The Scouts de France was a bit of France and French culture in Argentina, culture in the broadest sense, not only because of French literature, history, and song but also because of the principles of solidarity and service with a social commitment. that they instilled in us: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. #scoutsdefrance in Argentina #scoutsdefrance in Argentine #collegefrancais @scouts #Scout #climate #climate change #earthstrike #ClimateCrisis #solidarity

1. I was a Scout of France in Argentina
by Humberto Fernán Mandirola Brieux Nov 6, 2021
Be Prepared
I was born in the city of Buenos Aires,
Argentina on November 16, 1956. I am
a descendant of the paternal side of
Italians from the Piedmont region,
from a very small town in the middle
of the mountains with no more than
50 houses called Avolasca, which I had
the opportunity to find and visit. On
my mother's side, I have French
descendance, from the
Poitou-Charentes region (La Rochelle)
and the Aquitaine region (Bordeaux).
During my elementary school, I went
to the French School of Buenos Aires until 1968. When the school closed and the Lycée
Franco Argentina opened in its place, my parents decided that my brothers and I should
continue in an Argentine public high school.
At the beginning of the 1970s until the end of 1974 I studied at the National School No.
8 of the Julio Argentino Roca School, however I continued to maintain contact with many
of my friends from the French School in the Scouts of France.
The Scouts of France were a bit of France and French culture in Argentina. Culture in the
broadest sense, not only because of French literature, history and song, but also because
of the principles of solidarity and service with social commitment. In the Scouts they
really instilled in us: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. For us they were not just words, but
a real way of being.

2. "He who does not serve to serve does not serve to live", Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
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3. In 1968 I joined the Scouts de France in Argentina as a Ranger, I was 11 years old.
In the photo, I appear in my Ranger uniform, beret, badges, my guitar and my boxer dog Patsy.
The concept of Boy Scout, was born in the United
Kingdom in 1889, when Lord Robert Baden Powell,
(pictured right), a prominent military veteran,
conceived scouting as a way to "promote the moral and
physical improvement of youth, as a vehicle to bring the
child closer to nature, strengthen his heart, soul and
body, purify his thought and teach him to fight the
fiercest enemy of man: selfishness. " He took into
account the energies and spirit of youth and found that
Scouting satisfied the need to explore life.
In Argentina in 1908, in the Province of Buenos Aires in
Lomas de Zamora, the first scout organization was
founded, which shortly after greeted General Baden
Powell in the port of Buenos Aires as he passed through
Chile. Three years later it was decided to bring together
all the scout groups with a single direction, and on July
4, 1912, an assembly chaired by Francisco P. Moreno
was held to constitute the first National Council of Argentine Scouts. Obtained legal status, on February
26, 1917, Hipólito Yrigoyen signed the decree by which scouting was declared a national institution.
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4. The Scouts of France in Argentina
Scouting is an institution with extraordinary diffusion
throughout the world. Later, in France, "Scouts de France"
was founded, which was later successfully taken to other
countries, especially the Americas.
In March 1946, a group of French scouts based in our
country created a new branch of the group whose only
requirement to join "was, is and will be": to be young, to
speak French, to adhere to a discreet discipline, to be fond
of work, to sport, to lead a healthy life and to be useful to
society and the environment.
.
Organization of the Scouts of France. In the 70s the Scouts were divided into men, on the one hand, and
women on the other, and in turn, by age groups: in the case of men in three age groups:
● Louveteaux from 7 to 11 years.
● Ranger from 11 to 14 years.
● Pionnier from 14 to 18 years.
Girls in a similar way:
● Jeannettes from 7 to 11 years.
● Guides from 11 to 14 years.
● Caravelles from 14 to 18 years.
Each group carried out different activities according to age but in a coordinated way.
● The Louveteaux and Jeannettes learned to live together by playing, to live in a camp. The child
tries and manages to fend for himself in this way. I entered the Scouts at age 11 directly as a
Ranger so I was not Louveteaux. The cub's salute is different, with the index and middle fingers
drawn in a v, recalling the two ears of the wolf on alert; it also means the two parts of the law
and the two parts of the promise.
● Rangers and Guides learned to discover the laws of Scouting through games and more elaborate
activities. For example, through the representation of an era, trying to imitate the way a people
lived (for example the Incas, the Gauls, the Romans, etc.) we represented and lived various
cultures and we took that activity very seriously, that is, We analyzed, studied and then
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5. reproduced those experiences as accurately as possible, using clothing (copied in the most
reliable way possible), their work instruments, weapons, etc.
