Scouting and Guiding in Sweden
{{short description|Overview of Scouting and Guiding in Sweden}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
Scouting and Guiding in Sweden is represented by one organisation Scouterna as a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement and World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was formed in 2012 as the successor to Svenska Scoutrådet (The Swedish Guide and Scout Council, SSR) which consisted of five different associations.
Scouting in Sweden was founded in 1916 by Ebbe Liberath and Guiding followed in 1910. The Swedish Boy Scouts were among the charter members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1922. The Girl Guides were among the founders of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 1928.
Swedish Scouting has close relations to the Swedish royal family. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is the most prominent member of the Scouterna and the Honorary President of the World Scout Foundation- All his children are members of the movement.
The Swedish Scout motto is: "Var redo!" – "Alltid redo!" (Be Prepared! – Always prepared!; the first phrase issued, and the second phrase as a reply).
Svenska Scoutrådet
{{Main article|Svenska Scoutrådet}}
The Svenska Scoutrådet was formed in 1961 and consisted of five associations, some of them with a number of affiliates:
- Svenska Scoutförbundet (The Swedish Guide and Scout Association, SSF) was Sweden's largest Scouting organization with 55,500 members. Their approach to Scouting is interreligious.
- Svenska Missionskyrkans Ungdom Scout (SMU), commonly known as "SMU Scout" is the Guide and Scout organization of the Mission Covenant Youth of Sweden and was Sweden's second biggest Scouting organization with 18,500 members. Since 2008 it included two former member organizations of KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund:
- Baptistscouter (Scout Association of the Baptist Union of Sweden) with 3,000 members
- Metodistscouter (Scout Association of the United Methodist Church) with 140 members.
- KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund (The Swedish YMCA-YWCA Guide and Scout Association) was Sweden's third biggest Scouting association with 12,500 members. They are affiliated with:{{cite web|url=http://www.km.scout.se/t/Page____270.aspx |title=Sektioner |publisher=KFUK-KFUMs scoutförbund |accessdate=17 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111233500/http://www.km.scout.se/t/Page____270.aspx |archivedate=11 January 2007 }}
- EFS-Scouter (Scout Association of the Evangeliska fosterlandsstiftelsen) with 3,000 members
- Svenska Frälsningsarméns Scouter (Swedish Salvation Army's Scouts) with 140 members
- Scout groups within the Swedish Church
- Adventistscouter (Seventh-day Adventist's Scouts) with 250 members; also affiliated to Pathfinders
- Blåbandsscouter (Scouts of the Blue-Ribbon-Movement—a temperance movement founded by Francis Murphy) with 60 members.
- Muslim Scout groups.
- Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund (The Temperance Guide and Scout Association, NSF) was a Scouting organization in Sweden with 5,000 members.
- Frälsningsarméns Scoutförbund, (The Salvation Army Guide and Scout Association, FA Scout) was a Scouting association in Sweden with 1,400 members. On 1 January 2010 FA Scout joined SSF.
The majority of the country's Scout sections are co-educational; only a few remains Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts only.
Other Groups
=Independent associations=
Independent associations exist and are not members of WOSM or WAGGGS
- Royal Rangers with 1,500 members{{cite web |url=http://www.royalrangers.nu/RR/ideologi.htm |title=Detta är Royal Rangers |publisher=Svenska Royal Rangers |accessdate=17 September 2007}}
- UV-Scout (Scout Association of the Svenska Alliansmissionen) with 6,000 members{{cite web |url=http://www.sau.nu/LitiumInformation/site/page.asp?Page=10&IncPage=1366&Destination=1336&Section1=2&KeepImageMain=0 |title=UV-scout |publisher=Svenska Alliansmissionens Ungdom |accessdate=17 September 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009113603/http://www.sau.nu/LitiumInformation/site/page.asp?Page=10&IncPage=1366&Destination=1336&Section1=2&KeepImageMain=0 |archivedate = 9 October 2007}}
- EFK-Scout (also: Nybyggarscout; Scout Association of the Evangeliska Frikyrkan)
=Older Scouts=
=International Scout Units=
- Armenian Scouting, served by Homenetmen{{cite web|title=Scout|url=http://www.homenetmen.se/scout.html|accessdate =30 September 2009|publisher=Homenetmen Sweden|language=Swedish}}
- Girlguiding UK, served by British Guides in Foreign Countries{{cite web|title=Girlguiding BGIFC Units (Birthday List)|url=http://www.bgifc.org.uk/birthdays.html|accessdate=30 September 2009|publisher=British Guides in Foreign Countries|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323155252/http://www.bgifc.org.uk/birthdays.html|archivedate=23 March 2010}}
- Girl Scouts of the USA, served by USAGSO headquarters{{cite web|title=Facts about USA Girl Guides Overseas|url=http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/overseas/forms_doc/usagso_factsheet.pdf|accessdate =3 October 2010|publisher=Girl Scouts of the USA|language=}}
- Hungarian Scouting, served by Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség{{cite web|title=Our Troops, by Region and City|url=http://www.kmcssz.org/indexe.html|accessdate =30 September 2009|publisher=KMCSSZ|language=English, Hungarian}}
- Polish Scouting and Guiding, served by ZHP pgK (ZHP aboard){{cite web|title=Okręgi na Świecie|url=http://www.zhppgk.org/Main/okregi_na_swiecie.htm|accessdate =30 September 2009|publisher=ZHP pgK|language=Polish}} and NHHP "LS-Kaszuby"{{cite web|title=Welcome-välkommen-witamy|url=http://www.nhhp.se/|accessdate =30 September 2009|publisher=LS-KASZUBY|language=Polish, Swedish, English}}
References
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