Health and Well-being

Scouts: Enabling Young People to Be Advocates

Our mission is to positively impact the well-being of 1.2 billion young people (ages 10-19) worldwide. We aim to positively influence their mental and physical well-being as they grow into fulfilled individuals, addressing challenges like social media, urbanization, and more. With over a century of experience, Scouts can provide crucial information, services and a safe space for young people and their communities to thrive. Through education, values, and a secure environment, we foster holistic development that aligns with evolving trends.

What is the Health and Well-being initiative?

The Health and Well-being initiative is centred on the belief that young people can play a constructive role in society and contribute to healthier and safer environments for everyone. The initiative aims to empower young people by providing them with knowledge, tools and skills related to health and well-being.

Participants will be able to make informed decisions, take responsibility for their well-being, and actively contribute to the well-being of their communities. By focusing on community-centred projects tailored to the needs of local communities, young people will be encouraged to engage with their surroundings and actively make a positive impact.

Navigating the Learning Paths

With the support of Adult Leaders, the Health and Well-being initiative will guide young people on an educational journey to lead healthy and mindful lives and to take action in promoting the growth and development of their communities' health and well-being.

Like all WOSM initiatives, Health and Well-being has a variety of learning paths that young people can take. They can explore one or all - it’s up to them to try as many challenges as they like.

There are four Health and Well-being learning paths:

1. Healthy Lifestyles

Scouts will:

- Identify ways to keep their bodies healthy
- Understand that a healthy lifestyle varies from person to person, based on many factors
- Promote healthy habits to support themselves and others in their community

2. Mental Health

Scouts will:

- Recognize that health is more than just a physical state
- Identify their emotions and those of others
- Encourage themselves and others to seek help when needed
- Promote awareness of positive mental health practices

3. Sexual and Reproductive Health

Scouts will:

- Discover how their bodies change as they grow and how to make choices that keep them safe and healthy
- Recognize their rights as human beings and how to make sure those rights are respected, protected and fulfilled

4. Personal Safety and Safeguarding

Scouts will:

- Identify potential dangers in their environment and take measures to avoid or decrease them
- Set personal boundaries and communicate them effectively to others, as well as know how to seek help and support when needed
- Support their communities in creating safe spaces

Health and Well-being Learning Process

The learning process of the Health and Well-being initiative enables young people to explore and define their educational journey in three stages, which are related to the three principles of Scouting:

- Explore: Young people will explore their healthy habits, how they deal with stress, how much they know about their bodies, and identify areas they can learn more about.

- Expand: Young people will learn about different healthy habits, coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations, and better ways to understand what their body needs.

- Encourage: Young people will inspire and help others in their community learn about their health and well-being.

How can young people embark on this journey?

To enable young people to begin this journey, National Scout Organizations can incorporate a challenge or the entire suite of Health and Well-being challenges as part of their national offer. NSOs will also need to incorporate their learning objectives and adapt them in the best way to fit their national guidelines.

Once the initiative is launched and NSOs have all elements in place, Adult Leaders at the grassroots level can introduce the initiative and challenges to young people.

To become members of Health and Well-being, young people will need to follow the established process with the support of their Adult Leader.

Who can take part in the Health and Well-being Initiative?

Everyone! It is a global network of young people and adults (ages 7 and above) willing to commit to a healthier lifestyle, set personal boundaries, and understand that being healthy is much more than just physical health and that well-being is key to success in life.

What will young people learn along the way?

In each learning path, Scouts will have the opportunity to achieve specific learning objectives tailored to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) involved, as well as the topic of the challenge. While developing their skills, they can actively create a positive impact aligned with the global sustainability agenda.

Coming Soon!

We look forward to sharing more details about the Health & Well-being initiative, currently in its piloting phase with select NSOs, once launched in 2024! Stay tuned.