Headquarters Instrumentvägen 19 Country Sweden Membership 70,000 | Location Stockholm Founded 1 January 2012 Chairperson Inger Ekvall | |
 | ||
Scouterna - the Guides and Scouts of Sweden (Swedish for Scouts) is the national Scouting and Guiding organisation of Sweden. The organisation was formed in 2012 by a restructuring of the Svenska Scoutförbundet and accepted as the successor of the Svenska Scoutrådet by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 2013. The co-educational organisation has about 70,000 members.
Contents
History
The first Swedish organisations for Boy Scouts were founded in 1911 and 1912 and for Girl Guides in 1913. The movement developed mainly in two distinct branches: Non-religious units were organised in Sveriges Scoutförbundet (for boys) and Sveriges Flickors Scoutförbund (for girls) and Protestant units formed the KFUM:s Scoutförbund (YMCA Scouts for boys) and the Sveriges KFUK:s Scoutförbund (YWCA Guides for girls). Scouting and Guiding existed also within some smaller organisations like the IOGT and the NTO.
In 1930, the Sveriges Scoutförbund and the KFUM:s Scoutförbund founded the Svenska Scoutunionen (Swedish Scout Union) as an umbrella organisation aiming at the external representation of Swedish Scouting and at the harmonisation of the Scout programme. The Girl Guides followed in 1931 with the foundation of Sveriges Flickscoutråd (Girl Guide Council of Sweden).
In the 1960s, Swedish Scouting and Guiding became co-educational. Sveriges Scoutförbundet and Sveriges Flickors Scoutförbund merged into Svenska Scoutförbundet in 1960, and KFUM:s Scoutförbund and Sveriges KFUK:s Scoutförbund formed the KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund in 1966. In 1968, this was followed by the merger of both national bodies into the Svenska Scoutrådet.
Started by a grassroots' movement within the then five member associations of the Svenska Scoutrådet, the unification of the Swedish Scout and Guide movement was discussed since the mid-1990s. Important steps towards this goal were the national jamborees in 2001 and 2007 as well as the introduction of a common Scout uniform in 2007. In 2010 and 2011, the general meetings of all five associations voted for the unification. The Svenska Scoutförbundet was renamed to Scouterna in 2012. The Frälsningsarméns Scoutförbund and the KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund were fully integrated into Scouterna, and Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund and SMU Scout partly.
Structure
The current structure of Scouterna takes into account that Scouting and Guiding in Sweden developed in several distinct organisations, most of them sponsored by religious institutions. It tries to unify all organisations into a single movement while maintaining the ties between the local units and their sponsoring bodies. All local units are equally represented in "Scouternas stämma", the general meeting of Scouterna, but their integration into Scouterna's structures and the ways and means of organisational support differ.
About two thirds of the 1,100 local units are directly served by the national office of Scouterna and organised in its regional districts, among them the units of the former Svenska Scoutförbundet as well as all units of the Frälsningsarméns Scoutförbund and the KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund; the latter two still existing organisations are fully integrated in Scouterna's structures and don't conduct own activities any longer.
Three so-called "samverkansorganisationer" (co-operating organisations) make up the remainder of the members; the Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund, equmeniascout (formerly SMU Scout) and SALT Scout (the Scouting organisation of the Swedish Evangelical Mission) keep up their own structures while following the national programme of Scouterna.
Age groups
Scouterna is divided in five age groups. Most local units cater for all age groups; some districts organise the Rover Scouts in separate regional units.
Ideals
All age groups use the same Scout promise:
The Scout law was formulated in 1970 for all member organisations of the then Svenska Scoutrådet:
The Scout motto is Var redo! - Alltid redo! — Be Prepared! - Always Prepared!
Sea Scouts
Sea Scouting is available to all age groups within Scouterna. About 70 local units with 7,000 members are active in Sea Scouting, mostly along the coastline, especially in the Stockholm archipelago. They are organised in Sveriges sjöscouters riksskeppslag, the national council of Swedish Sea Scouts, a special interest group which coordinates the activities of the Sea Scout units.
Facilities
The national headquarters is located in Swedens capital Stockholm. The organisation runs its own Scout shop.
Scouterna and its local structures run a large number of Scout camps and huts. Internationally known is the island of Vässarö, owned by the Stockholm Scout district. The Campground at Ransbergs Herrgård near Ransäter in Värmland County was acquired by Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund in 1963; it was the venue of the World Scout Moot in 1996. Kopparbo Scout camp near Söderbärke in Dalarna County can accommodate up to 5,000 Scouts, Hörrs Nygård Scout camp near Sjöbo in Skåne County up to 3,000 and Kragenäs Scout camp near Tanumshede in Västra Götaland County up to 1,000.
The national sailing vessel of Scouterna, Biscaya av Vindalsö, was scheduled to be sold in 2016.