Trampské združenie Severka [Tramp association Severka] was officially founded in January 1991, but it began releasing the tramp magazine Severka two years earlier, in 1989. The association's objective is to preserve and support original tramp culture while documenting the history of the movement both in Slovakia and abroad. The association organises cultural, educational and sporting events, issues books and periodicals, releases audiovisual media, initiates nature and environmental conservation activities, and cultivates the image and awareness of the tramp subculture and its history in both online and printed media.
Tramps still maintain their identity today as a subculture. In the past, adapting to changes in the social, economic, and political environment was necessary. During the communist era, both before the Prague Spring and after the arrival of Soviet troops in 1968, tramps were subject to surveillance and bullying by the state police. Nevertheless, thanks to the open and flexible character of the subculture, they still managed to maintain independence and avoid being banned, unlike the Scout Movement. Tramping never turned into an organisation supported or controlled by state. It is made up of individuals and “osady” [settlements], the latter representing groups of at least three tramps. There is no hierarchy or stable structure designating relations among them. All activities and programs of “osady” or tramps-loners are chosen freely and independently.
The tramp association Severka has been documenting past and contemporary events in the tramp subculture, setting up exhibitions,and publishing books as well as the
Severka magazine. Thus, it has created a platform for interactions among those within and those outside the tramp circles.