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Student Scout and Guide Organisation

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Student Scout and Guide Organisation
CountryUnited Kingdom
FoundedFebruary 1967
Membership959 (2022)
ChairJack Woodward
Website
https://www.ssago.org
 Scouting portal

The Student Scout and Guide Organisation (SSAGO) is an association that provides support to individuals who are students at colleges and universities in the United Kingdom. It caters to Scouts, Guides, and those who have not been affiliated with a Scout or Guide Association. SSAGO is particularly focused on individuals interested in the aims, objectives, and methods of both The Scout Association and Girlguiding, UK.

Numerous universities host Scout and Guide Clubs affiliated with their respective Student Unions. Although, union affiliation is optional for a club to be part of SSAGO, many choose to do so. In cases where a university or college lacks a dedicated club, students have the option to become Individual or "Indie" members of SSAGO.

The activities of these clubs typically include organising weekend and evening events throughout the term, as well as longer events during university holidays. SSAGO sponsors a termly Rally, open to all Club and Indie members, organised by a different club each term. Additionally, an annual formal event known as a Ball is hosted.

The Oxford University Scout and Guide Group stands as the oldest known example of a Scout and Guide Club in the United Kingdom. Upon completing their university education, many SSAGO members opt to join the Scout and Guide Graduate Association (SAGGA).

History

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Informal Scout and Guide Clubs existed as early as 1915 when the first generation of Scouts grew out of the Scouting age yet wanted to keep some sense of fraternity. Some early organisations at colleges were known as Baden-Powell Guilds and Saint George Guilds.[citation needed] A world equivalent to this exists today in the International Scout and Guide Fellowship, or ISGF. Some of the first clubs were set up in university towns, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, and London. Inter-club activities were run intermittently until 1927. By 1920, Rover Scouts had been set up for people over 18 but many people were also part of Scout and Guide clubs. University clubs banded together to form an Inter-Varsity organisation while College-based clubs formed a similar setup. It was not until 1947 that inter-club meetings started again, and even then only for the Varsity clubs (those from universities, rather than colleges). Only two colleges (Loughborough and North Staffordshire) were admitted to Varsity. No other colleges were admitted, partially because of snobbery in the old red-brick establishments. The Federation of Scout and Guide Clubs in Training Colleges was set up in 1956 for colleges, and a year later it formed the Intercollegiate organisation. In 1967, the Intercollegiate and Inter-Varsity merged to form SSAGO due to the dwindling number of colleges as many became universities.[citation needed]

SSAGO was 40 in 2007, to celebrate this event a special emblem was designed and the Summer Rally was replaced with a Reunion Event held near Lincoln in July. While this event was run as a Rally there were some noticeable differences; there were fireworks on Friday night, all members old, and new, and SAGGA (who themselves are celebrating their 50th Anniversary) were invited to attend along with visits from prestigious guests such as Liz Burnley the current Chief Guide.

United Kingdom Scout and Guide Clubs and Rovers Crews were responsible for establishing an international Student Scout and Guide event called the Witan, named after the Anglo-Saxon gathering of the wise called a Witan. The first two such events were organised by the Oxford University Scout and Guide Group at Gilwell Park in 1959 and 1961.[1][2]

Rally

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Rally is a national camp, held once every term where SSAGO clubs around the UK meet up to socialize and participate in a weekend of activities. The size of a rally can vary from around 100 to over 250 people. The three rallies are held each year in February, June, and November and, as they are hosted by different clubs each time, they offer an opportunity for participants to visit new places. The host club for each rally is chosen at the previous year's national SSAGO AGM.

