L'Association des Scouts du Canada (ASC) is a Canadian
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth Social movement, movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hik ...
organization. ASC is a
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...
"affiliated organization" through affiliation with
Scouts Canada
Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, aged 5 to 26, with the stated aim "to help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the French ...
. Scouts du Canada primarily serves French speaking Scouting in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
.
History
The first
Canadian Scouting unit was founded in 1908. In 1925,
Longueuil
Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River directly a ...
teacher Georges-Henri Sainte-Marie started his own unit in the Saint-Antoine de Longueuil parish and decided not to affiliate with the
Canadian branch of
The Boy Scouts Association of the United Kingdom. In 1928 a group of five troops located in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
created a separate association, the . The ASC was created in 1961 and in 1975 three new federations were created-Ontario, Atlantic, and West.
In June 1994, the
Association des Guides Francophones du Canada (AGFC), the association of French-speaking Guides of Canada, voted against a new protocol from the
Girl Guides of Canada
Girl Guides of Canada (GGC; french: Guides du Canada) is the national Guiding association of Canada. Guiding in Canada started on September 7, 1910, and GGC was among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (W ...
which asked for the return to female-only leaders and management, which would have resulted in the loss of approximately 60% of adult members, many of whom were men. In August of the same year the AGFC recommended to its members to join with the ASC and in October it became official. Some members continued as
Les Guides franco-canadiennes.
In October 2004 the four federations were dissolved and the 40 districts are now under the direct responsibility of the ASC.
The gold
Jerusalem Cross
The Jerusalem cross (also known as "five-fold Cross", or "cross-and-crosslets") is a heraldic cross and Christian cross variant consisting of a large cross potent surrounded by four smaller Greek crosses, one in each quadrant. It was used as ...
with the
fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in th ...
was the symbol of the ASC, based on the emblem of the
Scouts 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 ( ...
which was designed by Father
Jacques Sévin SJ, adding a superimposed
maple leaf
The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada.
History of use in Canada
By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along t ...
, the most widely recognized
national symbol of Canada.
World Events hosted by Association des Scouts du Canada
* 14th World Scout Moot: 2013, Awacamenj Mino Camp, Québec
Youth
The Association des Scouts du Canada has eight distinct programs:
Each one of these use a precise program. The number of youth per unit varies from 5 to 30 youth and adults, 1 adult per 5 to 8 youth, depending on their age. There are unisex units as well as mixed units. When a unit is a female only one, they can either use a girls-only program or the boys (mixed gender) one.
The association was built on the Catholic religion, but Canada being a multicultural country, their official stance on religion is left to each individual unit (some units include Muslim members, for example).
Locations
Though the association has units in every province, a large number of members are located in the province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
. At present, the biggest district is located in the city of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
.
Neckerchief
No matter which association, in Canada there is only one official set of colours for the neckerchief (for Scouts), which is blue with a yellow border. ASC authorizes units to have their own colors, however, and these are permitted to be worn during everyday types of activities. It is only necessary that members wear the official Scouts Canada neck tie at national and international level events.
Uniforms
The uniforms authorized for ASC members are different than those worn by members of Scouts Canada. Except for Beavers, who wear a yellow T-shirt, all uniforms consist of a colored shirt (the color depends on the branch (age group) of the ASC), beige-khaki pants, a neckerchief, and a leather belt. The color of the shirt is green for 9- to 11-year-olds, blue for 12- to 14-year-olds, red for 15- to 18-year-olds, and pale gray for 18- to 21-year-olds. Scout leaders wear the same color as the youth that they are in charge of. Since both girls and boys wear the same uniform (whether they are in single sex or mixed gender units), the only way to know which program they belong to is by looking at their badges, which are quite different from one another.
Adults
There are three primary functions served by adults in the association. Even as adults, members may progress further and be eligible to receive awards.
Monitors
Monitors are those who have contact with youth members in person. They organize activities following the
VCPREF method as suggested by the ASC. Their mission is to assist the youth in developing their physical, spiritual, intellectual, social and affective potential. Such (adult) leaders are eligible for the following awards: Gilwell knot (Noeud de Gilwell), and the
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership programme and the related award for adult leaders in the programmes of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, ...
(Badge de bois).
Trainers
These adult members are in charge of training and assisting Monitors.
Managers
Managers help monitors by doing administrative tasks such working in areas of the organization such as budget, census, communication, etc.
VCPREF method
The VCPREF method is a
project management method that is widely used throughout the Association des Scouts du Canada. It consists of the following six steps (parts):
* Voulu (Wanted)
* Choisi (Chosen)
* Préparé (Prepared)
* Réalisé (Realized)
* Évalué (Evaluated)
* Fêté (Rewarded)
See also
*
Guides franco-canadiennes
*
Scouting in Québec
Scouting in Quebec has a long history, from the 1900s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Anglophone Scouting in Quebec
Quebec is administered by the Quebec Council of Scouts ...
Publications
The ASC publishes the following materials for their members:
* Castors en plongée (7- to 8-year-olds), 2000
* L'Itinéraire des Hirondelles (7- to 8-year-old girls), 2000
* Meute en chasse (9- to 11-year-olds), 2002
* Réseau en exploration (9- to 11-year-old girls), 1996
* Parcours d'Éclaireurs (11- to 14-year-olds), 1998
* Le Club des Intrépides (11- to 14-year-old girls), 1996
* Cimes (14- to 17-year-olds), 1995
References
External links
Official website of the Association des Scouts du Canada(French)
{{Authority control
Scouting and Guiding in Canada
Charities based in Canada
World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations
Youth organizations established in 1961