Minyons Escoltes i Guies de Catalunya

Minyons Escoltes i Guies de Catalunya (MEG), also known as Minyons Escoltes - Guies Sant Jordi de Catalunya, is a non-profit leisure-time educational organisation based in Catalonia, Spain. It offers children, adolescents and young people the adventure of growing and learning through the scout and guide method, an educational approach designed to make each boy and girl the protagonist of their own growth and of the actions they carry out as a team, so that they develop into supportive people committed to the society around them. MEG's stated aim is to help this collective participate actively and critically in the society where they live and to assume the responsibilities needed to help build a fairer, more supportive and more sustainable society in every respect. Following the pedagogical and methodological proposal of scouting and guiding, MEG works for the integral education of the person through lived experience and the transmission of values such as respect, tolerance, dialogue, interculturality and sustainability, working to "leave this world a little better than we found it". The organisation's roots go back to the clandestine revival of Catalan scouting after the Spanish Civil War. In 1945 the Consell de la Institució Catalana d'Escoltisme was created clandestinely, grouping lay and confessional scout groups that were resuming or newly starting activities; it included Mn. Antoni Batlle, who had promoted many confessional scout groups in parishes and acted as their chaplain. Between 1948 and 1953 the number of groups grew from 12 to 36, but repression under the Franco regime made the situation critical, and in 1954 the Council agreed to suspend activities, although some groups continued to meet. The death of Mn. Antoni Batlle in 1955 acted as a catalyst: in August 1956 the Bishop of Barcelona created the Delegació Diocesana d'Escoltisme (DDE), allowing some groups to operate legally as a church movement. Similar diocesan delegations followed in Vic and Girona, and their union formed the MSC-Minyons Escoltes movement, later joined by other Catalan dioceses (Tarragona, Lleida, Urgell, Solsona). In 1959 the Associació Catalana d'Escoltisme was created at Montserrat as a federation of three entities resulting from the break-up of the ICE: Minyons de Muntanya, Boy Scouts de Catalunya and the DDE (later called Minyons Escoltes). Within guiding, Catholic groups created Guies Sant Jordi with a similar federative structure. The two organisations evolved in parallel as spaces of democratic formation and pedagogical renewal, becoming a school of democracy and civility, and in 1977 they merged into a single association, Minyons Escoltes Guies Sant Jordi de Catalunya (MEGSJC), definitively introducing coeducation with a single educational project for both boys and girls. During the Spanish transition to democracy MEG contributed notably to the recovery of democratic and national freedoms in Catalonia, taking part in the creation and development of the Taula de Joves de Catalunya in 1976 and later, in 1980, in the constitution of the Consell Nacional de la Joventut de Catalunya, of which it is a full member. Since then the movement has continued to contribute to the education of many generations and today is a dynamic entity capable of mobilising 13,000 children and young people, having adapted over time to the reality of young people and Catalan society, bringing its proposal closer to youth and constantly deepening its own scouting and guiding method to make it a useful tool for today's needs. Its educational proposal is aimed at all children, adolescents, young people and adults, based on three basic options representing three angles of action in the field of service to society, expressed in an explicit proposal of values in the scout and guide law.

