Overview

The Kibbo Kift, founded by John Hargrave, promoted cooperation, creativity, and respect for nature as an alternative to mainstream society. Known for their rituals and traditions considered bizarre in society at the time, they advocated for pacifism and conservation. The Kindred continues in the form of Kibbo Kift Scouts International, and the UK branch is active today through an online program focused on ecology, campcraft, art, and spirituality.

Seven-Faceted Curriculum

  • Ecology and Herbalism
  • Campcraft
  • Art and Creation
  • Movement
  • Scouting & Kibbo Kift History
  • Religion, Spirituality and Culture
  • Hiking and Genius Loci

Two Badge Fields

  • Bodian (Outreach and Activism)
  • Kincraft (Building projects in the Kin)

About KKUK

History

The Kibbo Kift were (and are) a Kindred and organisation inspired by Hargrave’s experiences in the Boy Scouts before he got disillusioned by the militarism of the organization, he quit and started his own Path, to return to the Woodcraft roots of the Movement. So, the Kibbo Kift aimed to create a community based on principles of cooperation, creativity, and respect for the natural world.

 

The Formation of the Kibbo Kift

While the Boy Scouts thrived, not all members were content with its direction. John Hargrave, an influential figure in the Scouts who ran the Woodcraft side of the organisation came to disagree with the increasing militarism in the Scouts, particularly during and after World War I. As his complains were not heard, Hargrave envisioned a more whole approach to youth development, one that united outdoor skills with artistic, intellectual, and spiritual growth, something most people at the time thought was impossible. In 1920, he founded the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift.

The Kibbo Kift initially gained attention in the public eye for their eccentricities, including their unique dress and ritual practices, they also made significant contributions to progressive causes such as pacifism, social reform, and environmental conservation. Their legacy endures as a testament to the power of imagination, collective action, and a deep reverence for the interconnectedness of all things.

Those who want to live with nature, those who appreciate the spiritual (whatever form that may take), those who want peace for the world and those who perhaps just want something to do may just find something of value in this Kindred.

The Refounding of the Kibbo Kift

In 2020, 100 years on from the original founding of the Kibbo Kift, a group of Scout Leaders in South America decided to form Kibbo Kift Scouts International, a group mainly inspired by the Kibbo Kift, but also many different kinds of Scouting, from German, to Polish, to the forest. By combining many different kinds of Scouting and Woodcraft, it allows the curriculum to be more balanced, and in essence, better.
Then, in 2024, the Kindred came back to home soil with this very course!

 

What We Do in the UK

We, essentially operate a Kibbo-Kift style online lone scout program, while we don’t have any in-person groups yet, we operate this system so people can still actually do the stuff.

If you want to help out and/or be more involved, send an email to hello@kibbokift.uk and we’ll see what we can do!