The Significance of Scouting in Contemporary Society: A Defence Perspective from the Baltic States

The article presents the results of the research into the participation of scouts and scouting associations present in three countries. Three Baltic states (BS) – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - have been chosen as the subject of the research. The goal of this paper was to answer the questions of how the scouts perceive their role in the national defensive education system, and what the older scouts want to teach the youth. Based on this, we have attempted an appraisal of whether – and to what degree – scouting organizations contribute to increasing the level of defensive education in a given community. The paper has avoided strictly system-wide solutions, as the latter form a mere backdrop for the results of the research. In order to achieve the goal of the current research, the following research questions were formulated: Does participation in a scouting association represent a form of defensive education? Are the skills obtained from one’s membership in them helping increase the mentioned indicators?