The Éclaireurs Neutres de France (''Neutral (= interreligious) Scouts of France'', ENF) is a non-aligned

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

association, founded in 1947 by Marcel Lepage and serving 3,000 to 4,000 members of both genders. The association has no political or religious involvement and is open to all without distinction of religion or race and respects the convictions of everyone. ENF is not a coeducational or mixed organisation although coeducation is accepted for the

Cub Scouts Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

, it has two distinct sections for girls and boys.

History

Some sources argue that the ENF is a spinoff from another

French Scouting French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

association, the Éclaireurs de France. The ENF claims on their website that this would be a statement in contradiction with its founding principles of openness and mutual respect. Although, initially a traditional Scouting association, it has evolved to adapt itself to modern life and standards of health and safety imposed by French Ministry of Youth and Sports, from which it has an official approval.

Memberships and affiliations

On the national level, the association is a member of the

Conférence Française de Scoutisme The Conférence Française de Scoutisme (''French Conference of the Scout Movement'', CFS) is a French Scouting federation, founded in 2000 and serving about 35,000 members of both genders. The CFS is not a member of either the World Organization ...

. Since 2000 a number of smaller associations joined the ENF for official approval, some of them religious: *Europa Scouts (

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

) *Scouts et Guides Saint Louis (Catholic) *Scouts et Guides de Riaumont (

Traditionalist Catholic Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, Christian liturgy, liturgical forms, Catholic devotions, devotions, and presentations of Catholic Church, Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church befo ...

, with connections to the

Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri; FSSP) is a traditionalist Catholic society of apostolic life for priests and seminarians which is in communion with the Holy See. The society was founded in 19 ...

). Thus the association has changed from a single organization to a kind of federation of differing Scouting organizations with different spiritual backgrounds which is unique for French Scouting.

Sections

The association is organised in three age branches: *ages 8 to 11: The pack ( Cubs), light blue shirt, dark blue short and

beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret remains ...

with the cub insignia *ages 12 to 16: The troop (

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

), khaki shirt, dark blue short or trousers and brown smokey-bear hat for boys, white shirt and dark blue smokey-bear hat for girls *ages 17 and onwards: The clan ( Rovers), dark blue shirt for boys and same as Scouts for girls, the tie is a

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eclaireurs Neutres de France Non-aligned Scouting organizations Scouting and Guiding in France Youth organizations established in 1947 1947 establishments in France

History

Memberships and affiliations

Sections

See also

External links