« The ambition to do good is the only ambition that counts, and that helps to obtain happiness. » R. Baden-Powell
With more than 57 million young people involved, scouting is a worldwide movement which not only creates friendships, experiences, and life skills, but also allows youngsters to become active and responsible citizens.
Created in 1907 by Robert Baden-Powell, a former British Army officer, the Scout Movement kept growing and is now present in 217 countries and regions of the world, including all languages, nationalities, and religions. Children from 6 to 17 (depending on the unit and the scout federation) are led by scout leaders who are, most of the time, young adults themselves led by scoutmasters.
Through games, activities and solidarity actions, scouting uses a unique and non-formal educational approach which supports learning by doing: “The purpose of the Scout Movement is to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities.” (World Scouting Constitution).
The Scouts are involved in various projects in different fields, such as environment, peace, diversity, and inclusion, as well as in humanitarian actions. It is so undeniable that scout values and civic activism values are connected.
The UcomE project aims to help scout organisations to reconstitute community engagement through a systematised and digitised approach. The platform will be a really useful tool to organise and manage various projects and ideas to create at the end an efficient action plan.
When we know that in the last 20 years, civil and political activism by youth has kept decreasing, we can be surprised to see that scouting is still successful, with more than 57 million members worldwide.
Could it be one of the numerous ways to motivate youngsters to engage themselves in communities, and in political and social life?
Resources:
Barrett, M. Young People’s Civic and Political Engagement and Global Citizenship. United Nations.
Roldan, MJ. 45 phrases by Robert Baden Powell. Resources de Self Help.
https://www.recursosdeautoayuda.com/en/robert-baden-powell-quotes/
Scouting Education. Scouts.
https://www.scout.org/who-we-are/scout-movement/scouting-education
Scout Movement. Scouts.
https://scout.org/scout-movement
World Organization of the Scout Movement. Scouts.
https://www.scout.org/who-we-are/world-organization-scout-movement/about