Sweden

Swedish Guide and Scout Law

Scoutlagen

1. En scout söker sin tro och respekterar andras.
2. En scout är ärlig och pålitlig. 
3. En scout är vänlig och hjälpsam. 
4. En scout visar hänsyn och är en god kamrat. 
5. En scout möter svårigheter med gott humör. 
6. En scout lär känna och vårdar naturen. 
7. En scout känner ansvar för sig själv och andra*. 

Guide and Scout Law

1. A Scout seeks their faith and respects the faith of others.
2. A Scout is honest and reliable.
3. A Scout is friendly and helpful.
4. A Scout is considerate to others and trustworthy as a friend.
5. A Scout faces difficulties without complaining.
6. A Scout learns about nature and is concerned with its conservation.
7. A Scout feels responsibility for themselves and others*.

*The word ‘andra’ (others) is a Swedish expression for society, and the clause as a whole means responsibility to the communities in which we live.

Development of the Movement

The first Swedish organizations for Boy Scouts were founded in 1911 and 1912, while those for Girl Guides were established in 1913. The movement developed primarily in two distinct branches: Non-religious units were organized within Sveriges Scoutförbundet (for boys) and Sveriges Flickors Scoutförbund (for girls), and Protestant units were formed under KFUM:s Scoutförbund (YMCA Scouts for boys) and Sveriges KFUK:s Scoutförbund (YWCA Guides for girls). Scouting and Guiding also existed within temperance organizations such as the IOGT and the NTO.

In 1930, Sveriges Scoutförbund and KFUM:s Scoutförbund jointly established the Svenska Scoutunionen (Swedish Scout Union) as an umbrella organization with the aim of representing Swedish Scouting externally and harmonizing the Scout program. The Girl Guides followed suit in 1931 with the establishment of Sveriges Flickscoutråd (Girl Guide Council of Sweden).

In the 1960s, Swedish Scouting and Guiding became co-educational. Sveriges Scoutförbundet and Sveriges Flickors Scoutförbund merged into Svenska Scoutförbundet in 1960, while KFUM:s Scoutförbund and Sveriges KFUK:s Scoutförbund formed KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund in 1966. In 1968, both national bodies merged to create the Svenska Scoutrådet.

Initiated by a grassroots movement within the five member associations of the Svenska Scoutrådet, the unification of the Swedish Scout and Guide movement had been under discussion since the mid-1990s. Important milestones towards this goal included the national jamborees in 2001 and 2007, as well as the introduction of a common Guide and Scout uniform in 2007. In 2010 and 2011, the general meetings of all five associations voted in favor of the unification. The Svenska Scoutförbundet was renamed Scouterna in 2012 and took Svenska Scoutrådet's place as member organisation in WAGGGS and WOSM. The Frälsningsarméns Scoutförbund and KFUK-KFUMs Scoutförbund were fully integrated into Scouterna, while Nykterhetsrörelsens Scoutförbund and Equmenia (Protestant scouts) joined partly.

Since the unification, Scouterna - The Guides and Scouts of Sweden has experienced consistent growth in membership and has hosted national Jamborees in 2014 (decentralized), 2017, and 2022.