A Social Force
An agent of development, Scouting constitutes a social force at local, national and international levels. Working together with its partners, both public and private, Scouting responds to the needs of society. Without social awareness, it cannot exist. An educational movement for young people, Scouting is an active member of society.
Creating a synergy between youth organisations and specialized bodies in order to be better equipped to fight AIDS in Africa, was the challenge of the Pan-African Youth Forum called "AIDS: A Question of Education", that took place in Dakar, in March 2004, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade.
Scouts in Yaoundé, Cameroon, were unhappy about the fact that young people in their country always seemed to be left out of the decision-making process – particularly in relation to development issues.
When the Scouts met Ali he was 14 and living with his 80-year-old Grandmother in Alexandria, Egypt who could no longer cope on her own. His parents and brothers and sisters were living in a rural village a long way away so Ali hadn't seen them for more than one year...
France - Sustainable development and simple living
The Unionist Guides and Scouts of France (EEUdF), the Protestant branch of French Scouting, has always wanted to educate its members about ecological citizenship. Their action is based on a life philosophy called Simple Living, which offers to improve the quality of life by simplifying daily needs. Far from the tumult of a consumerist society, the EEUdF wants to create and build new forms of growth, and new models of relationships with other people and with nature.
Klaus J. Jacobs, a famous businessman who set up the Jacobs Foundation, has had a keen interest in the Scout Movement for many years and has supported some of its projects. He is a member of the World Scout Foundation and is convinced that the Movement can help young people play an active role in building their own futures and in training young leaders capable of taking part in the development and social, cultural and economic progress of their country.
Growing up in the streets of Nairobi was a constant struggle for young Peter Kariuki, who never knew where his next meal was coming from, nor the luxury of clean clothes and education. Then, one day in 1993, a chance meeting with Scouts changed his life forever. While they were wandering around the streets of Nairobi, Peter and his friends were invited to share a meal in a nearby primary school and very soon a special bond developed between the two groups.
The Hassania Scout Association Morocco has created pilot projects aiming to increase women’s involvement in Moroccan social life. On May 26, 2006, the national Scouting day in Morocco, the role of females within the Movement was highlighted.
The World Health Organization identified Nepal and India as being two of the five countries in the world where leprosy is seriously endemic.
In Slovakia, the Scout Movement is working to combat the exclusion of Romany children. But although Romany Scouting in Slovakia has had some success, it has also encountered many problems and challenges, especially those associated with prejudice.
The Venturing Program (14-20 year olds) of the Boys Scouts of America (BSA) has been making rapid progress in the past few years because young people find it very attractive. It is based on the notion that people learn and live an experience, but must also be able to pass it on.
