Generally

Scouting movement began in England 1907. Since then it had spread all over the world.  In Finland the first scout troop started 1910 - only 3 years later.

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About Finnish Scouting you can read here.

Here (on the left) you can se the logo of Finnish Scout Organization.  Verso scout troops are following the program of Finnish Scouts and are full members of Finnish Scouts. In 1972 the Girl Guide and Boy Scout Associations of Finland joined to form the Guides and Scouts of Finland. In practise in Finland there is only one scout movement: for boys and girls together. Mainly scout troops in Finland are common for boys and girls, but there are also some boy scout trops and girl scout troops.

Versot = Finnish Verso Scouts

Here there is something to introduce you with the VERSOT. The logo of verso scouting is on the left. Verso scouts "Versot" is one group of scouts in Finland. The main item which connects us is our supporting community. All verso troops are supported by a local evangelical freechurch. Versot don't differ from other scouts in Finland, but they only want that the religious part of scouting won't be forgotten. Verso scout troops are members of scout district organizations of Finnish Scout Organization. So all verso scouts are members of the international Scout Movement and Organization. Verso scouts are paying the normal member fee for the Finnish Scout Organization as well.

In finnish 'verso' (versot is a pluralis form) means a very little groving tree which wants to live - so do we. The first Versotroop was established 1929 in Tampere. Since then the amount of Versos has grown and nowadays there are about 650 versos all over Finland. If you ever visit Finland you can recognize versos among other scouts by their scarf. Its dark green bounded with a lighter one.

Just now (2010) there are active verso scout troops only in Espoo, Hanko, Helsinki, Hämeenlinna, Jyväskylä, Kauhava, Kouvola, Kotka, Lahti, Kuopio, Oulu, Turku, Vantaa and Äänekoski. Just now there are 650 versos in these scout troops. All FInnish Verso scout troops are common, it means that there are boys and girls in the same scout troop. Typically small groups are for boys and girls separately, however.

What verso scouts are doing?

As scouts we do whatever a normal scoutgroup can do. Plus that we have everykind of traditional activities among versos.

There are (during March - April) so called "Hiljaiset päivät"  (= Silent days") (for over 10 years old scouts and guides) and in September own national scouting skill competition. For verso leaders is organized own meeting "Versopäivät" (="Verso days") which will take one weekend in the beginning of autumn. It is the place to meet ther verso leaders and plan the verso happenings for the future.

Versot organizes every third year a national scoutcamp, where participate nowadays about 300 verso scouts. The last one was 2009 and the next camp will be held in 2012. To these camps are specially welcome other scout troops from other countries!

Contact information

If you'll want to take contact with verso scouting, there is youth secretary Ari Kastepohja in the Home Office in Jyväskylä town working for the Finnish Evangelical Free Church Youth to communicate: mobile phone  +358 - 45 - 209 7 309

Visiting address in Hämeenlinna
Lukiokatu 15 B, 3rd floor (Note! Outdoor is not beside the street but at the courtyard beside the car park)
13100 Hämeenlinna