The Associação Guias de Portugal (AGP; roughly Guide Association of Portugal) is the national Guiding

Girl Guides

A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...

 association of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. Guiding in Portugal started in 1919 and became a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout...

 (WAGGGS) in 1963. The girls-only organization has 3,291 members (as of 2003). Its headquarters are located in Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

.

History

The first Guide group in Portugal was formed in 1911 in Porto

Porto

Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...

, being an overseas group of The Guide Association (UK)

Girlguiding UK

Girlguiding UK is the national Guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. Guiding began in the UK in 1910 after Robert Baden-Powell asked his sister Agnes to start a group especially for girls that would be run along similar lines to Scouting for Boys. The Guide Association was a founder member of...

. This group - and the British Guides on Madeira - supported the development of Portuguese Guide groups in 1919.

In 1930, the AGP was formed; it was officially recognized by the government in 1934, but had to suspend all activities in 1938 due to political unrest. Only the Madeira region could continue its work; it helped the organization to resume activities in 1952.

The AGP became an associate member of WAGGGS in 1963 and a full member in 1975.

Program and ideals

The association's aims are the formation and the development of girls and young women through the Scout method

Scout method

The Scout method is the informal educational system used by Scouting. The aim of Scouting is character training with the goal of helping participants become independent and helpful,and thereby become "healthy, happy, helpful citizens"....

 by four main principles: life in the patrol, life in the outdoors, commitment to the community and progressive programs.

The membership badge of Associação Guias de Portugal shows a trefoil

Trefoil

Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...

 superimposed with an elongate cross fleury, the ends having a shape like a fleur-de-lys.

The association is divided in four age-groups:

• Avezinha - Little Bird (ages 6 to 10)
• Guia Aventura - Adventure Guide (ages 10 to 14)
• Guia Caravela - Caravelle Guide (ages 14 to 17)
• Guia Moínho - Windmill Guide (ages 17 to 21)