The Fédération Ivoirienne du Scoutisme (FSI, Ivorian Scouting Federation) is the national federation of three Scouting

Scouting

Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....

 organizations of the Côte d'Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire

The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...

. The coeducational Fédération Ivoirienne du Scoutisme has 23,213 members as of 2011.

History

Scouting was introduced to Côte d'Ivoire in 1937; the Scout units where part of the respective French associations

Scoutisme Français

The Fédération du Scoutisme Français is an umbrella organization that combines the efforts of the several Scouting and Guiding associations in France and also represents the Scouting movement in French Guiana, Martinique, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, New Caledonia, Réunion, Wallis and Futuna and...

. After the country's independence in 1960, they formed three faith based associations following the French example. In 1962 these associations formed the Collège Ivoirien du Scoutisme which was renamed to Fédération Ivoirienne du Scoutisme in 1963. The federation became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement

World Organization of the Scout Movement

The World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...

 on September 23, 1972.

Component associations

The Federation consists of three Scout associations, the Roman Catholic Association des Scouts Catholiques de Côte d'Ivoire (ASCCI, Association of Catholic Scouts of Côte d'Ivoire), the laic

Laïcité

French secularism, in French, laïcité is a concept denoting the absence of religious involvement in government affairs as well as absence of government involvement in religious affairs. French secularism has a long history but the current regime is based on the 1905 French law on the Separation of...

 Eclaireurs Laïcs de Côte d'Ivoire (Scouts of Côte d'Ivoire) and the Protestant

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

 Eclaireurs Unionistes de Côte d'Ivoire (Unionist Guides and Scouts of Côte d'Ivoire).

Program

Scouting in the Ivory Coast has an emphasis on community service

Community service

Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....

. There is a great deal of activity in local Scouting and a good record of social action, especially in the development of youth and cultural centers for the vocational training of young people.

Age groups within the associations are gouverned by the respective organization. The ASCCI uses a five sections system:

• Petite enface (Early childhood
  Early childhood
  For the video game rating with a similar age group see ESRBEarly childhood is a stage in human development. It generally includes toddlerhood and some time afterwards. Play age is an unspecific designation approximately within the scope of early childhood.-Education:Infants and toddlers experience...
  
  ) - ages 4 to 7
• Louveteaux (Cub Scout
  Cub Scout
  A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...
  
  s) - ages 8 to 12
• Eclaireurs (Scouts) - ages 12 to 15
• Cheminots - ages 15 to 18
• Routiers (Rover Scouts) - ages 18 to 21.

Motto

The Scout Motto is Sois Prêt (Be Prepared) or Toujours Prêt (Always Prepared) in French, depending on the organization.

Emblems

Each of the Scout emblems incorporate elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

 tusk

Tusk

Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth, usually but not always in pairs, that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canines, as with warthogs, wild boar, and walruses, or, in the case of elephants and narwhals, elongated incisors...

s, representing the ivory

Ivory

Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...

of the country's name.

External links

• Association des Scouts Catholiques de Côte d'Ivoire