The Associação de Escoteiros de Macau (''Scout Association of Macau'', ) is the national

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

association in

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. It is an Associate Member of the Asia-Pacific Region of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

, and became a Full Member of WOSM on 16 August 2017 during the 2017

World Scout Conference The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

. Scouting in Macau began in 1911 with

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

and Portuguese Scout troops. Shortly after, Scouts from China and Portugal started their troops in various schools and communities. The ''Associação de Escoteiros de Macau'' was founded on 12 December 1983 with 200 members, revitalizing local Scouting after decades of dormancy. Facing the handover of Macau from Portuguese administration to China in December 1999, the future of Scouting in Macau seemed uncertain, but as a

Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of four types of province-level divisions of the People's Republic of China directly under the control of its Central People's Government (State Counci ...

, Macanese institutions are allowed to continue as before. On 20 December 1999, China resumed administration over Macau. The AEM revised the verses of the Scout Promise and the Cub Scout Promise, which were introduced at the annual Scouts Rally Day in 2000. Macau Scouts visibly render services in charity and community activities including the Charity Walk for Millions, the Green Day, the

2005 East Asian Games The 4th East Asian Games was an international multi-sport event for countries in East Asia which was held in Macau from October 29 to November 6, 2005. Host city At the 11th EAGA Council Meeting held in Guam in March 1996, Macau, then a Portugue ...

, the

2007 Asian Indoor Games The 2007 Asian Indoor Games ( zh, 2007年亞洲室內運動會; ), officially known as the 2nd Asian Indoor Games and also known as Macau 2007, were held in Macau, China from 26 October 2007 to 3 November 2007. Most events of the games took place ...

, as well as guiding voters in Macanese elections. In recognition, AEM was awarded the Outstanding Youth Organization Award in 1998 and the Medal of Philanthropic Merit in 2001. Macau has participated in numerous international events throughout Asia as well as Europe. The ''Grupo Escuteiro Lusófono de Macau'' (

Lusophone The Portuguese-speaking world, also known as the Lusophone world () or the Lusophony (''Lusofonia''), comprises the countries and territories in which the Portuguese language is an official, administrative, cultural, or secondary language. This ...

Scout Group of Macau) participates in the activities of the

Comunidade do Escutismo Lusófono The Comunidade do Escutismo Lusófono (CEL, ''Community of Lusophone Scouting'') is the international community of Scouting organizations in the Lusophone countries. Its members are: * Angola: Associação de Escuteiros de Angola * Brazil: União ...

. Catholic members participate in

International Catholic Conference of Scouting The International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) is an autonomous, international body committed to promoting and supporting Catholic Scout associations and to be a link between the Scout movement and the Catholic Church. Its headquarters ...

activities.

Program sections and ideals

* Cub Scouts: 7 to 11 * Scouts: 12 to 15 * Rovers: 16 to 20 The

Scout Motto The Scout Motto of the Scout movement is, in English, "Be Prepared", with most international branches of the group using a close translation of that phrase. These mottoes have been used by millions of Scouts around the world since 1907. Most of t ...

is ''隨時準備'' in Chinese and ''Sempre Pronto'' in Portuguese.

Scout Oath

Chinese: 我謹以至誠宣誓：　對國家，對澳門，對信仰要負責；　對別人，要幫助；　對規律，要遵行。 Portuguese: ''Prometo pela minha honra por amar e servir fielmente à minha religião e à minha terra, auxiliar o próximo, obedecer à Lei do Escoteiro.'' English translation: On my honour, I promise that I will do my best to my Country, to Macau, and to my religion, to help other people and to keep the Scout Law.

Leaders

Each Group is headed by a Group Scout Leader and assisted by an Assistant Group Scout Leader.

Emblem

The emblem of the Scouting Association of Macau is based on Macau colonial past. A gold fleur-de-lis shared with the symbol of world Scouting movement. Within the fleur-de-lis is an escutcheon based on Macau's colonial coat of arms before 1999 (elements consisting of the five blue

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

s from the coat of arms of

Afonso I of Portugal Dom Afonso IOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician languages, Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on th ...

, five green and white waves and a gold Chinese dragon on blue background holding a blue escutcheon from

) The lower portions of the emblem is the Scouting motto: Sempre Pronto (Portuguese) and "隨時準備" (Chinese) meaning ''Always Ready'' in English.

Headquarters

The Scouts' headquarters is ''The Fortress'' at Jardim Camoes, a 150-year-old well-preserved Portuguese-style fortress dating from colonial Macau and a famous tourist spot in the city. The Fortress was offered to the AEM in 1999 by the former Macau government, in appreciation of the contribution made by the Scouts and in supporting further development of Scouting in Macau.

Organization

The organization is protected under

Macau Basic Law The Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( zh, 中華人民共和國澳門特別行政區基本法, ) is the organic law that establishes the Macau Special Administrative Region, replacing the ...

Article 127 under Chapter VI Culture and Social Affairs.

Chief Commissioner

The Scout Association of Macau is headed by a Chief Commissioner and as of 2016 is led by Francisca Vong (黃健清).

Ranks

* Chief Commissioner * Deputy Chief Commissioner * Department Commissioner * Assistant Department Commissioner * Chief of Division * Assistant Chief of Division * Trainer * Assistant HQ Scout Leader * Head Scouter * Group Scout Leader * Assistant Group Scout Leader * Venture Scout Leader * Venture Scout * Scout Leader * Scout * Cub Scout Leader * Cub Scout

Groups

The association has 36 groups with a total of about 5000 members.2016 AEM brochure

References

External links

Official website
{{WOSM, asia Culture of Macau Organizations based in Macau World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Organizations established in 1983 1983 establishments in Macau Non-profit organizations based in Macau Scouting and Guiding by country Youth organizations based in Macau