Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder
Encyclopedia
The Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (roughly: Association of Christian Scouts and Guides, VCP) is a German
Protestant coed Scouting
and Guiding
association with about 47,000 members.
It is a member of the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
(Federation of German Scouting Associations, RdP), which in turn is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement
(WOSM), and a member of the Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände
(Federation of German Guiding Associations, RDP), which in turn is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS).
In 1976, some traditional Scouting groups left and formed a separate association, using the former name Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands again.
Two years later, the VCP hold his first national jamboree
. Since then, roughly every four years a national jamboree took place:
In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall
, the first groups of Protestant Scouts and Guides were formed in the still existent German Democratic Republic. Today, the VCP is present in all Federal States
of Germany.
There is also a special branch for adults in Scouting, the Erwachsenenarbeit, which aims at all members older than 18 years including leaders and non-leaders.
Like most German Scout associations, the VCP emphasizes on youth leadership. Most patrol leaders start at 16 and most leaders up to district level are younger than 25.
. Its constitution proposes the following text, but other wordings are possible:
. It uses Scout rules, which should be formulated individually by each group. The constitution proposes a number of points, which should go into these rules. Despite this, many subdivisions of the association use a common Scout Law.
as well as a number of regional Scout centres mostly maintained by subnational divisions of the association.
Rieneck Castle was leased by the Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands in 1959 and bought in 1967. It is mainly used for training courses on national level. A regular international Scouting and Guiding event on Rieneck Castle is the annual IMWe
. The VCP-Bundeszeltplatz was bought in 1997 and hosts camps from group to national level.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Protestant coed Scouting
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...
association with about 47,000 members.
It is a member of the Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände
The Ring deutscher Pfadfinderverbände is the German national Scouting organization within the World Organization of the Scout Movement...
(Federation of German Scouting Associations, RdP), which in turn is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement
World Organization of the Scout Movement
The 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...
(WOSM), and a member of the Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände
Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände
The Ring Deutscher Pfadfinderinnenverbände is the German national Guiding organization within the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts...
(Federation of German Guiding Associations, RDP), which in turn is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
The 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...
(WAGGGS).
History
The association was formed in 1973 through the merger of three Protestant associations:- Bund Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen (founded in 1922; only in BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
; girls only) - Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands (first groups in 1910, founded in 1921; boys only until 1969)
- Evangelischer Mädchen-Pfadfinderbund (founded in 1926; not in Bavaria; girls only)
In 1976, some traditional Scouting groups left and formed a separate association, using the former name Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands again.
Two years later, the VCP hold his first national jamboree
Jamboree (Scouting)
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom...
. Since then, roughly every four years a national jamboree took place:
- 1978 - KirchbergKirchberg, Rhein-Hunsrück-History:Archaeological finds make it clear that by 400 BC, the Treveri, a people of mixed Celtic and Germanic stock, from whom the Latin name for the city of Trier, Augusta Treverorum, is also derived, had settled here...
, near KoblenzKoblenzKoblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the... - 1984 - EschwegeEschwegeEschwege , the district seat of the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, is a town in northeastern Hesse, Germany.- Location :The town lies on a broad plain tract of the river Werra at the foot of the Leuchtberg northwest of the Schlierbachswald and east of the Hoher Meißner...
- 1988 - RuhpoldingRuhpoldingRuhpolding is a municipality of the Traunstein district in southeastern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the south of the Chiemgau region in the Alps. Ruhpolding has a population of approximately 6,400....
- 1992 - Ferschweiler Plateau, near TrierTrierTrier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
- 1998 - RheinsbergRheinsbergRheinsberg is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhin, approx. 20 km north-east of Neuruppin and 75 km north-west of Berlin.-History:...
in BrandenburgBrandenburgBrandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam... - 2002 - RehauRehauRehau is a town in the district of Hof, in Bavaria, Germany. The first documented name of Rehau was "Resawe" in the year 1234. Rehau is situated in the Fichtelgebirge, 12 km southeast of Hof, and 12 km west of Aš...
, near NurembergNurembergNuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664... - 2006 - Großzerlang, near RheinsbergRheinsbergRheinsberg is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhin, approx. 20 km north-east of Neuruppin and 75 km north-west of Berlin.-History:...
in BrandenburgBrandenburgBrandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam... - 2010 - WolfsburgWolfsburgWolfsburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located on the River Aller northeast of Braunschweig , and is mainly notable as the headquarters of Volkswagen AG...
In 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, the first groups of Protestant Scouts and Guides were formed in the still existent German Democratic Republic. Today, the VCP is present in all Federal States
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Germany.
Program
The association is divided in three age-groups:- Kinderstufe - Cub Scouts (ages 7 to 10)
- Pfadfinderstufe - Scouts (ages 10 to 15)
- Roverstufe - Rover ScoutsRover ScoutsRover Scouting is a service division of Scouting for young men, and in most countries, women. A group of Rovers, analogous to a Scout troop, is called a 'Crew.'...
(ages 16 to 20)
There is also a special branch for adults in Scouting, the Erwachsenenarbeit, which aims at all members older than 18 years including leaders and non-leaders.
Like most German Scout associations, the VCP emphasizes on youth leadership. Most patrol leaders start at 16 and most leaders up to district level are younger than 25.
Promise
The VCP has no common Scout PromiseScout Promise
Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law. The wording of the Scout Promise and Scout Law have varied slightly over time and from country to...
. Its constitution proposes the following text, but other wordings are possible:
- Im Vertrauen auf Gottes Hilfe
- will ich christliche Pfadfinderin/christlicher Pfadfinder sein
- und nach unseren Regeln mit euch leben.
- Trusting on the help of God
- I want to be a Christian Scout/Christian Guide
- and to live with you according to our rules.
Rules
The association has no common Scout LawScout Law
Since the publication of Scouting for Boys in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to ideals of the movement, and subscribed to a Scout Law...
. It uses Scout rules, which should be formulated individually by each group. The constitution proposes a number of points, which should go into these rules. Despite this, many subdivisions of the association use a common Scout Law.
Scout centres
The VCP runs two national Scout centres:- Rieneck CastleRieneck CastleRieneck Castle is a castle built by Ludwig I, Count of Loon and Rieneck, in the year 1151. The city of Rieneck is situated about 80 km east of Frankfurt. The castle now serves as a Scouting facility and is owned by the German Christian Guide and Scout Association, VCP...
in Lower FranconiaLower FranconiaLower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany .... - VCP-Bundeszeltplatz (National Campground of the VCP) in Großzerlang near RheinsbergRheinsbergRheinsberg is a town and a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Rhin, approx. 20 km north-east of Neuruppin and 75 km north-west of Berlin.-History:...
in BrandenburgBrandenburgBrandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
as well as a number of regional Scout centres mostly maintained by subnational divisions of the association.
Rieneck Castle was leased by the Christliche Pfadfinderschaft Deutschlands in 1959 and bought in 1967. It is mainly used for training courses on national level. A regular international Scouting and Guiding event on Rieneck Castle is the annual IMWe
IMWe
IMWe is an annual Scouting and Guiding event run by the German Scout Association Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder . IMWe stands for Internationale Musische Werkstatt . It takes place annually, usually at Rieneck Castle, near Würzburg in Germany...
. The VCP-Bundeszeltplatz was bought in 1997 and hosts camps from group to national level.