Scouting in Belgium
Encyclopedia
The Scouting
and Guiding
movement in Belgium
consists of 15 to 20 separate organizations serving about 160,000 members. Nearly all organizations are grouped by languages and confessions. The Crown Scout
rank is the highest a Boy Scout can achieve.
) observing the troop's activities also took an interest in Scouting and soon Belgian Scouting began.
Boy Scouts of Belgium (BSB) was founded on December 23, 1910. The first all-Belgian troop was founded in Brussels. They used the British badges, rules and uniforms. This association was open to all boys.
As early as 1911 the BSB founded a Girl Guide or Girl Scout troop but World War I
and the German occupation hampered their development, so the founding of GGB was not until December 17, 1919. They also used British badges, rules and uniforms.
Belgium was again occupied by the Germans during World War II
, and the Nazis tried to unite all youth-organisations in one national socialist youth movement. Scouting meetings and camps were banned, however some underground activities were conducted. Scouting resumed after the liberation. BSB and GGB merged into one organization in July 1945. Each section remained separate, and there were no mixed groups until well into the 1980s.
The Sea Scouts of Belgium (SSB), was founded in April 1914. SSB is an open movement concentrating on Sea Scouting only and founded along the North Sea
Coast in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium only. SSB did not have any connection with BSB. They also used British badges, uniforms and rules.
There are also a number of local organizations including:
UK), the Transatlantic Council of the Boy Scouts of America
and the Girl Scouts of the USA
.
British Scout units are found in Brussels, Waterloo and at SHAPE
(near Mons). Boy Scouts of America units are found in Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo and SHAPE.
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and Guiding
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
movement in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
consists of 15 to 20 separate organizations serving about 160,000 members. Nearly all organizations are grouped by languages and confessions. The Crown Scout
Crown Scout
The Crown Scout rank is the highest a Boy Scout can achieve in many non-English Scouting organizations, e.g., in the Netherlands , and in Belgium...
rank is the highest a Boy Scout can achieve.
History
The first Scout Troop was founded in Brussels in 1909. Englishman Harold Parfitt founded the first Scout Troop for British boys, belonging to the British colony in that city. Belgians (notably Henri, son of Antoine DepageAntoine Depage
Dr. Antoine Depage , was the Belgian royal surgeon, the founder and president of the Belgian Red Cross, and one of the founders of Scouting in Belgium....
) observing the troop's activities also took an interest in Scouting and soon Belgian Scouting began.
Boy Scouts of Belgium (BSB) was founded on December 23, 1910. The first all-Belgian troop was founded in Brussels. They used the British badges, rules and uniforms. This association was open to all boys.
As early as 1911 the BSB founded a Girl Guide or Girl Scout troop but World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the German occupation hampered their development, so the founding of GGB was not until December 17, 1919. They also used British badges, rules and uniforms.
Belgium was again occupied by the Germans during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the Nazis tried to unite all youth-organisations in one national socialist youth movement. Scouting meetings and camps were banned, however some underground activities were conducted. Scouting resumed after the liberation. BSB and GGB merged into one organization in July 1945. Each section remained separate, and there were no mixed groups until well into the 1980s.
The Sea Scouts of Belgium (SSB), was founded in April 1914. SSB is an open movement concentrating on Sea Scouting only and founded along the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
Coast in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium only. SSB did not have any connection with BSB. They also used British badges, uniforms and rules.
Organizations
Active on national or regional level are:- Guidisme et Scoutisme en Belgique/Gidsen- en Scoutsbeweging in BelgiëGuidisme et Scoutisme en BelgiqueGidsen- en Scoutsbeweging in België or Guidisme et Scoutisme en Belgique is the national Guiding and Scouting federation in Belgium. Scouting in Belgium started in 1911, and Guiding followed in 1915...
(GSB, Guides and Scouts Movement of Belgium), member of both the World Organization of the Scout MovementWorld Organization of the Scout MovementThe World Organization of the Scout Movement is the Non-governmental international organization which governs most national Scout Organizations, with 31 million members. WOSM was established in 1920, and has its headquarters at Geneva, Switzerland...
and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl ScoutsWorld Association of Girl Guides and Girl ScoutsThe World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Scouting organizations in 145 countries. It was established in 1928 and has its headquarters in London, England. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout...
