World Scouting and Accenture sign new three-year partnership to invest in youth-led sustainability education and action
World Scouting and Accenture, have signed a new three-year global partnership focused on a shared commitment to equip young people with sustainability, innovation, and leadership skills needed to thrive in today’s rapidly changing world.
The partnership builds on the past two years of collaboration, during which Accenture’s support has enabled World Scouting to expand its reach and impact, including through initiatives such as Scouts for SDGs, the LifeLeaders education programme, and an enhanced digital platform and registration system for JOTA-JOTI, the world’s largest digital Scouting event. Accenture has also helped create and roll out the Impact Innovators Challenge badge through National Scout Organizations (NSOs) across 12 countries, empowering Scouts worldwide with innovation, problem-solving‑, and design-thinking skills.
Accenture will support the partnership with USD 3 million in funding and technical expertise to strengthen education for sustainable development through World Scouting’s EarthTribe and the LifeLeaders initiatives, as well as JOTA-JOTI. This will help engage millions of young people in learning opportunities and youth-led action towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
This support will also improve digital tools in Scouting and strengthen how World Scouting supports NSOs by investing in AI‑driven tools that enable more personalised learning. The partnership will also support research into new, flexible volunteering models grounded in the latest innovations, as well as research to help grow the impact of the Movement and inform the wider youth development sector.
A unique component of the partnership will provide annual micro-grants for youth-led projects, along with support for global and regional advocacy models that encourage youth leadership, democratic civic engagement, and participation in decision-making.
“Young people are already leading the way on sustainability and social impact, and they need the skills, tools, and platforms to turn ambition into action,” said Manisha Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Global Corporate Citizenship at Accenture. “Through our renewed partnership with World Scouting, Accenture is investing in youth‑led education, digital innovation, and research that help scale impact across communities worldwide. This collaboration reflects our long‑term commitment to empowering the next generation to build a sustainable future to help support thriving local communities”
David Berg, Secretary General of World Scouting, said: “Young people today are eager for practical digital and innovation skills to turn their ideas into real-world impact in their communities. I am pleased that Accenture and World Scouting will be teaming up over the next three years to advance our education and research work by exploring new volunteer engagement models and guiding our Movement to embrace digital transformation and AI tools. Together we will equip and support even more Scouts to be ready for life.”
Around the world, Scouts are already participating in the LifeLeaders Impact Innovators Challenge and turning their ideas into action to address real community challenges. In Congo-Brazzaville, Scouts have raised awareness about gender-based violence by engaging local churches in conversations about protecting women and girls. In the United Arab Emirates, Scouts designed a system that redirects water from wudu (ablution) to irrigate plants, promoting conservation.
"For us, the Impact Innovators Challenge is basically how we can create a positive impact for future generations,” said Naureen Bashwani from the Emirates Scout Association. “Scouting gives us a sense of how we can be helpful to those who are living around us, and through the Impact Innovators Challenge, we are looking to the bigger perspective, creating a change of mindset of community members about the responsibility to look after our world for the coming generations."
Other projects elsewhere are also tackling important community challenges. In Indonesia, Scouts installed trash bins and led awareness efforts to reduce pollution at Tirang Beach, Central Java. In Sweden, Scouts organised a “friendship cinema” event to help young people connect and combat loneliness. While in Brazil, Scouts created digital literacy workshops to help communities recognise misinformation and protect older generations from online scams.
World Scouting and Accenture will continue to work together to empower young people as active global citizens who are equipped with the skills and education to drive positive change in their communities.
