The

Scout movement Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

consisted in 2005 of about 60 different associations and federations with about 180,000 Scouts and

Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...

. Next to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, France is the country with the most fragmented Scout movement.

National recognized organizations

The national recognized organizations are grouped in two federations and one independent organization.

Fédération du scoutisme Français

The Fédération du Scoutisme Français (Federation of French Scouting) is the national member of both the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

(WOSM) and the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association that supports Girl Guides, female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 153 countries. It was established in the year 1928 in Parád, H ...

(WAGGGS). The federation has about 120,000 members grouped in five co-educational associations. Scoutisme Français was founded in 1940 under the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

. The new organization banned some clubs and gathered others under a broad umbrella. The new club included members from ''Eclaireurs de France'', the ''Éclaireurs unionistes de France'', the ''Scouts de France'', the ''Guides de France'', the ''Éclaireurs israélites de France'' and the Fédération française des éclaireuses. The Members of the federation are: *

Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France (''Guides and Scouts of France'', EEdF) is an interreligious and coeducational Scouting and Girl Guides, Guiding association in France. The first interreligious Scouting groups in France were founded in 1911 ...

(founded in 1911, interreligious, 35,000 members) * Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs unionistes de France (founded in 1911,

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, 5,000 members) *

Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs israélites de France The Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs israélites de France (EEIF, ''Jewish Guides and Scouts of France'') is a Jewish Scouting and Guiding organization in France. It was founded in 1923 and serves about 4,000 members. The EEIF is a member of the Fé ...

(founded in 1923,

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish) *

Scouts et Guides de France Scouts et Guides de France (''Scouts and Guides of France'', SGdF) 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 (fo ...

(founded in 2004 after the merger of Scouts de France (1920) and Guides de France (1923),

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, 70,000 members) * Scouts Musulmans de France (founded in 1990,

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

) * Éclaireurs de la Nature (founded in 2007,

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

)

Conférence Française de Scoutisme

The

Conférence Française de Scoutisme The Conférence Française de Scoutisme (''French Conference of the Scout Movement'', CFS) is a French Scouting federation, founded in 2000 and serving about 35,000 members of both genders. The CFS is not a member of either the World Organization ...

(French Conference on Scouting) has about 35,000 members grouped in three co-educational associations: *

Association des Guides et Scouts d'Europe The Association des Guides et Scouts d'Europe (AGSE, ''Association of the Guides and Scouts of Europe'') is a Roman Catholic Scouting and Guiding organization in France. It was founded in 1958 and serves about 26,600 members. The organization was ...

(founded in 1958, Catholic, 25,000 members). The association is affiliated to the

Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe The International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe - Federation of Scouts of Europe (Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d’Europe, UIGSE; also known as ''Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'Europe – Fédération du Scou ...

* Eclaireurs Neutres de France (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 Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). ...

, with connections to the

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians. It is in communion with the Holy See. It was founded in 1988 by 12 former members of the Society of Saint Pius X ...

) *

Fédération des Eclaireuses et Eclaireurs The Fédération des éclaireuses et éclaireurs (FEE, ''Guides and Scouts Federation'') is an umbrella federation of about 15 regional Scouting and Guiding associations in France. It was founded in 1989 and serves about 2000 members. The FEE is ...

(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

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Scouts unitaires de France

The

Scouts Unitaires de France The Scouts Unitaires de France (''Unitary Scouts of France'', SUF) is a French Catholic Scouting movement created in 1971. It is the third largest Scout movement in France. From 1964 to 1970 the Scouts et Guides de France, Scouts de France prep ...

(Unitary Scouts of France) were founded in 1971 in reaction to a pedagogic renewal within the ''Scouts de France'' splitting the former

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

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 X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX; ("Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X"), FSSPX) is a canonically irregular traditionalist Catholic priestly fraternity founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Lefebvre was a leading traditionalist ...

) *''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 Fellowship The International Scout and Guide Fellowship (ISGF) is a worldwide organization of adults in support of Scouting and Girl Guides, Guiding. The International Scout and Guide Fellowship is open to former members of the World Association of Girl Gui ...

. 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 America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

, served by the

Transatlantic Council There have been American Scouts overseas since almost the inception of the movement, often for similar reasons as the present day. Within the Scouting America formerly the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), these expatriate Scouting, Scouts are now se ...

in Paris *

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, a year after she ...

, served by USAGSO headquarters *

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...

, served by

British Scouting Overseas The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 and incorporated in 1912 by a royal chart ...

Girlguiding UK Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association in the United Kingdom, previously named The Girl Guides Association, which was formed in 1910. It is the original Girl Guides organisation in the world and, in 1928, became a founding m ...

, served by British Guides in Foreign Countries *Armenian Scouting, served by Homenetmen * Greek Scouting in Paris *

Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség (''Hungarian Scout Association in Exteris'') is a Scouts-in-Exile organization created for youth of Hungarian descent. Scouting makes it possible for young men and women to learn more about their Hungaria ...

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 Schlemmer Raymond Schlemmer was a seminal figure in the early history of Scouting in France, from 1922 to 1952. Career In late 1937, French Scouting sent Scoutmaster Schlemmer to the Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese areas of Indochina to oversee the s ...

to the

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

n, Laotian and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

ese areas of

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

to oversee the setting up of the Fédération Indochinoise des Associations du Scoutisme (FIAS, Indochinese Federation of Scouting Associations) in all three regions.

Notes

The

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

knows two words both for Boy Scout and Girl Guide/Girl Scout. ''Boy Scout'' is translated as ''scout'' in Catholic and Muslim associations, and as ''éclaireur'' in Protestant, Jewish and interreligious associations. ''Girl Guide/Girl Scout'' is translated as ''guide'' in the Catholic associations, and as ''éclaireuse'' in Protestant, Jewish and interreligious associations.

References

External links

Overview chart of the French Scout Movement

Presentation of the ten major organizations

Fédération du scoutisme français

Conférence Française de Scoutisme

Scouts Unitaires de France

Association Française des Collectionneurs de Timbres Scouts (AFCTS)-French Scouts on Stamps Association
{{Scout continent, Europe