Unitary Scouts of France historic Unitary Scouts of France presentation

Unitary Scouts of France (SUF) historic

July 1907 : Brownsea Island : the Wolves, the Courlis and the Ravens are woke by Baden Powell with the sound of the « Koodoo ».

1st May 1908 : First appearance of Scouting for Boys (Boy Scouts).

1910 : First scout troop in France.

1911 : First french catholic troop.

1920 : There are one million scouts in the world. Foundation of the Scouts of France (S.D.F.) by the Father Jacques Sevin, the Abbot Comette, Edouard de Macèdo, and Paul Coze. 33 countries are represented to the first World Conference.

The Father Jacques Sevin (12 Ko)

The Father Jacques Sevin
1923 : Foundation of the Guides of France (G.D.F.).

1925 : International pilgrimage to Roma : support of the pope Pie XI. S.D.F. count approximatively 6 000 members.

1938 : 70 000 S.D.F., including 6 500 chiefs, 2 000 chaplains, 24 000 cubs, 30 000 boy-scouts, 7 500 raiders.

1940-45: Scouting is clandestine in north zone, « official » in south zone.

1942 : Pilgrimage of 10 000 raiders to The Puy (France).

1945-47 : Rush of youths in movements. 16 000 raiders, 48 000 boy-scouts. Collapse of the troop « level » as compared to before the war, by reason of the lack of chiefs.

1947 : Peace jamboree in Moisson (Yvelines, France).

1948-52 : Launching by Michel Menu, S.D.F. boy-scout commissioner, of the raiders-scouts then of free patrols.

1954-57 : Conflicts of orientation to the breast of the S.D.F.

1962 : Creation of the Scouts of Europe.

1963-65 : Creation of two branches, pioneers and rangers, replacing the boy-scout « unitary » branch.

1965-69 : Progressive split between pioneers and rangers. The "Road" is replaced by the Running Youths (Jeunes En Marche J.E.M.) and by the companions.

1971 : Foundation of the Unitary Scouts of France (S.U.F.).

1978-79 : Recasting of pioneers and rangers, renamed scouts : partial return to the system of patrols. From 1979 to date, staffs of almost scout movements increase.

1982 : Development of coeducation at SDF. There are 10 000 SUF.

1994 : 300 millions of men and women have been scouts or guides, including 2 millions in France. The cape of 20 000 SUF is crossed.

Unitary Scouts of France (SUF) presentation

Back to top (2 Ko) Unitary Scouts of France (SUF) is an association governed by the law of 1st july 1901. They are a federation regrouping all SUF groups.
In order to coordinate and administer the scout movement to the national level, to avoid too much disparities between Lille (north), Perpignan (south), Brest (west) and Strasbourg (east), and to form chiefs of the different group, the movement has endowed with a national center so as to help SUF groups in their mission that is to make live the scouting to youths that are confided them. But this national center is secondary : its task is to be to the service of groups ( moreover it has no authority on them).

The essential element in the movement is the group with to its head the chief of group. He plays a fundamental role because his mission is to be responsible and organizer to the local level. These chiefs of group make live the SUF movement. They have for this purpose a great authority on chiefs of which they have the cost (by report to Scouts of France or to Scouts of Europe for example).

The national center is composed of 4 structures :

A deliberating assembly : the national council. It regroups 15 members elected by the chiefs general assembly during the J.N. (National Days) (1/3 is renewed each year), and 8 members that always sit there (the 6 national branch commissioners, the general commissioner and the general secretary of the association). The national council decides the great projects and leads the reflections related with the movement (pedagogical evolution, modification of structures, move of the national center ...).

An executive organ : the national office. It is a small group elected within the national council and that include the accountant of the association. Its goal is to execute decisions taken by the national council.

The SUF national team : it includes the general commissioner and 6 national branch commissioners, all appointed by the national council. Each national commissioner composes and directs its national team as a chief of unit leads its assistants. Thus there are the boy-scout national team (E.N.E.), the guides national team (E.N.G.) etc... The national team attends to the writing of the different magazines, is responsible for the training of chiefs and gives authorizations to camping. The general commissioner and commissioners of branches are the only people to have an authority on chiefs of group.

The president of the association : he insures the judicial representation and the responsibility beside the authorities (it is currently Antoine Renard, mythical personality within the SUF).

Finally there are regional delegates that are normally in charge of representing their region beside the national center and of giving the information and decisions taken by the national council or the national team down to the groups. Nevertheless these delegates have no authority on groups. Actually, SUF are characterized by light structures since very few persons have a power of authority: chiefs of group and 7 commissioners.