The Associação Guias de Portugal (AGP; roughly ''Guide Association of Portugal'') is the national Guiding association of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. Guiding in Portugal started in 1919 and became a member of the

World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS ) is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organizations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, and has its ...

(WAGGGS) in 1963. The girls-only organization has 3,291 members (as of 2003). Its headquarters are located in Lisbon.

History

The first Guide group in Portugal was formed in 1911 in

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, being an overseas group of The Guide Association (UK). This group – and the British Guides on Madeira – supported the development of Portuguese Guide groups in 1919. In 1930, the AGP was formed; it was officially recognized by the government in 1934, but had to suspend all activities in 1938 due to political unrest. Only the Madeira region could continue its work; it helped the organization to resume activities in 1952. The AGP became an associate member of WAGGGS in 1963 and a full member in 1975.

Program and ideals

The association's aims are the formation and the development of girls and young women through the

Scout method The Scout method is the informal educational system used in the Scouting Movement. The aim of Scouting is character training with the goal of helping participants become independent and helpful, and thereby become "healthy, happy, helpful citize ...

by four main principles: life in the patrol, life in the outdoors, commitment to the community and progressive programs. The membership badge of Associação Guias de Portugal shows a

trefoil A trefoil () is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings, used in architecture and Christian symbolism, among other areas. The term is also applied to other symbols with a threefold shape. A similar shape with four ring ...

superimposed with an elongate

cross fleury A cross fleury (or flory) is a cross adorned at the ends with flowers in heraldry. It generally contains the fleur-de-lis, trefoils, etc. Synonyms or minor variants include ''fleuretty'', ''fleuronny'', ''floriated'' and ''flourished''. In early ...

, the ends having a shape like a

fleur-de-lys The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

. The association is divided in four age-groups: * Avezinha - Little Bird (ages 6 to 10) * Guia Aventura - Adventure Guide (ages 10 to 14) * Guia Caravela - Caravelle Guide (ages 14 to 17) * Guia Moínho - Windmill Guide (ages 17 to 21)

References

* World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Bureau (1997), ''Trefoil Round the World''. Eleventh Edition 1997. {{DEFAULTSORT:Associacao Guias de Portugal World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts member organizations Scouting and Guiding in Portugal Youth organizations established in 1930

History

Program and ideals

See also

References