Plast organization celebrates 105 years of scouting with traditional opening in Kyiv: Rubryka’s photo report

On Saturday, September 16, the traditional opening of the Plast study year took place in the capital. This year is notable because 105 years ago, it was in September that the first branch of Plast was founded in Kyiv.

Rubryka made a photo report on how it happened.

Every year, this event is associated with particular emotions and atmosphere. It was the same this time: 720 members of the organization, many guests, parents, and military personnel, presentation of special awards to the families of fallen soldiers of the first half of the 20th century who were members of the organization, and other traditional ceremonies.

The Plast organization took part in the campaign to raise funds for a car for the Armed Forces unit, which was under the command of a leader who was Plast's member and had nine other members of the organization protecting the country.

For reference:

Plast is a national scouting organization in Ukraine. The purpose of Plast is to promote comprehensive, patriotic education and self-education of Ukrainian youth based on Christian morality. Being a non-political and non-denominational organization, Plast educates young people as conscious, responsible, and full-fledged citizens of the local, national, and global community.

Plast was created in 1911, shortly after the founding of the scouting movement by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, and on April 12, 1912, in Lviv, the Plast took the first Plast Oath. The organization's founders were Dr. Oleksandr Tysovsky, Petro Franko (son of Ivan Franko) and Ivan Chmola. The name "Plast" is based on the equivalent of the English Scout (reconnaissance officer), taken from the example of the "Plastuns," Cossack scouts.

It should be noted that Rubryka made a photo report in December of last year when the Bethlehem Flame of Peace arrived in Kyiv. Slovak scouts handed it over to Ukrainian members of Plast at the international checkpoint "Maly Berezny – Ublia" in Transcarpathia.