Finnish Youth Groups


Figure 1.--These Finnish Boy Scouts hold flags at Olympic Games. Finland hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Finland and Sweden are the only nations that have earned medals at every Olympic Games (summer and winter) since 1908.

We do not know much about Finnish youth movements. At this time all we know about is the Scouts/Guides and Pioneers. Suomen Partiolaiset (Finnish Scouting--GSF) is the combined Finnish Guide and Scout movement. Scouting was founded in Finland soon after the British Scout movement (1910). It was part Tsarist Russia, They were registered with the central organization of the Tsarist Russian Scout movement (Русский Скаут). Finnish Scouting was among the charter members of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (1922). Guiding started at the same time (1910). The Finns were also among the founding members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Finnish Scouting is a nonpolitical, nonsectarian and multilingual organization. Unlike many European countries, there are no religious-based associations. The small size of the populatiin may have bee a factor. The name of the association uses both the Finnish and Swedish languages. Finland borders Sweden and before the Tsarist takeover was ruled by Sweden. Scouting's religious neutrality is reflected in the Finnish Scout promise, which begins "I promise to love my God..." The Girl Guide Association and the Boy Scout Association merged and formed Suomen Partiolaiset (1972). Scouting is very popular in Finland where outdoor activities and nature are a national pasion. The national ethos fits in with Scoutings commitment to live with nature and protect it. This was from the begonning one of the cornerstones of Finnish Scouting. The association has about 75,000 members. The only other youth organization we know of at this time was the Young Pioneers. Finland manged to gain independence after the Russian Revolution, but there was a substantial Communist Party for some time and the country narrowly avoided annexation by the Soviet Union during World War II. Finland is one of the few non-Communist countries that had a Pioneer movement of any importance. The Pioneers unlike the Scouts highly political. we believe the Pioneers to have been popular for sme time, buthave been able to find very little informtion.








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Created: 12:14 AM 2/22/2014
Last updated: 12:14 AM 2/22/2014