, consisting of- FOS Open ScoutingFOS Open ScoutingFOS Open Scouting or FOS is a pluralistic, internationally oriented, coeducational, Flemish Scout and Guide organisation in Belgium and is a member of the Guidisme et Scoutisme en Belgique/Gidsen- en Scoutsbeweging in België...
(FOS; interreligious, coeducational, FlemishFlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
), 7,300 members - Guides Catholique de Belgique (GCB, Catholic Guides of Belgium; Roman CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, in most sections girls-only, mainly in the Walloon region and Brussels; only WAGGGS-member), 25,000 members - Les Scouts - Fédération des Scouts Baden-Powell de Belgique (FSC, Catholic Baden-Powell-Scout Federation of Belgium; Roman Catholic, partly coeducational, Walloon region and Brussels; only WOSM-member), 50,000 members
- Scouts en Gidsen VlaanderenScouts en Gidsen VlaanderenScouts en Gidsen Vlaanderen is a Christian, coeducational, Flemish Scout and Guide organisation in Belgium and is a member of the Guidisme et Scoutisme en Belgique/Gidsen- en Scoutsbeweging in België .The way of working of Scouts en Gidsen Vlaanderen is based on five basic principles: Joint...
(SGV, Scouts and Guides of Flanders; until 2006: Vlaams Verbond van Katholieke Scouts en Meisjesgidsen (Flemish Catholic Scout and Guide Association), VVKSM; ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, coeducational, Flemish), 74,128 members (2007) - Scouts et Guides Pluralistes de Belgique (SGP, Belgian Pluralist Scouts and Guides; interreligious, coeducational, Walloon), 5,000 members
- FOS Open Scouting
- Europe et Scoutisme, member of the Confédération Européenne de ScoutismeConfédération Européenne de ScoutismeKnown in English as the Confederation of European Scouts, the Confédération Européenne de Scoutisme was formed in Brussels, Belgium on November 12, 1978, and is based in Belgium. CES stresses the European dimension of their Scouting program and that CES provides the "authentic Scouting of...
, 10 groups - Guides et Scouts d'Europe - Belgique/Europascouts en Gidsen - België, member of the Union Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'EuropeUnion Internationale des Guides et Scouts d'EuropeThe International Union of the Guides and Scouts of Europe is a traditional faith-based Scouting organization with 20 member associations in 17 European...
, 1,200 members (2006) - Hanoar HatzioniHanoar HatzioniHanoar Hatzioni is a youth movement established in 1926, with its head offices now in Israel. Its three main pillars are Judaism, Pluralism, and Zionism...
, an international ZionistZionismZionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
youth organization
There are also a number of local organizations including:
- Eclaireurs Unionistes de Belgique (YMCAYMCAThe Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
-Scouts) - Scouts de Genval
- Scouts de Grez
- Unité scoute protestante Jean Calvin
- Unité scoute de Profondsart.
- An independent scoutgroup in Gent, prospected member of the World Federation of Independent ScoutsWorld Federation of Independent ScoutsThe World Federation of Independent Scouts is the non-governmental international organization which governs 82 affiliated Scout Organizations in 41 countries, with an estimated 200,000 members in 3562 Scout Groups...
(WFIS)
International Scouting units in Belgium
Thanks to the many international institutions in Belgium there are some international Scout organizations active in the country. Among them are the British Scouts Western Europe (part of The Scout AssociationThe Scout Association
The Scout Association is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognised Scouting association in the United Kingdom. Scouting began in 1907 through the efforts of Robert Baden-Powell. The Scout Association was formed under its previous name, The Boy Scout Association, in 1910 by the grant...
UK), the Transatlantic Council of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and the Girl Scouts of the USA
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
.
British Scout units are found in Brussels, Waterloo and at SHAPE
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
(near Mons). Boy Scouts of America units are found in Antwerp, Brussels, Waterloo and SHAPE.