About

For over a century, Scouting has understood and tackled the social and environmental issues that we see today in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By uniting our efforts and harnessing the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity of our members, Scouting plays a vital role in shaping a generation that is invested in and actively working towards a better world.

Taking an active role in the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development means that the Scout Movement can respond to today’s realities and continue building on its mission and vision for a better world. Since Scouting is embedded in local communities worldwide and contributes to the development of young people to become active global citizens, Scouting and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a perfect match!

Scouting has a long history of community action which has been solidified through our ongoing commitment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

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In 2017, UNESCO introduced a resource called “Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives" as part of its global action programme on Education for Sustainable Development. Its purpose was to encourage those involved in non-formal education to consider the knowledge and skills young people need to promote sustainable development successfully and to align these objectives with their own programmes.

Recognizing the significance and advantages of these objectives for Scouts, we took the initiative to integrate them into our programmes. This task was straightforward since it matched the direction in which our mission and vision were heading.
 
These objectives aim to cultivate essential competencies in young people, enabling them to engage responsibly in today's complex world. By incorporating sustainability competencies into our programme, we can empower young people to become active leaders in sustainable action. We maintain our Scouting educational methods and strengthen them by considering key competencies for sustainability in our programming.
 
Through the lens of Scouting, an active global citizen is responsible, supportive, responsible, committed, and culturally sensitive.

By adding sustainability competencies, Scouts will be able to:

- Develop self-awareness
- Solve complex problems
- Strategically develop and implement innovative actions
- Collaborate with others
- Think in systems to understand the bigger picture
- Anticipate future possibilities
- Apply critical thinking
- Understand and reflect on underlying values and norms

The Scout Promise and Law provide shared values and encourage young people to voluntarily commit together to develop our communities.

Here are some of the ways the Scout Method works alongside the SDGs:

- Learning by doing helps individuals understand issues and develop the competencies and motivation to take action.
- The team system promotes cooperation in addressing large-scale issues.
- Community involvement helps young people to feel more connected, participate actively, and address the issues affecting their communities together.
- Nature serves as a valuable setting to challenge oneself, connect with the planet and listen to its needs.
- The SDGs offer a symbolic framework that reinforces Scouting's core values.
- Adult support facilitates intergenerational dialogue and helps Scouts comprehend the complexity of the issues.
- Personal progression ensures that each Scout's role and contribution evolve from project to project, building competencies for sustainable development at local and global levels.