Each rally has a theme chosen by the host club, which is incorporated into the rally through the different activities on offer across the weekend. Often, this includes experiences such as walks or hikes, on-site activities, visits to nearby attractions, or simply an afternoon off with which to explore. In addition, rallies can also include a ceilidh and themed fancy-dress competition.[3]

Year Event Location Host Club Theme/Name Dates Attendance Clubs Attended
2015 Lancaster Superhero Rally Guys Farm Activity Centre, Lancaster Lancaster Superhero February 6, 2015
February 8, 2015[4]
197 24
2015 Bangor Disco Rally Felin Bach, Bangor Bangor Disco June 19, 2015
June 21, 2015[5]
102 21
2015 Cardiff Carnival Rally CRAI Activity Park, Cardiff Cardiff Carnival November 20, 2015
November 22, 2015[6]
240 26
2016 Feb-U-Rally Woodhouse Park, Bristol SAGUWE Wallace and Gromit February 12, 2016
February 14, 2016[7]
213 28
2016 Southampton Dino Rally Butchers Coppice, Bournemouth Southampton Dinosaur June 17, 2016
June 19, 2016[8]
171 30
2016 Space Rally Rough Close Scout Campsite and Activity Centre, Coventry Indie Space November 18, 2016
November 20, 2016[9]
261 32
2017 Best of British Rally Glenbrook Outdoor Activity Centre, Bamford Sheffield Best of British February 17, 2017
February 19, 2017[10]
243 31
2017 Leeds "Around the World" Rally Bradley Wood Scout Campsite, Leeds Leeds Around the World June 16, 2017
June 18, 2017[11]
168 25
2017 Plymouth "90s" Rally Sid Vale Scout Campsite, Devon Plymouth '90s November 17, 2017
November 19, 2017[12]
161 23
2018 Witan in a Weekend Rally Scout Park, London The Young Goats Witan/Europe February 16, 2018
February 18, 2018[13]
320 38
2018 Cambridge Duck Rally The Jarman Centre, Cambridge CUSAGC Duck June 22, 2018
June 24, 2018[14]
212 28
2018 Lancaster Fantasy Rally Guys Farm Activity Centre, Lancaster Lancaster SSAGO Fantasy November 16, 2018
November 18, 2018[15]
243 29
2019 Nottingham Outlaw Rally Walesby Forest, Nottingham SNoGS Robin Hood/Outlaws February 15, 2019
February 17, 2019[16]
271 35
2019 Scot Rally Lapwing Lodge, Glasgow Scotland Scottish June 28, 2019
June 30, 2019[17]
120 30
2019 Birmingham Chocolate Rally Alfrey Activity Centre Broadwater, Warwickshire BUSAG Chocolate November 15, 2019
November 17, 2019[18]
310 38
2020 Roman Rally MMXX Briarlands Activity Centre, Bristol Bath BUGS Roman February 21, 2020
February 23, 2020[19]
294 39
2020 Survival Rally Cranham Scout Centre, Gloucestershire* UOBGAS and PLUGS (jointly) Back-to-Basics June 26, 2020
June 28, 2020 /
September 11, 2020
September 13, 2020[20]
N/A N/A
2020 Build-A-Rally Virtual Event* Southampton Construction November 13, 2020
November 15, 2020[21]
151 33
2021 Green Rally Yellow Rally Virtual Event* Millennial Millards (Members from several clubs) Green and Yellow/

Milton Keynes

March 5, 2021
March 7, 2021[22]
326 39
2021 Viking Rally Moor House Adventure Centre, Durham NUSSAGG and DUSAGG (jointly) Viking November 19, 2021
November 21, 2021[23]
2022 Rally Of Games Overstone Campsite, Northampton Individual members from different groups Boardgames
2022 Rali CYMRU (Wales Rally) CRAI Activity Centre, Newbridge The South Welsh Clubs

(SUGS, MSAGM Aber SSAGO, USW, SSAGS)

Wales 18 November 2022 -

20 November 2022[24]

297 33
2023 CentenaRally Tawd Vale Adventure Centre, Ormskirk LUSSAGO Centenary 3 March 2023 – 5 March 2023 235 26
  • *Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer 2020 rally (Survival Rally, organised by Plymouth SSAGO) had to be postponed,[25] and later canceled.[26] Build-A-Rally and Green Rally Yellow Rally were run as virtual events.

