So your friend is in Plast

Last updated on 2022-09-09

Note: while many of these topics are true for Plast members across the world, I wrote this with USA members in mind. Is your country’s take missing? Consider contributing.

If your friend is between 11-18, check this list out.

I thought scouting was for kids?

It is: we’re all kids at heart! 😉

Plast works differently than other scouting organizations. While the main program of Plast is for kids ages 3-18, there is stuff to do for all ages After you turn 18, you can join a scouting fraternity or sorority, be a head camp counselor, organize events, and become part of the national and international scouting leadership.

What’s with the fraternities and sororities?

In Plast we call them курені, or rover ku-re-ni (plural). As far as I know, we are the only scouting organization in the world to have this organizational structure. There are many different themes for rover kureni, but they all have one main goal: help Plast. Some may have specialties, like being counselors for smaller kids or mountaineering, but they all exist to benefit the main organization of Plast. Rover kureni have special scouting kerchiefs and uniform badges.

Kureni have meetings 1-2 times a year, usually at a Plast campground or somewhere in the wilderness where people won’t hear us singing late into the night.

You have a scouting uniform too?

Yes! Our scouting uniforms have not officially changed since the 70s, so they look very retro. Berets and knee highs are involved.

Why does my friend travel all over North America for a dance?

Malanky (singular: malanka) and debutants (yes, those debutants) are not officially part of the Plast program, but many Plast members organize and attend these dances. They are a great way to catch up with the friends you made over the summer.

What do you usually do as counselors?

Depends on what kind of counselor you are. If your friend is a counselor for ages 6-11, think lots of games, arts and crafts, and themed nights. If your friend is a counselor for ages 11-18, there will be a lot of bushcrafting, along with other traditional scouting activities (sleeping in tents, hiking, canoeing, sports, etc).

How do you meet people from all around the world?

Every 5 years Plast has an international jamboree abbreviated UMPZ. Plast members from all around the world fly to one place and do all sorts of activities over the course of 10-14 days. It all ends with a Plast festival, and of course a gigantic campfire.

Every 3 years there’s an international organizational conference for Plast abbreviated KUPO. Attendees usually hold national or international positions within the organization. This is a series of meetings that follow parliamentary procedure, and are very bureaucratic. Still, it’s a great way to see friends you usually don’t see often.

My friend described a training camp where they had to dig a privy, cook their food over a fire, and cross a river to get to camp: what’s that all about?

Your friend is most likely talking about 1 of two camps: Lisova Shkola (Forest School) or Shkola Bulavnykh (School of Counselors). The Forest School is for men, while the School of Counselors are for women. The programs are different, but essentially it’s a camp where you learn the basics of being a counselor at a camp. This camp usually happens in the Catskills and the Carpathian mountains.

If your friend was 14-16 years old while attending (and there was no river crossing), the camp was most likely the camp of Zolota Bulava (Golden Mace). This is a teen leadership camp that happens in Canada, Ukraine, and more recently Australia.