The Swiss Guide and Scout Movement (SGSM) (''German: Pfadibewegung Schweiz (PBS), French: Mouvement Scout de Suisse (MSdS), Italian: Movimento Scout Svizzero (MSS), Rumantsch: Moviment Battasendas Svizra (MBS)'') is the national

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, 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 activi ...

and Guiding association of

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

formed in 1987. Scouting was founded in Switzerland in 1912 and was among the charter members of 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. ...

in 1922 and among the founding members of 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 ...

in 1928. The SGSM has more than 50,500 members in about 550 local groups (as of 2022). The Swiss Guide and Scout Movement is mixed at all levels. The only thing that still reminds of the old separation between Girl Guides and Boy Scouts is that some of the terms for different levels (in one or more of the three major languages spoken in Switzerland) are different. The young age of Swiss leaders is a tradition, "the young lead the young". Even members of the district or national committees are rarely older than 30. The result is more freedom at the unit level, no discrimination, and a very important experience in leadership for young people. The mandatory parts of the Swiss uniform are the shirt, the neckerchief, any kind of good hiking boots, a fire lighter and a Swiss army knife. Optional parts are belt, Scout jeans, hat, dagger, etc. A youth receives his/her neckerchief and ''vulgo'' (Scout name) from his unit leader in an initiation ceremony.

History

Schweizer Pfadfinderbund Lilie und Wahlspruch

In 1910, the first Scout group in Switzerland was founded in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

as part of the abstinence movement. :fr:Gaston Clerc, then secretary-general of the '' Unions Cadettes de suisse romande'', enthusiastically supported the

Scout method The Scout method is the informal educational system used in the Scout Movement with some variations among different Scout organizations. Scout training is character development to help Scouts become independent and helpful, and thereby become ...

after reading ''

Scouting for Boys ''Scouting for Boys: A handbook for instruction in good citizenship'' is a book on Boy Scout training, published in various editions since 1908. Early editions were written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell with later editions being exten ...

''. He organized several conferences (notably in

Le Locle Le Locle (; ) is a Communes of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It is situated in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is the third smallest city in Switzerland (in Swit ...

in October 1910) within the cadet unions to explain and discuss the interest of cadets in using the Scout method. In 1911, the first groups of Swiss

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 ...

were formed. Gaston Clerc bought the translations of ''

'' and translated the first chapter for those who would become Scouts. In 1912, delegates of the cadet sections of the Union chrétienne de la suisse romande launched the Swiss Scout movement.

William Borel William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

chaired this neutral committee to patronize and spread Scouting in Switzerland. Geneva pedagogue

Pierre Bovet Pierre Bovet (born on 5 June 1878 in Grandchamp, Boudry, Grandchamp (commune of Boudry); died in Boudry on 2 December 1965) was a Swiss psychologist and pedagogue. Bovet took up the translation of ''Scouting for Boys'' and other Scout books, t ...

took up the translation of ''Éclaireurs'' and other Scout books, to make it the first edition in French. This edition was the first in a long series of Scout books published by the publishing house :fr:Delachaux et Niestlé in

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

. In 1913, the Federation of Swiss Scouts (''Fédération des Eclaireurs suisses'', FES/''Schweizerische Pfadfinderbund (SPB)'') was founded in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

. This brought together the multilingual Swiss Scouts under the same organization. In 1919, the

Swiss Federation of Girl Guides Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places *Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located i ...

(''Fédération des Eclaireuses suisse'', (FESes)/''Bund Schweizerischer Pfadfinderinnen (BSP)'') was established. Switzerland was among the charter members of the

in 1922 and among the founding members of the

in 1928. In 1925, the first Federal Camp was held in Bern, Switzerland. In 1931, the first

World Scout Moot The World Scout Moot is an event for senior branches of Scouting (traditionally called Rovers) and other young adult Scouts, gathering up to 5,000 people. Moots provide an opportunity for young adults in Scouting to meet, with the objective of ...

was held at

Kandersteg International Scout Centre The Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) is an international Scout centre in Kandersteg, Switzerland. The centre provides lodges, chalets and campsites covering 17 hectares of land. It is open to Scouts year round, as well as to non-Scou ...

. In 1939, after the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Swiss Scouts also began to support the

Swiss army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

. Many Scouts were registered with the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

. In 1953, a second World Scout Moot took place In Kandersteg. In 1957, WAGGGS organized a World Camp at the Lac de Conche. In 1980, the first Federal Camp of FES and FESes in common took place in the region of

Gruyères Gruyères (; ; Fribourgeois: ''Grevire''; ) is a town in the district of Gruyère (district), Gruyère in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. The medieval town is an important tourist location in the ...

. The originally separate Swiss Guide Federation and Swiss Scout Federation merged in 1987. In 1992, the World Scout Moot took place in Kandersteg for the third time. In 2003, the SGSM was reformed. After structural changes, the SGSM is now run by the Swiss federal government ("Youth and Sports"), a governmental institution affiliated with the

Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS, , , , ) is one of the seven Ministry (government department), departments of the Switzerland, Swiss federal government. It is headed by a member of the Federal Council (Switze ...

