From: rusa@diku.dk (Bjarne Steensgaard)
Newsgroups: rec.scouting
Subject: Scouting in Denmark
Date: 29 Sep 92 14:14:53 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen

In Denmark we have several Scout associations; the major ones being
The Danish Guide and Scout Association (Danish: Det Danske
Spejderkorps = DDS), YMCA Scouts, and YWCA Scouts.  Minor
organizations are The Baptist Scouts of Denmark (Danish: Dansk Baptisk
Spejderkorps) and The Yellow Scouts (I do not know if these still
exist!).  There is one additional uniformed organization called
FDF/FPF, but they insist on NOT being scouts (they originate from the
British Boy's Brigade) even though they have a program that resembles
the scout programs very much.  They do however insist more on
involving the whole family.

DDS is mixed boys and girls.  There used to be two separate
organizations, but they merged in 1973.  The YMCA Scouts is for both
boys and girls, but I believe there is still a majority of boys.  The
YWCA Scouts is only for girls.  FDF/FPF is mixed.

The uniform of DDS Scouts is dark blue.  The uniform of YMCA/YWCA
scouts are dark green.  All three organizations supplement the uniform
with a neckerchief according to the groups choice.  The uniform of
FDF/FPF is light blue without a neckerchief.

I believe that there around 25.000 members of each of the three major
scouting organizations out of a population of 5.000.000 people in
Denmark. FDF/FPF have a similar membership figure as far as I recall.

DDS is (I believe) the only Danish scout organization that does not
require religion to be a part of scouting.  The only requirement being
that the scouts "Find their own faith and respect others'" (part of
the Scout Law). All the other associations are based on Christianity.

DDS use the following age division guidelines:
	6-8: Micro Scouts
	8-10: Mini Scouts
	10-12: Junior Scouts
	12-16: Scouts
	16-23: Senior Scouts
The age-divisions are only suggestions.  Approximately one-fourth of
the groups does not distinguish between mini and junior scouts and
have both age groups in the same pack.

The other Scouting organizations have slightly different age divisions
and generally use more inspiring names.  In general the youngest
scouts are around 6 and the oldest are above 20.

All Scouting organizations in Denmark are based on groups.  A group is
usually a combination of a unit from each of the age groups.  It is
normal to stay in the same group in all of your scouting life.
Leaders move from group to group, but scouts seldom do.

In DDS, the groups are organized in districts (divisions) that must
have at least 500 scouts.  The districts are combined in areas.  I
cannot remember how many areas there are, but a guess would be between
5 and 10.

Leaders are from almost all age groups.  It is not unusual that a unit
have leaders of quite different age.  Leaders are both old scouts and
parents.  I believe there is a majority of non-parents.  It is not a
tradition that parents follow their kids through the different age
groups; instead they tend to stay in the same unit a number of years.

There is no notion of ranks (like Star, Life, Eagle in the BSA) in any
of the major scouting organizations in Denmark.  A few groups
implement something on their own, but the general emphasis is not on
advancement.  There are merit badges for mini scouts, junior scouts,
and normal scouts, but in many places these are not very used.  In my
pack, the cub scouts (mini AND junior scouts) rarely have more than 5
merit badges, of which one is the "knife award" that they have to take
before they are given a scout name.


--Bjarne Steensgaard
  rusa@diku.dk