Left hand above the standard, right hand raised in a scout sign, every scout or guide in Europe is one day called upon to pronounce, solemnly, a promise which must carry him throughout his life. “On my honor, with the grace of God, I undertake: to serve as best I can, God, the Church, my homeland and Europe. » It is in this last commitment that the singularity of the European scout movement among the other French Catholic scouting organizations can be found. Because in the verses of the song of promise as at the top of the camp colors pole, the golden stars on a blue background invite themselves.
And for good reason : “The founding and development of the Guides and Scouts of Europe are part of the same momentum as European construction”, says Christophe Carichon, historian specializing in scouting. Born from the meeting of scouts of several European nationalities in Cologne in 1956, the European Scout Federation, which became the International Union of Guides and Scouts of Europe (UIGSE), had the vocation of building, thanks to the fraternity of Christian scouting , peace on the continent.
Half a century later, the UIGSE extends to 27 countries in Europe and North America and has 73,000 members. Including 50% French. At a time when young French Catholics, like some of their fellow citizens, seem to be distancing themselves from the European Union, the pedagogy of the Association of Guides and Scouts of Europe (AGSE) inspires Is there a greater commitment to Europe among these young people?
A Christian Europe
“Knowing which Europe we are talking about is a question that crosses us internally”, recognizes Myriam Cocquet, general commissioner of the Movement Guides section. “Today, the word “Europe” implies a political and economic dimension which is no longer quite that of the Christian Europe of the founders. » The movement being apolitical by definition, there is therefore no question of linking its destiny to a European Union with which, in any case, “not everyone internally is supportive”.
Also, the European flag, which can be flown alongside the French flag, represents first and foremost the crown of stars of the Virgin Mary and the European Union. And if young people’s progress logs have kept questions on the functioning of the EU for decades (“You know the main organizations in Europe”, “you are visiting a European institution”), on the ground, this dimension is little addressed and few young scouts seek to obtain the badge “friend of the European institutions” among all the options offered for their personal progress.
For Maylis, 21, a former leader who spent all her years in the movement, the European dimension is experienced among young people in a way “anecdotal”. “We are first taught to be a patriot and engaged citizen. » From this call for commitment, Maylis believes, however, to have drawn an attachment to the European Union and its institutions, not without critical nuances. She will vote in the European elections for the list of LR candidate François-Xavier Bellamy – former scout of the movement – but she recognizes that part of the environment in which she evolved is rather “Eurosceptic”.
A European commitment?
It was only after his scout years, between the ages of 12 and 16, that Rémi, now a 28-year-old parliamentary collaborator, took advantage of all the opportunities offered by the movement to “reaching out across borders”. Traveling during Eurojam, the major gathering of Scouts of Europe which brought together 12,500 young people from all over Europe in Normandy in 2014, he multiplied the twinning experiences in Europe when he was leader.
He explored the European dimension of the movement to the benches of the Council of Europe, with which the UIGSE has had participatory and consultative status in its Conference of International and Non-Governmental Organizations since 1980. “It doesn’t do much good, admits Rémi. But it is a real recognition of our voice as actors of civil society at European level. »
Beyond the Council of Europe, the movement today designs its European mission around the training of foreign leaders, wishing to establish groups in their country, particularly in eastern Europe. “We welcomed Romanian chefs during our last training courses,” cites as an example Cyril de Quéral, scout general commissioner since 2022, believing he has “a real role to play in the education of youth and the reconstruction of these countries”.
