Scouting in France
Encyclopedia
The Scout movement
in France
consists of about 80 different associations and federations with about 180,000 Scouts and Girl Guides. Next to Germany
, France is the country with the most fragmented Scout movement.
According to French law, all youth organizations working on the national level must be recognized by the Ministère de la Jeunesse et des Sports (Minister of Youth and Sports). Only nine of the above mentioned 80 organizations have this status. The vast majority of organizations are recognized by regional or local authorities, but there are also some non-recognized associations: their operation is illegal under French law.
The Fédération du Scoutisme Français
(Federation of French Scouting) is the national member of both the World Organization of the Scout Movement
(WOSM) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS). The federation has about 120,000 members grouped in five co-educational associations.
Scoutisme Français was founded in 1941 by the Eclaireurs de France, the Eclaireurs Unionistes de France, the Scouts de France, the Guides de France and the Eclaireurs Israélites de France.
The Members of the federation are:
(French Conference on Scouting) has about 35,000 members grouped in three co-educational associations:
(Unitary Scouts of France) were founded in 1971 in reaction to a pedagogic renewal within the Scouts de France splitting the former Scout
troops (unités) in two new sections and implementing coeducation. The association is Catholic and counts about 23,000 members.
Notable among them are:
.
The Members of the federation are:
to the Cambodia
n, Laotian
and Vietnam
ese areas of Indochina
to oversee the setting up of the Fédération Indochinoise des Associations du Scoutisme
(FIAS, Indochinese Federation of Scouting Associations) in all three regions.
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....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
consists of about 80 different associations and federations with about 180,000 Scouts and Girl Guides. Next to Germany
Scouting in Germany
The Scout movement in Germany consists of about 150 different associations and federations with about 260,000 Scouts and Guides.Scouting in Germany started in 1909. German Scouting later became involved with the German Youth Movement, of which the Wandervogel was a part...
, France is the country with the most fragmented Scout movement.
According to French law, all youth organizations working on the national level must be recognized by the Ministère de la Jeunesse et des Sports (Minister of Youth and Sports). Only nine of the above mentioned 80 organizations have this status. The vast majority of organizations are recognized by regional or local authorities, but there are also some non-recognized associations: their operation is illegal under French law.
National recognized organizations
The national recognized organizations are grouped in two federations and one independent organization.Fédération du scoutisme Français
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...
(Federation of French Scouting) is the national member of both 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...
(WOSM) and 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). The federation has about 120,000 members grouped in five co-educational associations.
Scoutisme Français was founded in 1941 by the Eclaireurs de France, the Eclaireurs Unionistes de France, the Scouts de France, the Guides de France and the Eclaireurs Israélites de France.
The Members of the federation are:
- Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs de FranceEclaireuses et Eclaireurs de FranceEclaireuses et Eclaireurs de France is an interreligious and coeducational Scouting and Guiding association in France. The first interreligious Scouting groups in France were founded in 1911, and interreligious Guiding started in 1914; both movements merged in 1964 forming the EEdF...
(founded in 1911, interreligious, 35,000 members) - Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs unionistes de FranceEclaireuses et Eclaireurs unionistes de FranceThe Éclaireuses et éclaireurs unionistes de France are a Protestant Scouting and Guiding organization in France...
(founded in 1911, ProtestantProtestantismProtestantism 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...
, 5,000 members) - Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de FranceEclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de FranceThe Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France is a Jewish Scouting and Guiding organization in France. It was founded in 1923 and serves about 4,000 members...
(founded in 1923, Jewish) - Scouts et Guides de FranceScouts et Guides de FranceScouts et Guides de France is the largest Scouting and Guiding association in France. It was formed on 1 September 2004 from the merger of two Roman Catholic Scouting organizations: the Guides de France and the Scouts de France...
(founded in 2004 after the merger of Scouts de France (1920) and Guides de France (1923), CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, 70,000 members) - Scouts Musulmans de FranceMuslim Scouts of FranceScouts Musulmans de France is a French Muslim Scouting organization for boys and girls between 8 and 21 years old with about 1,000 members. It was founded in 1990 by Sheikh Khaled Bentounes, the spiritual leader of the Sufi Alawiya Brotherhood, and is headquartered in Noisy-le-Grand...
(founded in 1990, MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
) - Scouts Vietnamiens de FranceScouts Vietnamiens de FranceScouts Vietnamiens de France is a French Scouting organization for boys and girls of Vietnamese descent between 8 and 21 years old...
(ASVD) - for youth of VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese descent; associate members
Conférence Française de Scoutisme
The Conférence Française de ScoutismeConférence Française de Scoutisme
The Conférence Française de Scoutisme is a French Scouting federation, founded in 2000 and serving about 35,000 members of both genders...
(French Conference on Scouting) has about 35,000 members grouped in three co-educational associations:
- Association des Guides et Scouts d'EuropeAssociation des Guides et Scouts d'EuropeThe Association des Guides et Scouts d′Europe is a Roman Catholic Scouting and Guiding organization in France. It was founded in 1958 and serves about 26,600 members...
(founded in 1958, Catholic, 25,000 members). The association is affiliated to the Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'EuropeUnion Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'EuropeThe International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe is a traditional faith-based Scouting organization with 20 member associations in 17 European... - Eclaireurs Neutres de FranceÉclaireurs Neutres de FranceThe Éclaireurs Neutres de France is a non-aligned French Scouting association, founded in 1947 by Marcel Lepage and serving 3,000 to 4,000 members of both genders....
