Scouting and Guiding in France: Difference between revisions

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'''Scouting in France''' is very divided nowadays, with some 80 to 100 scouting organizations. If a great number of those are tiny organization not bigger than a simple local group, 9 of them came out as really big scouting organizations. Among those, only 5 are part to the [Federation of] French Scouting ("''le Scoutisme Français''") and thus linked to [[WOSM]] and [[WAGGS]]. This peculiar state of fact is due to French history of scouting, which is an history of divisions since [[1947]], maybe the best year of scouting in France, which saw the gathering of the [[6th world jamboree]] in Moisson, a few kilometres from Paris.
'''Scouting in France''' is very divided nowadays, with some 80 to 100 scouting organizations. If a great number of those are tiny organization not bigger than a simple local group, 9 of them came out as really big scouting organizations. Among those, only 5 are part to the [Federation of] French Scouting ("''le Scoutisme Français''") and thus linked to [[WOSM]] and [[WAGGGS]]. This peculiar state of fact is due to French history of scouting, which is an history of divisions since [[1947]], maybe the best year of scouting in France, which saw the gathering of the [[6th World Scout Jamboree |6th world jamboree]] in Moisson, a few kilometres from Paris.


==History of scouting in France==
==History of scouting in France==
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Life went on up to WWII, when half of France was occupied by the Germans in [[1940]]. Scouting was forbidden in the Occupied Zone, but went on (minus the EIF) in the Free Zone, where the EdF, the EUdF and the SdF (largely the most important organization) met in l'Oradou to create the Federation of French Scouting. When the Free Zone was occupied at the end of [[1942]], scouting was also forbidden there, but, in both Zones, scouts continued to meet clandestinely. Lots of scouts joined the Resistance and helped to the Liberation. So after the war, scouting was ready to re-emerge and le Scoutisme Français proposed to welcome the [[1947]] Jamboree of the Peace.  
Life went on up to WWII, when half of France was occupied by the Germans in [[1940]]. Scouting was forbidden in the Occupied Zone, but went on (minus the EIF) in the Free Zone, where the EdF, the EUdF and the SdF (largely the most important organization) met in l'Oradou to create the Federation of French Scouting. When the Free Zone was occupied at the end of [[1942]], scouting was also forbidden there, but, in both Zones, scouts continued to meet clandestinely. Lots of scouts joined the Resistance and helped to the Liberation. So after the war, scouting was ready to re-emerge and le Scoutisme Français proposed to welcome the [[1947]] Jamboree of the Peace.  


But soon after that, French scouting started to divide. As the ''Éclaireurs de France'' were too close to the communist party, some of them left and created the ''Éclaireurs Neutres de France''. Two years later, the catholic ''Scouts de France'' started to reform : in the minds of their leaders, scouting was no more fitting to the tastes of the modern youths, so, they created the ''Raiders'' : plus-troops for the better scouts, enabled to have modern activities such as those of the military commandos. Some years later, Rovers began to change to become more political. So, at the end of the 50's, new leaders want to take the militarist "raiderism" out of scouting, but to keep what they thought was good in this idea. So they divided the original 12-17 branch into 2 branches, with no [[patrol system]] : "rangers" for boys 12 to 14 and "pioneers" for boys 15 to 17.  
But soon after that, French scouting started to divide. As the ''Éclaireurs de France'' were too close to the communist party, some of them left and created the ''Éclaireurs Neutres de France''. Two years later, the catholic ''Scouts de France'' started to reform : in the minds of their leaders, scouting was no more fitting to the tastes of the modern youths, so, they created the ''Raiders'' : plus-troops for the better scouts, enabled to have modern activities such as those of the military commandos. Some years later, Rovers began to change to become more political. So, at the end of the 50's, new leaders want to take the militarist "raiderism" out of scouting, but to keep what they thought was good in this idea. So they divided the original 12-17 branch into 2 branches, with a different patrol system : "rangers" for boys 12 to 14 and "pioneers" for boys 15 to 17.  


===From the reforms on : more and more divisions ?===
===From the reforms on : more and more divisions ?===
That led to many discontentment, and to the most important divides. By [[1962]], Pierre Géraud (often named Perig Géraud-Keraod), a Breton freedom partisan who had created Breton-speaking scout groups inside the SdF, left them to create the ''Scouts d'Europe''. The ''Scouts d'Europe'' did keep the traditional way of scouting, but adopted some reforms wanted by Géraud, notably concerning the guides, who had to stick to the boys' pedagogy. Traditional groups continued to exist inside the SdF up to [[1971]], when they were expelled from the organization, and created the ''Scouts Unitaires de France''.
That led to many discontentment, and to the most important divides. By [[1962]], Pierre Géraud (often named Perig Géraud-Keraod), a Breton freedom partisan who had created Breton-speaking scout groups inside the SdF, left them to create the ''Scouts d'Europe''. The ''Scouts d'Europe'' did keep the traditional way of scouting, but adopted some reforms wanted by Géraud, notably concerning the guides, who had to stick to the boys' pedagogy. Traditional groups continued to exist inside the SdF up to [[1971]], when they were expelled from the organization, and created the ''Scouts Unitaires de France''.


