Short history of the Scout Movement
in Germany
In 1909, the first Scout groups
in Germany were founded, in the following years the Scout organisations
started to
build up. They adopted a lot of traditions of the "Bündische Jugend",
a movement of youth in the beginning of the 20th century (with somehow
"revolutionary" new ideas about what youth could do) and the YMCA movement.
Traditionally, there are three different types of scout organisations:
a interdenominational organisation, a catholic organisation (Scouts of
St. Georg) and a protestant organisation; of course in the early years
separated for both, girls and boys.
From 1933-1945 the Scout
Organisations were forbidden by the Hitler regime (Nationalsocialism).
After the Second World War the Associations were built up again.
At the end of the 1960s
and early 1970s the coeducational work began and the associations of the
girl guides and the boy scouts of each tradition joined; so there are at
the moment four scout associations belonging to the WOSM and/or WAGGGS,
respectively:
-
VCP (protestant assocation,
boys and girls, approx. 50000 members)
-
DPSG
(catholic assocation, boys
and girls, approx. 120000 members)
-
PSG (catholic association, only
girls, approx. 5000 members)
-
BdP (interdenominational association,
boys and girls, approx. 35000 members)
They all have their own traditions,
but are widely cooperating and open for everybody.
In Germany there are also
several small scout associations not belonging to the World Organisations
with together about 30000 members, they sometimes have very special interests
and traditions.
Last changes: 2.10.2011