Portuguese Youth Group Uniforms

Figure 1.--Here are Scouts from the Grupo Escoteiros de Portugal. I'm not sure when this photograph was taken, but believe it was about 2000.

We have very limited information on Portuguese youth groups. The only uniformed group we know that is currently active at this time is the Scouts. The Scouts are known as the Grupo Escoteiros de Portugal. Strangely the Portuguese colony of Macau off China was the home for the first Portuguese Boy Scout Group. The group was founded in 1911. The Macau Scout Leaders came back to Portugal and founded the Associação de Escoteiros de Portugal (Boy Scouts Association of Portugal) in 1913. We believe Portugal had a relatively small Scout movement, in part because Portugal was such a poor country during the era that Scouting was especially popular in Europe. We also note a group called the Acção Jovem para a Paz/Youth Action for Peace (AJP) is a National Youth Organization, a Non-Governmental Organization for Development and a branch (member) of the International Movement Youth Action for Peace (YAP). This association was founded in Portugal in the early 1970s.

Boy Scouts

The only uniformed group we know of at his time is the Scouts. The Scouts are known as the Grupo Escoteiros de Portugal. Strangely the Portuguese colony of Macau off China was the home for the first Portuguese Boy Scout Group. The group was founded in 1911. The Macau Scout Leaders came back to Portugal and founded the Associação de Escoteiros de Portugal (Boy Scouts Association of Portugal) in 1913. We believe Portugal had a relatively small Scout movement, in part because Portugal was such a poor country during the era that Scouting was especially popular in Europe. As in much of Europe there appears to be more than one Scouting association in Portugal. There is for, example, as separate Catholic Scouting association.

Nationalist Groups

Portugal like Spain during the 1930s moved strongly towards Fascism. The regime was officially neutral, but was sympathetic toward the NAZIs and aided the NAZI-war effort during World War II. Somewhat protected by Franco's refusal to allow the Wehrmacht to enter the Ibrerian Peninsula, Portugal was able to maintain a different relationship with the NAZIs. The NAZis had to actually pay for shipments of strategic minerals. The Portuguese natioanlist group during the Salazar era was the Mocidade Portuguesa (Portuguese Youth) . Founded by a decree in May 1936 it was abolished on the very first day of the revolution (25 April 1974). Prof. Marcelo Caetono, who was the acting Portuguese head of state after Salazar was incapacitated by a stroke in 1968, had been its leader since 1940. Their motto was 'Deus, Pátria e Família' [God, Fatherland and Family]. There were four echelons according to age: lusitos ( 7 to 10 y.o.a.), infantes (10 to 14), vanguardistas (14 to 17) and cadetes (17 up). Their uniform consisted of a green shirt with badges on the left side of the breast, beige shorts and black shoes. A reader writes, "I have never come accross them in Portugal proper but I have seen some boys (black and white) in Angola in 1967 and 1968. They all had short pants, but I believe atthe time that in metropolitan Portugal the older boys wore longs."

Jovem para a Paz/Youth Action for Peace (AJP)

We also note a group called the Acção Jovem para a Paz/Youth Action for Peace (AJP) is a National Youth Organization, a Non-Governmental Organization for Development and a branch (member) of the International Movement Youth Action for Peace (YAP). This association was founded in Portugal in the early 1970s. We no little about the group. I am not sure about the age range. It seems more directed and older teenagers and young adulys, but we do not have details on the official age regulations. It was not a uniformed group and has more of a political agenda that the Scouts. The group appears to be a left-wing group, idealistically promoting issues like world peace and shifting the terms of world trade in favor of developing countries.