Ball

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In addition to the three rallies, there is also an annual ball hosted every year by a chosen SSAGO club. The ball provides an alternative to the camping and outdoors often associated with Scouting and Guiding by offering a formal meal, dancing, and another chance to socialize with other SSAGO members.

Typically balls will be themed, with accommodation available nearby, varying from hotels to scout huts depending on the participants' budget. Balls offer a packed evening program, giving everyone a chance to make new friends, catch up with old ones and have a great night outside of the campsite. Often, the ball will include activities nearby to help participants make a weekend of the event.[3]

Year Event Location Host Club Theme/Name Dates Attendance Clubs Attended
2015 Southampton Ball on a Boat MV Ocean Scene, Southampton Southampton Nautical 21 March 2015[27] 128 18
2016 Leeds Northern Lights Ball Marriott Hotel, Leeds Leeds Northern Lights March 19, 2016[28] 146 23
2017 Bath Masked Ball Guildhall, Bath Bath Masquerade April 1, 2017[29] 178 22
2018 Yule Ball Ball The Bristol Hotel, Bristol SAGUWE Harry Potter April 7, 2018[30] 169 27
2019 Aber does ABBA Ball Marine Hotel, Aberystwyth Aberystwyth SSAGO ABBA April 13, 2019[31] 135 28
2020 (2021) City of Steel Ball Kelham Island Museum Sheffield StinGS Sheffield April 4, 2020 /February 6, 2021[32] N/A* N/A*
2021 WomBall Rough Close Campsite, Coventry BUSAG Recycling 11 September 2021** 87 25
2022 Once Upon a Ball Keele Hall, Staffordshire Various Members Fairytale 30 April 2022[33] 194 25
  • *Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, City of Steel Ball was postponed from April 2020 to February 2021, with a virtual event being held on the original date, however due to the continued restrictions on social contact within the UK the physical event was ultimately cancelled.
      • Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WomBall was postponed from April 2021 to September 2021, with a change from the traditional ball format to a "festival style" event with games and activities on a campsite for an afternoon.

Existing clubs

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There are currently more than thirty universities with a SSAGO club. There are also at least ten that no longer exist. The Universities with a functioning SSAGO club are:

  • Aberystwyth Student Scout and Guide Organisation (MSAGM Aber SSAGO)
  • Bangor University Guides and Scouts (Bangor BUGS)
  • Bath University Guides and Scouts (Bath BUGS)
  • Birmingham Universities Scouts and Guides (BUSAG)

Also open to students from Aston University, Birmingham City University and University College Birmingham

  • Cambridge University Scout and Guide Club (CUSAGC)

(including Anglia Ruskin University)

  • In addition to the clubs listed above, there are independent, or "Indie" members, who are often either students who are at a university without a club or those who have recently graduated and left university.

References

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  1. ^ History of OUSGG, 1955 – 1963
  2. ^ List of Witans
  3. ^ a b National SSAGO Events
  4. ^ "Lancaster Superhero Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Bangor Disco Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Cardiff Carnival Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Feb-U-Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Southampton Dino Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Space Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Best of British Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Leeds "Around the World" Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  12. ^ "Plymouth "90s" Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Witan in a Weekend Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Cambridge Duck Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Lancaster Fantasy Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Nottingham Outlaw Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Scot Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Chocolate Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Roman Rally MMXX". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Survival Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Build-A-Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Green Rally Yellow Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Viking Rally". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  24. ^ "SSAGO – Events". events.ssago.org. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Coronavirus Update: National SSAGO events". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  26. ^ "SSAGO Coronavirus Update, July 2020". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Southampton Ball on a Boat". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  28. ^ "Leeds Northern Lights Ball". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  29. ^ "Bath Masked Ball". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  30. ^ "Yule Ball Ball". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  31. ^ "Aber Does ABBA Ball". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  32. ^ "City of Steel Ball". www.ssago.org. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Once Upon a Ball". events.ssago.org. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
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