This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

France: Scouting organizations

Last modified: 2020-01-27 by ivan sache
Keywords: scouts |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors



See also:


Scouts de France

[Flag]

Flag of Scouts de France - Image by Armando Azua & António Martins, 6 April 2006

Scouts de France use three different flags, all similar but in different shapes: square, rectangular (2:3), and triangular.

The cross and shape of the flag comes from the old French army colors from the 18th century that would always be square and have a white cross througout.
The red Cross of Jerusalem with the fleur-de-lis is the symbol of Scouts de France designed by Father Jacques Sevin, co-founder of scouting in France.
Green is the colour of the scout branch. There used to be the same in red for the rovers.

Jean de Vannoise, 19 March 2009


Scouts Unitaires de France

[Flag]         [Flag]

Flag of Scouts Unitaires de France, two versions - Images by Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019

Scouts Unitaires de France (SUF; website) was established in 1971 as a splinter group from the Scouts de France.
In the 1960s, François Lebouteux (b. 1929) initiated a pedagogic reform of the Scouts de France. In 1964, the units of the "pathfinder" branch (12-17 years) were split into "rangers" (12-14 years) and "pioneers" (14-17 years), in order to propose activities specific to each age classes. The old and new organizations were maintained until 1971, when the new pedagogy was imposed to all units. As a reaction, some 20 groups left the Scouts de France and created the Scouts Unitaires de France, claiming that the "unitary" pedagogy, founded on the "elder brother / sister" principle (the elder teach the younger) was closer to Baden Powell's philosophy. They also wanted to maintain separate boys and girls' groups.
The SUF counts now some 30,000 members.

The flag of the SUF (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo), derived from the flag of the SdF, is square, green with a white cross and the movement's emblem in the center. The emblem is composed of a red fleur-de-lis superimposed with a fleur-de-lis vertically divided white-black.
The flag is also used in rectangular shape (photo).

[Flag]

Flag of the sea branch of SUF - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019

The sea scouts branch of SUF uses the square flag with the emblem featuring a red anchor beneath the cross (photo).

Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019


Europa Scouts

[Flag]

Flag of Europa Scouts - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019

Europa Scouts (website) is a scout movement founded in 1987 by Pierre Géraud-Keraod (1917-1997) after his expelling from the Association des guides et scouts d'Europe. Europa Scouts is mostly composed of groups following the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (traditionalists recognizing the authority of the Holy See).

The flag of Europa Scouts (photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo, photo) is yellow with a white cross (the colors of the Holy See) and the movement's emblem in the center.
The emblem is composed of a red Maltese cross superimposed with a fleur-de-lis, vertically divided green-white.

Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019


Escoltes Sant Jordi / Scouts San Jordi

[Flag]

Flag of Escoltes Sant Jordi / Scouts San Jordi - Image by Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019

Escoltes Sant Jordi / Scouts San Jordi (blog) was established in 2007 in Perpignan, the capital of French Catalonia. The group's bilingual name (Catalan / French) contains a dual reference to St. George, as the patron saint of Catalonia and the patron saint of England, the cradle of the scout movement. St. George is also the patron saint of the knights and pathfinders.

The flag of Escoltes Sant Jordi / Scouts San Jordi (photo) is square, white with a red cross (St. George's cross) superimposed by a Cross of Jerusalem (the common symbol of French Catholic scout movements) and a yellow fleur-de-lis with red veins (the colors of Catalonia).

Ivan Sache, 28 October 2019