God, nature and character education: how Catholic scouting works in Spain

In Spain there are several scout associations, some of them secular, others linked to the Catholic Church. Although in comparison with other countries the scout movement has not had the same strength, some Catholic groups have developed a solid educational proposal. One of these institutions is undoubtedly the Asociación Guías y Scouts de Europa. We spoke with Javier de la Cruz, recently elected Commissioner General in Spain, to learn about his vision, his method and his challenges.

Who they are and what they do 

The group led by Javier de la Cruz belongs to an association constituted as a private association of the faithful. The Spanish Episcopal Conference has a national scope. Abraham Cruz, a priest of the Holy Spirit parish in Madrid, is the association's consiliary for Spain.

Javier explains that the government of the association has “a girl who is the general guide commissioner, while I am responsible for the boys” part". The Scouts of Europe is committed to a differentiated education for boys and girls. Although in Spain Opus Dei is known for being the main promoter of this type of education, this scout group has nothing to do with them. They simply opted for this form of education since its foundation in 1956 and the formula continues to be successful. 

Javier explains that the association in Spain is present in 9 dioceses (Madrid, Catalonia, Toledo, Valencia and Alicante) and has about one thousand members, most of whom are children and adolescents, while about three hundred are adults with different responsibilities.

Activities are organized by age: 8 to 12 years old; 12 to 16 years old; and 17 years old and older. “The little ones have activities two or three times a month, one of them with an overnight camping trip, and an eight-day camp in the summer. In all the activities, the kids are organized with roles and responsibilities,” says Javier.

Indoor activities are usually held in the premises of the parish or school where the association is rooted in each place. 

Education and character formation

In Spain there have been parishes and schools that have had bad experiences with scout groups. And Javier points out the reason, which is none other than having “lost their Christian identity and even having focused on promoting bland leisure, disassociating themselves from scouting and healthy living. As a result, many people may have had the wrong image of what the Scouts are.

“In our scout group we take great care with formation and liturgy to offer participants a positive experience of faith,” Javier emphasizes, but he adds that “right now the Scouts are an excellent response to what young people need. In a world where young people are increasingly caught up in screens, our proposal is in constant contact with nature and we focus on developing good habits and responsibility in young people from the age of 8”.

In a world where freedom is the ability to choose between easy options, “in the scouts we invite children and young people to make commitments, to be helpful, to make decisions, etc.”. In addition, “values linked to contact with nature and community life facilitate the development of virtues,” Javier points out.

Javier points out that effective pedagogy «starts from the person's interest, which is channeled through action and play». Contrary to the traditional school system, in this «education there is active participation, which leads to taking responsibility and making commitments». Javier emphasizes the importance of these commitments, stating that they are «adapted to age and abilities» and essential because «scouting believes that each person has value and talent to transform society».

One of the images in the scout notebook of the younger ones illustrates well the degree of concreteness and the promotion of responsibility from an early age. 

Christian Identity 

From the spiritual point of view, faith is very present in their activities, through the usual Christian prayers, songs and the centrality of the tabernacle and the Eucharist. In the camps there is daily Mass and special emphasis is placed on the care of the liturgy.

Challenges for the coming years

The new leadership team has set goals for the next three years: “We are continuing along the same lines as the previous leaders. In the next three years we want to focus even more on the training of seniors,” explains Javier.

It also points out the need to consolidate some of the 17 groups present in Spain and expand its territorial presence.