Minyons Escoltes i Guies de Catalunya (MEG) traces its origins to the clandestine revival of Catalan scouting after the Spanish Civil War. In 1945, within the framework of this revival, the Consell de la Institució Catalana d'Escoltisme was created clandestinely, grouping lay and confessional scout groups that were resuming activities or being newly constituted. Mn. Antoni Batlle, who had promoted many confessional scout groups in parishes and acted as their chaplain, participated in this Council. Between 1948 and 1953, the number of groups grew from 12 to 36. However, repression under the Franco regime made the safety of children, leaders and officials a concern, and the situation became so critical that in 1954 the Council of the Institution agreed to suspend activities. Despite this resolution, some groups continued to meet. In this context, the death in 1955 of Mn. Antoni Batlle, who had long striven to obtain the Church's protection for all scouting or at least for Catholic-affiliated groups, acted as a catalyst. In August 1956 the Bishop of Barcelona created the Delegació Diocesana d'Escoltisme (DDE), which allowed some groups to operate legally as a church movement. Shortly afterwards, the bishops of Vic and Girona also created their DDEs in their dioceses. The union of all of them constituted the MSC-Minyons Escoltes movement. Later, other Catalan dioceses (Tarragona, Lleida, Urgell, Solsona, etc.) joined. All these DDEs acted in a coordinated way in the fields of leader training, scout methodology, pedagogical resources, scout branches (Llobatons, Minyons and Clan), publications, gatherings, etc. In 1959, the Associació Catalana d'Escoltisme was created at Montserrat as a federation of the three entities (boys' scouting) resulting from the break-up and dissolution of the ICE: a) Minyons de Muntanya; b) Boy Scouts de Catalunya; and c) Delegació Diocesana d'Escoltisme (DDE), later called Minyons Escoltes. This federative structure preserved the unity of Catalan scouting while allowing the autonomous operation of three different versions of scouting. Within guiding (girls' scouting), discrepancies also arose when the Catholic groups, which were the majority, obtained recognition of their right of association within the Germanor de Noies Guies. This generated tensions that culminated in the definitive separation of the Catholic groups, which created Guies Sant Jordi with a federative structure similar to that of the scouts. The two organisations, Minyons Escoltes and Guies Sant Jordi, evolved in parallel as spaces of democratic formation and pedagogical renewal and became a school of democracy and civility. Their joint work led to their merger in 1977 into a single association. Thus was created Minyons Escoltes Guies Sant Jordi de Catalunya (MEGSJC), which definitively introduced the concept of coeducation, a single educational project directed at both boys and girls. Under the name Siurana de l'Esperit, the first Aplec de l'Esperit was an initiative of this entity in 1978. Since then it has been held every four or five years, convened by the Conferència Episcopal Tarraconense. During the transition to democracy, MEG contributed notably to the recovery of democratic and national freedoms in Catalonia, participating in the creation and development of the Taula de Joves de Catalunya in 1976 and later, in 1980, in the constitution of the Consell Nacional de la Joventut de Catalunya, of which it is a full member. Since then, the Movement has continued to contribute to the education of many generations and today has become a dynamic entity, capable of mobilising 13,000 children and young people, which has known how to adapt over time to the reality of youth and Catalan society, bringing the proposal closer to young people and constantly deepening the working method that is proper to scouting and guiding to make it a useful tool for today's needs.

• 1980

  Participated in the constitution of the Consell Nacional de la Joventut de Catalunya, of which it is a full member.

• 1978

  First Aplec de l'Esperit held under the name Siurana de l'Esperit, an initiative of the entity; since then held every four or five years.

• 1977

  Minyons Escoltes and Guies Sant Jordi merged into Minyons Escoltes Guies Sant Jordi de Catalunya (MEGSJC), introducing coeducation.

• 1976

  Participated in the creation and development of the Taula de Joves de Catalunya during the transition to democracy.

• 1959

  Associació Catalana d'Escoltisme created at Montserrat as a federation of Minyons de Muntanya, Boy Scouts de Catalunya and the DDE (later Minyons Escoltes).

• 1956

  In August, the Bishop of Barcelona created the Delegació Diocesana d'Escoltisme (DDE), allowing some groups to operate legally as a church movement; Vic and Girona soon followed.

• 1955

  Death of Mn. Antoni Batlle, who had long sought Church protection for scouting; his death acted as a catalyst for the creation of diocesan delegations.

• 1954

  The Council of the Institution agreed to suspend activities due to repression under the Franco regime, though some groups continued to meet.

• 1953

  Scout groups had grown from 12 to 36.

• 1948

  Scout groups numbered 12 at the start of a period of growth.

• 1945

  Consell de la Institució Catalana d'Escoltisme created clandestinely, grouping lay and confessional scout groups resuming or newly starting activities after the Civil War.

Non-profit leisure-time educational movement using the scout and guide method to form committed, supportive citizens in Catalonia.

• Scout and guide educational programme

  Educational proposal based on the scout and guide method, aimed at children, adolescents, young people and adults, with three basic options and explicit values in the scout and guide law.

• Scout branches (Llobatons, Minyons, Clan)

  Age-based sections used in the movement's methodology.

• Leader training

  Coordinated training for scout and guide leaders across diocesan delegations.

• Pedagogical resources and publications

  Materials and publications supporting the educational method.

1. 1Minyons Escoltes i Guies de Catalunya - Viquipèdiaca.wikipedia.org
2. 2Wikidata Q18004795wikidata.org