Scouts unit of France

The Scouts Unitaires of France are a movement of French catholic scouting. Association law 1901, the movement is recognized of public utility by the State. Its goal is to help each one, boys and girls as of eight years to grow and open out fully.

History and Filiation

1907 : Lord Baden-Powell organizes the first camp scout in England with Brownsea.
1911 : The concept of Scoutisme developed in England by Baden-Powell at the beginning of the 20th century is imported into France. The first movements to be developed are the Éclaireurs of France (nondenominational) and the Scouts unionistic (Protestant).
1920: In parallel, several catholic groups are created and amalgamated finally in 1920 following the Father Jacques Sevin to form the Scouts de France. Emblématique of these groups is that of the " Trainers of Saint-Honore d' Eylau" of Paul Coze, young 17 year old teenager who previously knew English scouting in Egypt. The chaplain of Saint Honore d' Eylau is the Chanoine Cornet. Paul Coze will become one of the first chiefs of troop of the Scouts de France, then later General Commissaire of this movement.
1947 : The Scouts de France as well as French scouting organize and take part in the Jamboree of Moisson. Site of Jamboree of 1947
1964: The Scouts de France launch a great teaching reflection on the branch scout (12-17 years), which leads to the scission in two units of this branch (rangers from 12 to 14 years and pioneers from 15 to 17 years) against a great unit before, the Troop. Until the beginning of the year 1970, two pedagogies live in parallel in the movement.
1971 : a score of groups refusing the reform create Scouts Unitaires of France (Association of Law 1901). The " term; unitaire" comes thus owing to the fact that the SUF refused this scission of the age bracket 12-17 years, and wanted to preserve the pedagogy of the “big brother” or the “big sister” more capable to exist, according to them, in the broadest age brackets, and in conformity with the original idea of Baden Powell.
1974 : Association is approved by the Ministry for Youth and the Sports.
1980 : The SUF count 10.000 members.
1986 : Association is approved by the Department of the Environment.
1983 : Association is Reconnue of Public utility.
2000 : At the time of the jubilee of the year 2000, the SUF bring together 12000 young people with Lyon for the national days with the park Lacroix-Laval.
2006 : The SUF count 23.000 members.
2007 : The SUF celebrate with all the other movements scouts the centenary of the creation of scouting. An exceptional gathering is organized: 17.300 SUF meet in Chambord for the national days, in a vast camp of more than 2.500 tents, organized under-camps in the wood of Chambord.Les scouts thank Mr. Baden-Powell.

Statute

Association of Law 1901 created in 1971
Approved by the Secretariat of State in charge with Youth and the Sports since 1974
Recognized public utility since 1983
Approved by the Department of the Environment since 1986
Independent: association forms part neither of the Fédération of French scouting, nor of the French Conférence of scouting. It is nevertheless signatory with the members of CFS of the " Message with the familles".
Account approximately 23.000 members.

Pedagogy

Bases

The pedagogy of the SUF is based on the principles developed by Baden-Powell. Those aim at helping each young person, as from eight years, to grow and to engage in the life by playing the games scouts.

With this intention, pedagogy aims five major goals:

Health
Formation of the personality
Direction of concrete the
Direction of the others
Direction of God

To reach them, pedagogy gives itself five axes:

a pedagogy: the play
a framework: nature
a personalized progression
the system of the patrols
an alive Christian faith

Each young person is thus incited to progress personally according to these goals. Each age bracket follows its own advance of progression based on points as well technical as spiritual.

engagements: Promise (Wolf cubs, Sleeve-boards, Scouts and Guides), Word of Fire (Guides Elder), Road Trade-guild and Road Departure (Truck drivers)
Classes (at the same time technical and spiritual): stars in the Wolf cubs, flowers at the Sleeve-boards, aspirance, Second class and First class at the Guides and Scouts.
patents or badges (purely technical): transmitter, pionnierism, first-aid worker, kitchen, nature…

The most important moment is certainly the promise during which the young person commits himself following the law scoute and to help its next (the famous B.A.).

The three principles of the SUF are " the scout is proud of its faith and all its life " subjects to him; , " the scout is wire of France and good citizen " , " the duty of the scout starts at the house ". The three virtues are Franchise , Dévouement , Pureté .

