Association of Imperial Scouts
Асоциация на императорските скаути Asotsiatsiya na Imperatorskite Skauti | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | AIS |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Imperial Scouts Tengarian Scouts |
| Motto | "Дълг към Бога, Дълг към Отечеството, Дълг към семейството" Duty to God, Duty to Fatherland, Duty to Family |
| Formation | July 15, 1911 |
| Founder | Dragomir II Radomir Hristoforov |
| Type | Scouting |
| Headquarters | Imperial Scouts Headquarters |
| Location | |
Membership (2020) | 322,544 |
Official language | Tengarian |
Scout Commander | Geto Bistrov |
| Teodora Kovacheva | |
| Affiliations | National Rally |
The Association of Imperial Scouts (Tengarian: Асоциация на императорските скаути or Asotsiatsiya na Imperatorskite Skauti), also commonly known as the Imperial Scouts or Tengarian Scouts, is a Tengarian Scouting association and youth organization, founded in 1911 by Emperor Dragomir II under the leadership of Count Radomir Hristoforov. In 2020, it had a total of 322,000 members. It has been headed by Scout Commander Geto Bistrov since 2013.
It is an organization dedicated to the development of civic virtue, patriotism, and Episemialist Sotirianity in Tengarian male youth through means of combined outdoor activities, sports and athletics, educational programs, communal events and community service. Since its founding, it has been open only to men; however, the Tengarian Young Women's Guild is considered the female counterpart of the Scouts.
Originally an extension of the worldwide scouting movement in the Empire of Tengaria, the movement soon developed strong connexions with the military, especially with Simeon Kovachev being one of the founding members and a later key leader in the movement. The organization grew until the Great War saw its attempted surpression the Amathian occupation of the country because of the group's association with the Tengarian resistance and the Tengarian National Army. The scouts survived the war but the formation of the Tengarian Republic led to controversies under the Imperial name, resulting in the formation of a rival National Association of Tengarian Scouts. During the Tengarian Civil War, many of the Imperial Scouts fought on the side of the Patriots against the Republicans. After the war, other scouting organizations were merged into the Imperial Scouts, and supported by the Kovachev government as a means of promoting values which would develop good citizens.
The Association is internationally controversial due to the informal but close political connexions which it has with the the National Rally, with many outside sources seeing it as a means of poltical indoctrination and spreading propaganda. In addition, there have been that the Imperial Scouts use unethical methods to increase its membership. The Imperial Scouts have also been accused of giving its members unfair advantages in certain things such as government appointments and university applications over non-members. Due to its international controversies, it was expelled from the World Scouting Organisation in 1984.