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====le Scoutisme Français====
====le Scoutisme Français====
''le Scoutisme Français'' is the only federation to be recognized by [[WOSM]] and [[WAGGS]]. It was created in [[1940]], and counts :
''le Scoutisme Français'' is the only federation to be recognized by [[WOSM]] and [[WAGGGS]]. It was created in [[1940]], and counts :
* '''Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France''' (EEdF), the former EdF, secular ;
* '''Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France''' (EEdF), the former EdF, secular ;
* '''Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs Unionnistes de France''' (EEUdF), the former EUdF, protestant ;
* '''Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs Unionnistes de France''' (EEUdF), the former EUdF, protestant ;
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====Conférence Française de Scoutisme====
====Conférence Française de Scoutisme====
the ''Conférence Française de Scoutisme'' (CFS) is the meeting of 3 of the organizations born from the divides :
the ''Conférence Française de Scoutisme'' (CFS) is the meeting of 3 of the organizations born from the divides :
* '''Association des Guides et Scouts d'Europe''' (AGSE or FSE), part to the [[International union of European guides and scouts]] ;
* '''Association des Guides et Scouts d'Europe''' (AGSE or FSE), part to the [[Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe|International union of European guides and scouts]] ;
* '''Éclaireurs Neutres de France''' (ENF), a [[1947]] split-off the EdF ;
* '''Éclaireurs Neutres de France''' (ENF), a [[1947]] split-off the EdF ;
* '''Fédération des Éclaireurs et des Éclaireuses''' (FEE), a federation of small and very different organizations.
* '''Fédération des Éclaireurs et des Éclaireuses''' (FEE), a federation of small and very different organizations.
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One unhappy effect of that is that for members of organizations part to the G.9, quite often, members of the other organizations are not "real" scouts, regardless of what is their actual practice of scouting.
One unhappy effect of that is that for members of organizations part to the G.9, quite often, members of the other organizations are not "real" scouts, regardless of what is their actual practice of scouting.
{{history portal}}


[[Category:Scouting in the world]]
[[Category:Scouting in the world]]
[[Categorie:History]]


[[es:Historia del escultismo en Francia]]
[[de:Pfadi in Frankreich]]
[[de:Pfadi in Frankreich]]
[[fr:Histoire du scoutisme en France]]

Revision as of 10:30, 23 August 2007

Scouting in France is very divided nowadays, with some 80 to 100 scouting organizations. If a great number of those are tiny organization not bigger than a simple local group, 9 of them came out as really big scouting organizations. Among those, only 5 are part to the [Federation of] French Scouting ("le Scoutisme Français") and thus linked to WOSM and WAGGGS. This peculiar state of fact is due to French history of scouting, which is an history of divisions since 1947, maybe the best year of scouting in France, which saw the gathering of the 6th world jamboree in Moisson, a few kilometres from Paris.

History of scouting in France

From the beginnings to World War II

History of scouting in France began as soon as 1908, when protestant clerics create troops for young boys in their patronages (clubs for boys). Quickly, those troops become full with catholic boys (Roman Catholicism is the main religion in France and was very widespread in these times). But the Church and many people doesn't like scouting, because it's from protestant and English origin. So scouting never started from that embryological status before Robert Baden-Powell came to France in 1911, to present his method. That year, the three first French scouting organizations were created : the secular Éclaireurs de France (EdF), the Éclaireurs Français, also secular, and created by the modern Olympic games creator Pierre de Coubertin, and the protestant Éclaireurs Unionnistes de France (EUdF). Troops continued to be filled with Catholics, and some priests began to create local catholic troops before WWI. After Fathers Antoine Cornette and Jacques Sevin successfully demonstrated that scouting was no devilry, the Catholic Scouts de France (SdF) was finally created in 1920. Guides de France followed in 1923, the same year as this of the creation of the Jewish Éclaireurs Israélites de France (EIF).