Branches

The SUF organize in three age brackets known as branches.

Pack of wolf cubs for the boys and the Round of sleeve-boards for the girls (8-12 years).

The pedagogy of the wolf cubs takes as a starting point the life of Mowgli in the Book of the jungle of Rudyard Kipling. A score of wolf cubs thus form a Pack, divided into four sizaines. These sizaines is carried out by a sizenier and a second. These two boys are designated by the den mothers according to their progression. The youngest wolf cub is called Mowgli. Oldest, called the Old Wolf, has the privilege to launch the cry of the pack at the time of the cérémonials of the promise and the rise to the troop. The wolf cubs are framed by den mothers who bear the names of the characters of the Book of the Jungle. The den mother of Pack is thus named Akela, of the name of the chief of the clan; its assistants take the names of Bagheera, Baloo, Hathi, or Chil.

The pedagogy of the sleeve-boards plunges the young girls in an imaginary and marvellous world of forest and flowers, in a topic which is inspired partly by the life of Jeanne d' Arc. A score of sleeve-boards form a Round itself divided into four sizaines. At the sleeve-boards the progression are the flowers: flower blue, white flower, gold flower. At the sleeve-boards, the name of the den mothers finishes in - ette.

Wolf cubs and sleeve-boards meet regularly for exits during which the den mothers prepared plays. The camp of summer lasts one week.

The Troop of scouts for the boys and the Company of guides for the girls (12-17 years).

The Troop gathers of 20 to forty scouts divided into patrols from 6 to 8 boys. Each patrol bears a name of animal. To this totem corresponds a combination of two colors related on the shoulder in the form of floods (ribbons) and to the staff (kind of flag specific to the patrol), as well as a cry of patrol: it is a currency. For example " Armadillos ready with all " , " Dolphins always further " , " Husky of before unit " , " Gulls linked in the storm " , " Jaguar ready to leap " , " Cheetah with the aguets " , " Hermine remain without spot " …

The pedagogy of the big brother takes all his direction here. The Patrol leader (CP) and his second (SP), the two oldest boys, form the High Patrol (HP), which organizes the life and the activities. A boy of 16-17 years can thus leave to only camp with his scouts during one weekend. The other members of the patrol share various tasks like those of intendant, cook, topographer, male nurse, materialist…

The scouts however are not delivered to themselves. The Control made up of the Chief of Troop (CT) and its assistants (ACT), all major, organize the activities which gather all the Troop and make sure of the good preparation and the good progress of the activities of patrols. They are voluntary and result often from the units which they frame.

The guides are organized in the same way but the Troop takes the name of Company and the patrols that of teams. Thus, the CP becomes the EC, and so on.

Scouts and guides meet during the year at the time of exits or weekends and, in general, for the camp of one week Easter and the camp of summer, drank of all the year, during two or three weeks.

the Clan/Fire: 17… The elder branch gathers young people eager to continue their life scoute during their studies or at the beginning of their working life.

The boys gather within the Clan and are called Routiers. The girls gather within Fire and are called Guides Elder (GA).

These two units live a scouting centered on three pillars: the prayer (or progression for theelder ones), the ventures and the service .

These three bases of the elder branch are lived during the year through the activities of community, rendered services, work to finance the camps of summer. These camps integrate each one of these three pillars and take for example the shape of humane camps abroad after long months of preparation and canvassing to finance it…

Organization

The SUF made as of their creation the choice of a light structure where the group is directly in relation to the national center. Confidence is the key essential with this success.

Groups

A group gathers several units around a commune, of a district, a parish or a school. The group has a Team leader, often old scout and relative of scout, which takes care on the Heads of unit, with their continuing education, like with the respect of pedagogy and the payments.

At the beginning of each year, all the members of a group meet for a mass of re-entry , and they in general see second once in the year during the weekend of group, where all the units leave together to take part in common activities.

The National center and National teams

The National center represents the permanent office of association.

Each branch is represented by a “national team” which organizes in particular the camps of training of the Chiefs and Cheftaines (Preparatory Camp School) necessary to the framing. They also manage the follow-up of the units, the training of the team leaders, the drafting of the reviews and the organization of the national gatherings. They validate the files of camp and carry out the summer of the visits of camp near their units. The six national teams have as a referent the General Police chief.

See too

Random links: