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The youth movement has spent over 100 years being prepared, but the 21st century seems to have caught it by surprise. Time for a makeover, says communications agency KK Outlet Forget about packing a tent to go camping – these Scouts are going DJing. Put the decks in the Vauxhall Vectra boot (if there’s enough room after installing a sub-woofer and a body kit). Wave goodbye to Baden-Powell, say hello So Solid Crew. In a recent attempt to combat the decline in Scout numbers, the uniform and logo were redesigned. We think they’re still missing the mark. Since the Scout movement was founded in 1907, its main aim has been to educate young children in useful skills, enabling them to become more independent and helpful in their community. Most kids who attend the Scouts do so to be part of something bigger – it can be a rite of passage. Having a “collective belonging” is still relevant today – having mates that are into the same music, wear the same clothes or share a passion for the same football team. These groups can also be found under different names such as “gangs” or “crews”. Not all gangs hang out on street corners, intimidating the locals. They can be political and subversive, like the Black Panthers, or even be good at solving problems – take a look at the Red Hand Gang. Using a gang, crew or cult attitude as a starting point could inspire the youth of today to become the day-to-day upstanding heroes the Scouts once felt they were. We looked at the clothing and made it more appealing to a generation of boys and girls with a sense of independence and style. We ditched the desire to uphold irrelevant traditions, and the tendency to make the garments look like they are preparing their wearers for a tour of Afghanistan. The uniform itself is a hoodie. The hoods themselves replace the need for a neckerchief. The various Scout “patrols”, which we call “crews”, can be identified by varying the hood colours. Every gang needs to be identified. We took elements of the fleur-de-lis and the original “Be prepared” motto, but restyled them into more of an edgy gang symbol. Our Scouts want to learn a new set of skills. No longer do they need to be prepared for emergencies by carrying change for a payphone when today every eight-year-old gets a pay-as-you-go mobile for their birthday. If the skills are out of date, then perhaps so are the badges that represent them. The Ring Bling would be awarded for outstanding capabilities in the fields of DJ mixing, speed texting, car pimping, graffiti or blogging.
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Images and words KK Outlet |
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