Piet J. Kroonenberg
Piet has been a Scout since he took his Cub Scout Promise on his eighth birthday. During World War II he was active in Scouting in the Netherlands at a time when it was illegal and everything had to be "underground". After the war he worked with displaced persons, some of whom were Scouts eager to continue Scouting wherever they went. Over the years, he volunteered much of his time as a member of Scouting Nederland, often working in functions with an international dimension.
His interest in Exile Scout Movements and the Scouting left behind in their countries of origin, has led to substantial research and eventually the writing of The Forgotten Movements which was published in 1989. He continued his research, and at the request of Jacques Morellion, Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, expanded the book into The Undaunted, Volume 1 (c.1998) and Volume 2 (c.2003). Volume 1 includes Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, and Armenia. Volume 2 includes Albania, Estonia, Lithuania, and Viet Nam. 508 pages.
Piet is the Historical Consultant to the European Scout Committee. He has received many awards, including in 1996 the Bronze Wolf. This award is given by the World Scout Committee for outstanding service to International Scouting.
Undaunted
These books are about Scouts in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia who kept the Scouting spirit alive, despite oppression and persecution during many decades, and revived the Scout Movement at the earliest opportunity.
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Scouting was born in 1907 and quickly spread to many parts of the world. By the late 1930's Scouting was well established in more than 50 countries, but dark days were ahead for some: the values that Scouting stood for were unacceptable to totalitarian and communist regimes
Scouting was banned, and Scouts were oppressed and persecuted during 30, 40, even 50 years. But the Scout spirit never died. It lived on in the hearts and minds of those it had touched, and it became a hope and dream of many young people who waited for the day that they could openly be Scouts
In the 1990's Scouting has revived throughout Eastern Europe and also spread to newly independent countries where it never before existed. Today there is Scouting in 216 countries and territories.
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