(founded in 1947, interreligious, 3,000 to 4,000 members). Affiliated is a number of smaller associations, some of them Catholic:- Europa Scouts
- Scouts et Guides Saint-Louis
- Scouts et Guides de Riaumont (Traditionalist CatholicTraditionalist CatholicTraditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council...
, with connections to the Priestly Fraternity of St. PeterPriestly Fraternity of St. PeterThe Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a traditionalist Catholic Society of Apostolic Life of priests and seminarians in good standing with the Holy See.-Canonical status:...
)
- Fédération des Eclaireuses et EclaireursFédération des Eclaireuses et EclaireursThe Fédération des éclaireuses et éclaireurs is an umbrella federation of about 15 regional Scouting and Guiding associations in France. It was founded in 1989 and serves about 2000 members...
(founded in 1989 as split-off of the Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs de France, interreligious, 2,000 members). This federation groups about 15 to 20 independent local associations, some of them Protestant or OrthodoxEastern Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
Scouts unitaires de France
The Scouts Unitaires de FranceScouts unitaires de France
The Scouts Unitaires de France is a French Catholic Scouting movement created in 1971. It is the third largest movement in France....
(Unitary Scouts of France) were founded in 1971 in reaction to a pedagogic renewal within the Scouts de France splitting the former Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
troops (unités) in two new sections and implementing coeducation. The association is Catholic and counts about 23,000 members.
Regional or local recognized organizations
There are at least 50 independent Scouting associations in France outside the above mentioned federations. Most of them are recognized by regional or local authorities, some via religious communities. They have an estimated membership of about 5,000 Scouts and Guides.Notable among them are:
- Association Française de Scouts et Guides Catholiques (Traditionalist Catholic)
- Scouts de Doran (Split-off of the former, Catholic), working towards national recognition
- Scouts et Guides Godefroy de Bouillon (Traditionalist Catholic, with connections to the Society of St. Pius XSociety of St. Pius XThe Society of Saint Pius X is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation, founded in 1970 by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre...
) - Ecuyers Saint-Michel (Fencing Scouts)
- Fédération du Scoutisme Evangélique Français (Protestant). Affiliated are a number of smaller associations.
Old Scouts
The Fédération des Associations d'Anciens du Scoutisme (FAAS) is the national member of the International Scout and Guide FellowshipInternational Scout and Guide Fellowship
The International Scout and Guide Fellowship is a worldwide organization of Scout alumni in support of Scouting and Guiding who want to strengthen dialogue between communities through community-oriented projects worldwide....
.
The Members of the federation are:
- Les Amitiés de France Anciens Scouts et Guides (ADF)
- Association des Anciens Éclaireurs et Éclaireuses (A.A.E.E.)
- A3-Association des Anciens et Amis des Éclaireurs et Éclaireuses Israélites de France
- Les Tisons, Anciens des Éclaireurs et Éclaireuses Unionistes
- Réseau des Parents et Amis des Guides et Scouts de France
International Scouting units in France
- Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, served by the Transatlantic Council in Paris - Girl Scouts of the USAGirl Scouts of the USAThe Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
, served by USAGSO headquarters - The Scout AssociationThe Scout AssociationThe Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
,served by British Scouts Western Europe - Girlguiding UKGirlguiding UKGirlguiding 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...
, served by British Guides in Foreign CountriesGirlguiding BGIFCGirlguiding BGIFC is part of Girlguiding UK and is for British nationals living overseas. Administratively it is based in Commonwealth Guide Headquarters in Victoria, London. Members in this section of Girlguiding UK follow the normal programme very closely. Girls make the same promise as girls in... - Armenian Scouting, served by HomenetmenHomenetmenHomenetmen is a pan-Armenian diaspora organization devoted to sport and Scouting. The motto of Homenetmen is "Elevate Yourself and Elevate Others with You" .-Foundation:...
- Greek Scouting in Paris
- Külföldi Magyar CserkészszövetségKülföldi Magyar CserkészszövetségKülföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség is a Scouts-in-Exile organization created for youth of Hungarian descent. Scouting makes it possible for the young men and women to learn more about their Hungarian heritage, language and culture...
operates one troop in Paris - Polish Scouting and Guiding, served by ZHP pgK (ZHP aboard)
- Russian Scouting, served by National Organization of Russian Scouts (NORS) and Organization of Russian Young Pathfinders
History
At the end of 1937, France sent Scoutmaster Raymond SchlemmerRaymond Schlemmer
Raymond Schlemmer was a seminal figure in the early history of Scouting in France, from 1922 to 1952.In late 1937, French Scouting sent Scoutmaster Schlemmer to the Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese areas of Indochina to oversee the setting up of the Fédération Indochinoise des Associations du...
to the Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n, Laotian
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese areas of Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
to oversee the setting up of the Fédération Indochinoise des Associations du Scoutisme
Fédération Indochinoise des Associations du Scoutisme
The Fédération Indochinoise des Associations du Scoutisme was the earliest Scouting governing body in French Indochina, encompassing several smaller Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Scout associations, open without bias of faith or political viewpoint, from 1930 to 1954...
(FIAS, Indochinese Federation of Scouting Associations) in all three regions.