Scouting in Warka

The scouting movement in Warka goes back to as far as the 1920s. The first group was male, created by young Warka residents who studied in the capital city. A female group was formed several years later by Fr. Stanisław Owczarek. Since the very beginning, the scouting movement in Warka was a breeding ground for responsible, thoughtful, practical, patriotic, and Catholic characters. Only teachers with proper education and experience were allowed to be scoutmasters.

During the occupation, scouts would meet in secret small groups and learn together to prepare for life in a future independent Poland. After the liberation, the scouting movement grew stronger and stronger, and most of the groups were coeducational.

The fastest development happened during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1975, the organization was promoted to an independent scout troop. It also included scouts from the municipalities of Warka and Grabów nad Pilicą (5 miles south-east of Warka). In 1986, the group had 1,040 members, active in all schools. Another change was introduced with respect to the scoutmasters in towns and cities, who now did not have to be teachers. They were, however, officially vetted and appointed by the Polish Scouting Association (Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego).

The scout troop was named for Hetman Stefan Czarniecki. The list of scout leaders includes Alicja Białek, Jerzy Kołodziejski, Hanna Koncka, and Bartłomiej Jurczak, who were supported by around 60 dedicated and selfless community activists. To reward the members for their efforts, they were allowed to participate in international scouting camps in Bulgaria, former German Democratic Republic, Czechoslovakia, and USSR, as well as events in other attractive regions and winter camps in the mountains.

Warka scouting movement can take pride in a substantial group of Poles who now work throughout Europe as prominent medical doctors, IT specialists, business people, and even diplomats. The successes in the past could be attributed to the warm atmosphere of true cooperation and help from all local socially responsible employers, institutions, and in particular successive Warka authorities.

Today’s Warka scouts continue cultivating traditions, although they are no longer affiliated with the Polish Scouting Association. The Group is called the 1^st Warka Scout and Beaver Scout Pack (Szczep 1. Wareckich Drużyn Harcerskich i Gromad Zuchowych). It started when Fr. Ludwik Nowakowski created the 1^st “Szturm” Warka Scout Pack named for Fr. Ignacy Jan Skorupka (1. Warecka Drużyna Harcerzy “Szturm” im. ks. Ignacego Jana Skorupki) at the Church of Our Lady of the Scapular in Warka in September 2001.

The 1^st Warka Scout and Beaver Scout Pack was established on April 2, 2016 with Marcin Rzeźnik as Scoutmaster. In October 2018, Scoutmaster Rzeźnik handed the office over to Scoutmaster Adam Rudnicki. The Pack’s patron is Józef Manczarski (since 2018).

The current organizational structure:

• 1^st Warka “Battalion Zośka” Girl Scouts Troop
• 1^st Warka “Szturm” Fr. Ignacy Jan Skorupka Boy Scouts Troop
• 1^st Warka “Music Lovers” Beaver Scout Club
• 1^st Warka “Dragon Clan” Beaver Scout Club
• 1^st Warka Network Scout Troop

The Pack is formed by about 100 boy and girl scouts from Warka, Grabów nad Pilicą and their environs.