● The Pionniers and Caravelles: put what they learned into
practice and carried out social and cultural activities helping
those most in need. Both the Pionniers and the Caravelles
made the scout promise and within a year of entering, the
distinction "brevet de service" was awarded to those who
stood out in various solidarity activities and deserved the trust
of the rest of the companions. The "Pionniers" carried out all
kinds of activities. For the greatest success, they grouped
themselves into patrols. Each patrol had a chief whose
function was to advise, suggest, coordinate, clarify; he was a
spiritual chief. Each patrol consisted of five scouts. Scout is
courteous, sees in nature the work of God, and respects it.
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6. My friends Maximo Voelkle and Fernando Esperon, schoolmates, scouts, and true brothers in life who are
no longer with me because God has decided to have them by his side.
Once a year, group meetings were held in places far from urban areas in a ranch or place where there
was water and trees for the tents; Without radio or magazines, far from the "madding crowd" the ideal
medium was sought to make "constructive criticisms" of the world and of the activities carried out.
There were different artistic manifestations, we sang songs and played the guitar. We prayed in a group,
procured food, and cooked ourselves. At the meetings, we had a guide who was our chaplain, Father
André Baqué, who guided our activities.
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7. Celebration of the golden anniversary of Père André Baqué at the Colegio San Miguel in the city of
Buenos Aires, Work of the Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception of Lourdes.
Photo with Father André Baqué at his Golden Wedding in 2009
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8. I participated in the Scouts de
France since 1968. I entered as a
Ranger at age 11 and finished as a
Pionnier in 1975 when I entered
the Faculty of Medicine my
studies, on other hand, the
activities of the scouts ceased in
1976, the Scouts were dissolved
and Father Baqué went to France.
Marie-Anne Erize mother with Pere André Baqué
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9. In 2009 when Father Baqué turned 50 as a priest, he wanted to celebrate him in Argentina with us and
we met with him, those of us who were here, since many no longer live in Argentina, others died.
Father André Baqué, Missionary Father of Garaison, died about 5 years after this beautiful reunion in
2014 when he was 81 years old. He is surely protecting Scouts in heaven wherever they are.
My years as a scout in France marked my life a lot, I always admired solidarity and I enjoyed exercising
solidarity with love as I was taught to do it. I decided to become a doctor out of admiration for Dr. Albert
Schweizer and his activity in Gabon in French Africa. When I received my medical degree in 1982, I
wanted to go to Gabon.
Today I continue doing solidarity activities, in addition to my work I am a volunteer doctor of the Body
and Soul organization (http://www.cuerpoyalma.org.ar) and I travel as a doctor to the Impenetrable
Chaqueño and north of Santiago del Estero, places in that we also helped with the Scouts de France.
With my companions of Body and Soul in the Impenetrable Chaqueño
I also go out to help feed homeless people in the city of Buenos Aires, activities that enrich my soul and
that I learned to enjoy since the time I was Scout de France.
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10. Delivering food in the streets of Buenos Aires for people who are homeless
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11. Today I continue, although there are no longer scouts from France in Argentina as a formal institution, as
a former scout, looking around the world, scouts who are scattered all over the world. We try to get
together and form Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram groups to share memories and photos. Helping
others is a pleasure for me and I do it with joy.
Scout de France in Argentina on Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp
A group of former scouts from France in Argentina started to meet
and we formed a Facebook group and we also have a Twitter address
so that we can meet and tell each other stories and experiences. If
you are interested in Scouting and/or if you were a former Scout,
please join us at:
Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/178238010116
Telegram Group
https://t.me/joinchat/E_i6sfgpDKo2YWEx
WhatsApp Group
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BOXjzp9JBs5CbLgV02nhvq
References
● Article "Así somos los Scouts de France" published in the newspaper La Nación, August 24, 1968
● Book « Au coeur du collège français de Buenos Aires » by Bernadette Crespin-Richard 2021
https://www.kobo.com/us/es/ebook/au-coeur-du-college-francais-de-buenos-aires
● https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouts_et_Guides_de_France
● http://www.cuerpoyalma.org.ar
● http://www.memoriaabierta.org.ar
● https://twitter.com/comitelarralde?lang=en
● https://www.libramemoria.com/defunts/baque-andre/9c13b59605594a0faf85bb10cc6020e7
● https://www.clarin.com/politica/francia-llega-enviado-familiares-desaparecidos_0_rJPfFsllCtg.ht
ml
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12. ● dansnoscoeurs.fr/andre-baque/1195974/avis
● https://www.traitdunion.com.ar/
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD7_syqJjgs
● Promesse louveteaux FSE - YouTube
● Chant de promesse - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poIzcTtiqDU
● http://chansonsdebivouac.com/chanson/chant-de-la-promesse
● chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=http%3A%2F%2Fch
ansonsdebivouac.com%2Fresources%2Fchant_de_promesse_gratuit.pdf&clen=471487&chunk=t
rue
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