, which promotes sports among youth. Camps for youth in the 5-20 age range are subsidized by J+S, and also receive some basic material (wool blankets, denim square units, ropes, spades, etc.) from J+S for these occasions. J+S is also deeply involved in leader training, because unit leaders are basically special youth sport trainers.

Program

Sections

The association is divided in five sections according to age. The different languages-

Swiss German Swiss German (Standard German: , ,Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no #Conventions, defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found. and others; ) is any of the Alemannic German, Alemannic ...

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

-use different terms for sections: *

Beaver Scouts Beavers is a programme associated with a few Scout organisations in a few countries, generally for children aged 5/6 to 7/8, who are far too young to be Scouts and make the Scout Promise. Beavers programmes had their origins 1963. Since then, othe ...

: Biber , Castors , Castori - ages 5 to 6 * Brownies and Cubs: Wölfli , Louveteaux , Lupetti - ages 7 to 9/10 *

Guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...

and

Scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, 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 activi ...

: Pfadi , Éclaireurs , Esploratrici/Esploratori - ages 10/11 to 13/14 * Ventures: Pio , Pico , Pionieri - ages 14/15 to 16 * Rovers: Rover , Routiers , Rover - ages 17 and older Special Scout units include

Sea Scout Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

s around the major lakes and

Extension Scouting Extension Scouting are programs in some Scout organizations for young people with special needs. Background Extension Scouting was earlier called ''Scouts Malgré Tout'', which is French for "Scouts Despite Everything". It aims to meet the man ...

for handicapped young people.

Scout Motto

There are different mottoes for each section: * Beaver Scouts: * Brownies and Cubs: ''My Best'' translates as ''Mis Bescht'' in

and ''De notre mieux'' ("of ''our'' best") in French * Guides and Scouts: ''Always Prepared'' translates as ''Allzeit bereit'' in German, ''Toujours prêt'' in French and ''Sempre pronto'' in Italian * Ventures: ''Together Further'' translates as ''Zäme Wiiter'' in

* Rovers: ''Act Consciously'' translates as ''Bewusst Handeln'' in German

Scout Promise

(With the help of God,) with your help and happily I promise to do my best: * To study in details the values of our Scout Law * To search for the meaning of my life * To be involved in the community where I live.

Scout Law

Guides and Scouts, we wish: * To be honest and sincere * To listen to and respect others * To rejoice in all that is beautiful and give joy to others * To be thoughtful and helpful * To share * To choose to the best of our abilities and to commit ourselves * To protect nature and respect life * To face difficulties with confidence

BuLa Jamborees

The Bundeslager (BuLa) ( fr:"camp fédéral", it:"campo federale", " rm:"champ federal") "Federal camp" is a

scout jamboree In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts and/or Girl Guides who rally at a national or international level. History The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom. Since then, there have been tw ...

that is held by the association every 14 years.

Bula occurrences

(hosts in parentheses) * 1925 in

(SPB) * 1932 in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

(SPB) * 1938 in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

(SPB) * 1948 in Trevano,

Lugano Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...

(SPB) * 1949 in Gotthard (BSP), first girlscout BuLa * 1956 in

Saignelégier Saignelégier () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. It is the seat of the Franches-Montagnes (district), district of Franches-Montagnes. On 1 January 2009, the formerly independent municipaliti ...

(SPB) * 1957 in

Goms GOMS is a specialized human information processor model for human-computer interaction observation that describes a user's cognitive structure on four components. In the book ''The Psychology of Human Computer Interaction'', written in 1983 by St ...

(Bund Schweizerischer Pfadfinderinnen) * 1966 in

Domleschg Domleschg is a municipality in the Viamala Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. On 1 January 2015 the former municipalities of Almens, Paspels, Pratval, Rodels and Tomils merged to form the new municipality of Domleschg.

(SPB * 1969 in Bleniotal (Bund Schweizerischer Pfadfinderinnen) * 1980 in Gruyère (SPB and BSP) * 1994 in

Napf The Napf is a mountain on the border between the Swiss cantons of Canton of Bern, Bern and Canton of Lucerne, Lucerne. With an altitude of , it is the summit of the Napfgebiet (Napf region), the hilly region lying between Bern and Lucerne. It is ...

Motto «Cuntrast» (SGSM) * 2008 in

Linth The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Switzerland, Swiss river that rises near the Linthal, Glarus, village of Linthal in the mountains of the cantons of Switzerland, canton of canton of Glarus, Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee (Züri ...

valley Motto «Contura» (SGSM) * 2022 in

Motto «mova» (SGSM)

References

External links

Official HomepageSite about the history of Scouting in the canton of Vaud

Site about the history of Scouting in Switzerland
{{Authority control World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts member organizations World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Scouting and Guiding in Switzerland Youth organizations established in 1912 1912 establishments in Switzerland