Global youth consultation to shape the future of the Scout Movement
More than 50,000 Scouts from over 150 countries are expected to take part in a new global consultation to support the development of a forward-looking roadmap for the world’s leading educational youth movement.
Youth Talks, a global initiative from the Higher Education for Good Foundation supported in collaboration with the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), will reach out to young people aged 15 to 29 over the next few months to gather ideas and opinions about their aspirations for the future.
Insight from the global youth consultation, which will also collect feedback on how to co-create educational systems and societies that are more inclusive, equitable and sustainable, will be used to develop WOSM’s new vision and Strategy for Scouting for the next decade.
“This exciting consultation process will set a new standard for large-scale youth engagement in decision-making, and create an inclusive process driven by the latest technologies to gather ideas and input from young people across the Scout Movement and around the world,” said Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary General of WOSM. “These insights will then be used to develop an ambitious vision and Strategy for Scouting that will directly respond to the needs and aspirations of young people, both today and tomorrow.”
As part of the consultation, a survey in six languages has been developed and made available through the online Youth Talks platform. A series of activities have also been created by the Youth Talks team to help Scout leaders and volunteers engage young people in conversation about their hopes for the future.
“Young people are being confronted with growing inequalities, climate change, loss of biodiversity, health and energy crises, and issues related to the use of new technologies. The complexity of these social, economic, environmental, and societal challenges is testing the limits of our current education models,” said Marine Hadengue, Youth Talks Director. “With Youth Talks, we are at the beginning of a much-needed conversation with young people about how to co-construct a future by and for young people around the world, and to better understand their aspirations for the society they wish to build today and tomorrow.”
The global youth consultation will use the latest research methods and artificial intelligence developed by technology and consulting company Bluenove to analyse the intelligence, data, and insight gathered about youth trends that can also be shared with other partners, academic institutions and non-governmental organisations.
Alongside the global consultation, WOSM will be conducting a series of focus groups with young people, adult volunteers, and the leadership of 172 National Scout Organizations to inform the development of its new strategy for Scouting.
About World Organization of the Scout Movement
Scouting is the world’s leading educational youth movement, engaging millions of young people to be active citizens and create positive change in their communities. The World Scout Movement is made up of more than 57 million Scouts connected together through a membership network of 172 National Scout Organizations.