The Boys' Brigade

History
Sir William Alexander Smith pioneered the first uniformed youth organisation in the world, The Boys' Brigade, on 4 October 1883 in Glasgow, Scotland. The first BB Company in Singapore was established in 1930 by Mr James Milner Fraser, to fulfill the need to engage Boys in meaningful and purposeful activities.

International
The BB operates in all Commonwealth countries and in recent decades has been established in other countries. For example, the BB has been established in Indonesia and is being formed in Thailand, Macau, the Philippines and Cambodia. Further afield, the BB had started in Mongolia and plans are underway to restart in Swatow where a strong BB battalion flourished in the early 1900s. The BB also has kindred organisations in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Caribbean Islands, African continent and the Scandinavian countries.

Official Endorsement
In Singapore, the BB has the distinguished patronage of His Excellency, the President of the Republic. It is endorsed by the Ministry of Education as one of the Uniformed Youth Organisations in schools. It is a member of the National Council of Social Service and the National Youth Council. The Boys' Brigade is also gazetted as an institution of public character and is registered as a charity under the Charity Act 1982 (Registration No. 0067).

Membership
There are more than 7000 Officers and Boys in 115 BB Companies, each of which is attached to a school and co-sponsored by a church. Such schools include Raffles Institution, Pioneer Secondary School, Victoria School, Anglo-Chinese School, Henry Park Primary School, Tao Nan School, Rosyth School and St Hilda's Primary School.

Object
The Object of The Boys' Brigade shall be the advancement of Christ's Kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-Respect and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness.

Method
The method of achieving the object of The Boys’ Brigade is by providing a fun, meaningful and challenging programme of Spiritual, Physical, Enrichment, and Social interests which in turn based on the "Twin Pillars" of Christian Education and Discipline, guided by adult Christian leaders as Officers. Increasingly, the emphasis is on leadership development, team building, life skills, adventure activities and community service.
Spiritual. To build the character and teach positive values through Christian Education and develop them into responsible people of the community.
Physical. Through drill, Boys learn self-discipline and a spirit of comradeship. Outdoor adventure activities allow individual Boys to develop their own physique, building endurance and resilience.

Enrichment.

Boys are given the opportunity to lead in the BB with national Leadership Development courses to further hone their leadership abilities. A professionally developed Life Shills Programme help Boys excel in life and work. The essential skill of First Aid is also taught.
Social. Boys are also taught their roles and responsibilities to the nation through the Citizenship programme (Total Defence). Boys are encouraged to gain appropriate knowledge and then apply this in practical service to other people through Community Service projects such as BB Sharity Gift Box and the BB CARES (Community Activities Rallying Everyone to Serve) Programme.

Programme
There are 3 independent programmes in The Boys' Brigade in Singapore.
Juniors Programme (for Boys between 8 to 12 years old)
Seniors Programme (for Boys between 12 to 16 years old)
Primers Programme (for Boys/Girls between 16 to 19 years old)
The Juniors Programme Companies operating in various primary schools and Seniors Programme Companies in secondary schools. The Primers Programme is presently functioning at ACJC, Singapore, Nanyang and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Voluntary Officers
The BB is managed entirely by volunteers with the support of a small full-time staff team. At the Company level, volunteer Officers, who are appropriately trained prior to their appointments, run the programme with the assistance of Liaison Teachers.

Funding
The BB, like other UYOs receives a small annual per capita grant from the Ministry of Education. The bulk of the funding for its work comes from donations.
Tested and Proven Method
The need to engage Boys in meaningful and purposeful activities is as relevant today as it is more than 120 years ago and in Scotland as it is around the world.
The BB method in the development of youth has stood the test of time and has proven to be successful in molding Boys to be responsible Men in the Family, the Community, the Nation and the World.