Scout de France
editThe Scout de France (Scouts of France), was a French association created in 1920 and wound up in 2004, which had been the main scouting movement in France. Following the success of Boy Scouts created by Baden-Powell in England in 1907, the priest Jacques Sevin founded in 1920 the Scout de France. The movement was at the time, traditionally catholic, its pedagogy was based on Baden Powell’s teachings completed by the priest Sevin.
Recognised of public utility in 1927, he participated in the creation of the Fédération du Scoutisme Français (French Scouting Federation) in 1940. The Scouts de France movement reached its peak at the beginning of the sixties and accounted then more than 140 000 members. Following the reforms brought to the Vatican Council II, the pedagogy was reviewed in depth, especially under the leadership of François Lebouteux. As a result many young people left towards Guides et Scouts d’Europe (Guide and Scout of Europe) and later, the creation of the movement of Scouts Unitaires de France (Unitary Scouts of France), which both wanted to continue to practice traditional scouting and remained faithful to Baden Powell and priest Sevin’s original proposal. In 1981, after the failure of gathering with the Guides de France (Guides of France), the movement opened to coeducation. It encouraged young members to self-education by scouting specific pedagogy with the purpose of personal growth and active sociability. Catholics, the Scouts de France were from the middle of the eighties open to all young people, without any origins, culture and belief distinction. In 2004, the fusion with the Guide de France was finally decided by decision of general meetings of both associations. The administrative structure of Scouts de France is then wound up in Scouts et Guides de France’s association (Scouts and Guides of France).
Institutional, educational and pedagogical project:
editThe pedagogy of Scouts de France, inherited from 1964’s reforms, was intended to encourage young people to be active in society, by developing relationships between them and with the world. The notions of solidarity, citizenship are greatly highlighted according to the institutional project: “Train pleased citizen, helpful, active and peacemakers” For this purpose, the Scouts de France rely on an educational project including five main areas of development, associated to a specific colour code (particularly used for badges) and broken down in the different age ranges: - relationship to other (red) - relationship to the world (green) - relationship with the body (health, physical exercise) (yellow) - relationship with oneself (blue) - relationship to god (white)
Bibliography
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- Guérin, Christian (1997). L'Utopie Scouts de France, histoire d'une identité collective, catholique et sociale. Fayard.
- Laneyrie, Philippe. Les Scouts de France - l'évolution du mouvement des origines aux années 80.
- Seyrat, Michel. 100 ans de scoutisme, album de famille des Scouts et Guides de France.