Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani

The Associazione Guide e Scouts Cattolici Italiani (AGESCI) is the principal Catholic Scouting and Girl Guiding organisation in Italy and the largest youth association in the country. Founded in 1974, AGESCI provides mixed-sex education rooted in the values of the Roman Catholic Church and the educational method of Scouting. As of 2024, the association counts approximately 182,000 members, including 33,454 adult leaders, among whom are 1,947 priests, organised into 1,885 local groups and 6,126 units. The organisation is jointly presided over by Francesco Scoppola and Roberta Vincini.
AGESCI operates nationwide and plays a prominent role in Italian civil society, combining youth education, community service, spiritual formation, and civic engagement within a structured Scouting framework.

Historical Development

AGESCI was established in 1974 through the merger of two longstanding Catholic Scouting organisations: the Associazione Scouts Cattolici Italiani (ASCI), founded in 1916, and the Associazione Guide Italiane (AGI), founded in 1943. The merger marked a significant organisational and cultural shift, particularly through the adoption of coeducation, bringing boys and girls into a unified educational framework.
The decision to merge was not universally accepted. By 1976, some groups and leaders who opposed coeducation or disagreed with the merger formed the Associazione Italiana Guide e Scouts d’Europa Cattolici (AIGSEC–FSE), which quickly grew to around 20,000 members. Despite this schism, AGESCI consolidated its position as the dominant Catholic Scouting organisation in Italy.
Since 1986, AGESCI has been a founding component of the Federazione Italiana dello Scautismo (FIS), alongside the non-denominational Corpo Nazionale Giovani Esploratori ed Esploratrici Italiani (CNGEI). Through the FIS, AGESCI represents Italy within both the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS).

Ecclesiastical and International Recognition

AGESCI maintains a strong institutional relationship with the Catholic Church. It is officially recognised by the Italian Episcopal Conference, affirming its role as a Catholic educational movement. Internationally, it is a member of the International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) and the International Catholic Conference of Guiding (ICCG), bodies in which ASCI and AGI were among the founding members.
Within Italy, AGESCI is also a member of the Forum Nazionale del Terzo Settore, representing voluntary and non-profit organisations, and cooperates with the Protezione Civile under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, particularly in emergency response and disaster relief activities.
AGESCI has formal cooperation agreements with several minority and neighbouring Catholic Scouting organisations, including the Südtiroler Pfadfinderschaft in German-speaking South Tyrol, the Slovenska Zamejska Skavtska Organizacija serving the Slovene minority in Friuli–Venezia Giulia, and the Associazione Guide Esploratori Cattolici Sammarinesi of San Marino.

Organisational Structure

AGESCI is organised as a federal association, reflecting Italy’s territorial and ecclesiastical diversity. Its structure comprises:

• Regional sections
• Provincial or diocesan sections
• Local Scout groups

Each level operates with a degree of autonomy while adhering to national educational guidelines and statutes. The basic operational unit is the local Scout group, which normally serves a parish or local community.
The association is strongest in northern Italy, which accounts for nearly half of its total membership. The regions with the highest concentration of members are Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, and Lombardy. Veneto also leads in the number of local groups and units, reflecting the depth of Scouting tradition in that region.

Educational Method and Age Sections

AGESCI follows the traditional Scouting age-group system, adapted to its Catholic educational mission. Most groups are organised into three principal sections, each corresponding to a specific age range:

• Lupetti/Coccinelle (LC): Cub Scouts and Brownies aged approximately 8–11/12, organised into packs.
• Esploratori e Guide (EG): Scouts and Girl Guides aged approximately 11/12–16, organised into troops divided into patrols.
• Rover e Scolte (RS): Rover Scouts and Ranger Guides aged approximately 16–21, organised into crews.

Units may be single-sex or coeducational. In coeducational units, leadership is shared between a male and a female leader. While AGESCI promotes coeducation, single-sex units remain common, particularly in the EG section, with notable regional variation. Single-sex LC units are relatively rare, while single-sex RS units are exceptional.

Leadership and Adult Formation

Each local group is coordinated by two group leaders and governed by a comunità capi (leaders’ community). This body includes all adult leaders of the group and at least one Catholic priest, who provides spiritual guidance. The leaders’ community meets regularly, often weekly, to plan educational activities and ensure coherence across all age sections.
The educational work of each group is guided by a progetto educativo, typically spanning three years, which defines shared objectives and themes across units. This planning ensures continuity and a unified educational approach.
Upon completing their progression in the RS section, Rover Scouts and Ranger Guides may enter the leaders’ community. This transition is marked by a formal ceremony known as the partenza (“departure”), symbolising the assumption of adult responsibility within the movement.

Training and the Wood Badge

Adult leader training in AGESCI is extensive and structured. To be awarded the Wood Badge, leaders must complete a demanding formation pathway, typically involving three residential training camps, combined with several years of practical service before, between, and after these camps. This system emphasises experiential learning, spiritual development, and leadership competence.
In 1986, Pope John Paul II was awarded the Wood Badge as an honorary AGESCI leader, highlighting the association’s standing within the Catholic Church.

Membership and National Presence

With over 182,000 members, AGESCI represents a significant component of Italian youth participation. Its membership distribution reflects broader demographic patterns, with strong concentrations in northern and central regions and substantial representation in southern and insular Italy. The association’s scale enables it to operate large national events, training programmes, and service initiatives.
In 2024, AGESCI celebrated its 50th anniversary with a national route held in Verona, attended by nearly 20,000 leaders. The event underscored the association’s continuity, cohesion, and capacity for large-scale mobilisation.

Civic Engagement and Social Role

Beyond its internal educational mission, AGESCI plays an active role in Italian society. Through cooperation with civil protection authorities and voluntary sector networks, it contributes to emergency response, social inclusion projects, environmental initiatives, and community development. Its emphasis on service, citizenship, and responsibility aligns closely with broader objectives of youth civic education.