From World War II to the reforms

Life went on up to WWII, when half of France was occupied by the Germans in 1940. Scouting was forbidden in the Occupied Zone, but went on (minus the EIF) in the Free Zone, where the EdF, the EUdF and the SdF (largely the most important organization) met in l'Oradou to create the Federation of French Scouting. When the Free Zone was occupied at the end of 1942, scouting was also forbidden there, but, in both Zones, scouts continued to meet clandestinely. Lots of scouts joined the Resistance and helped to the Liberation. So after the war, scouting was ready to re-emerge and le Scoutisme Français proposed to welcome the 1947 Jamboree of the Peace.

But soon after that, French scouting started to divide. As the Éclaireurs de France were too close to the communist party, some of them left and created the Éclaireurs Neutres de France. Two years later, the catholic Scouts de France started to reform : in the minds of their leaders, scouting was no more fitting to the tastes of the modern youths, so, they created the Raiders : plus-troops for the better scouts, enabled to have modern activities such as those of the military commandos. Some years later, Rovers began to change to become more political. So, at the end of the 50's, new leaders want to take the militarist "raiderism" out of scouting, but to keep what they thought was good in this idea. So they divided the original 12-17 branch into 2 branches, with a different patrol system : "rangers" for boys 12 to 14 and "pioneers" for boys 15 to 17.

From the reforms on : more and more divisions ?

That led to many discontentment, and to the most important divides. By 1962, Pierre Géraud (often named Perig Géraud-Keraod), a Breton freedom partisan who had created Breton-speaking scout groups inside the SdF, left them to create the Scouts d'Europe. The Scouts d'Europe did keep the traditional way of scouting, but adopted some reforms wanted by Géraud, notably concerning the guides, who had to stick to the boys' pedagogy. Traditional groups continued to exist inside the SdF up to 1971, when they were expelled from the organization, and created the Scouts Unitaires de France.

While the EdF, EUdF and EIF had continued to exist, opening to girls, on catholic side, divisions continued. After the reforms in the catholic mass in 1969, as the Scouts d'Europe refused to let their scouts attend the traditional mass, some scouts and groups they had expelled for that reason created other organizations. In the same time, numerous other organizations had been created by people who did not found that the existing ones were fitting their needs, either for pedagogical or (mainly) religious reasons.

Only as recently as 2004 was it possible to do something else than continuous divisions : that year, the two catholic organizations, Scouts de France, now open to boys and girls, and the girl-only Guides de France merged into the Scouts et Guides de France. The 9 main organizations started to talk together, and from that came out what may be the first step towards the unity of French scouting : the French State issued a decree stating that there were officially recognized scouting organizations.

Scouting organizations

The "G.9"

The 9 main French scouting organizations, which are recognized by the French State as scouting organizations, are often named the "G.9", in reference to the G.8, the meeting of the chiefs of State of the 8 more rich countries in the world.

le Scoutisme Français

le Scoutisme Français is the only federation to be recognized by WOSM and WAGGGS. It was created in 1940, and counts :

  • Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France (EEdF), the former EdF, secular ;
  • Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs Unionnistes de France (EEUdF), the former EUdF, protestant ;
  • Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs Israélites de France (EEIF), the former EIF, Jewish ;
  • Scouts et Guides de France (SGdF), merging of the SdF and the GdF, Roman Catholic ;
  • Scouts Musulmans de France (SMF), a Muslim organization created in 1990.

Conférence Française de Scoutisme

the Conférence Française de Scoutisme (CFS) is the meeting of 3 of the organizations born from the divides :

  • Association des Guides et Scouts d'Europe (AGSE or FSE), part to the International union of European guides and scouts ;
  • Éclaireurs Neutres de France (ENF), a 1947 split-off the EdF ;
  • Fédération des Éclaireurs et des Éclaireuses (FEE), a federation of small and very different organizations.

Scouts Unitaires de France

  • the Scouts Unitaires de France are not part to the Conférence Française de Scoutisme, even though they signed its manifesto, called the Message aux Familles (Message to the Families).

The others

There are many scouting organizations in France outside of the so-called G.9. Most of them are tiny, some of them are quite particular, as les Écuyers de Saint Michel, an organization for fencing scouts, or some organizations devoted to the disabled.

There are also some relatively big organizations, of about 1000 members or so, notably the Scouts de Doran, traditional Roman Catholic.

But the big problem of this abundance of scouting organizations is that everyone can create his association (the law is very permissive in France regarding associations) and to call it a scouting organization. Some organizations have been having problems with justice, because they were not respecting the laws about security in camps (which ended with the death of youths), or because they were related to very dark politic groups.

One unhappy effect of that is that for members of organizations part to the G.9, quite often, members of the other organizations are not "real" scouts, regardless of what is their actual practice of scouting. Categorie:History