "Birinci Dünya Savaşında İhtiyat Kuvveti Olarak Kurulan Osmanlı Genç Dernekleri,"(Ottoman Youth League that was founded as Uncommitted Force in World War I) in Ankara Üniversitesi Osmanlı Tarihi Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi Dergisi 11 (2000), pp. 439-501.

Schückbauer, Franz. Die Pfadfinderbewegung in Österreich-Werden, Wachsen, Wirken (Vienna: Pfadfinder Österreichs, 1956).

Toprak, Zafer. "Meşrutiyet Döneminde Paramiliter Gençlik Örgütleri" (Paramilitary youth organization in the Second Constitutional Period) in Tanzimattan Cumhuriyet'e Türkiye Ansiklopedisi (Encyclopedia of Turkey from the Tanzimat to the Republic) Vol. II (Istanbul: 1985), pp. 531-536.

Wilson, John S. Scouting Round the World (Blandford Press: 1959).