Background As the work of the newly elected World Scout Committee (WSC) has started, I am providing you an update on relevant developments. The WSC met during the World Scout Conference in Slovenia (August 2014) towards the end of the Conference. During the brief meeting, the Committee agreed to a joint proposal from the previous Committee and World Scout Bureau (WSB) to organise an unprecedented induction programme for the new Committee. Everyone in the Committee agreed to the proposal and a task force was put together to prepare a special meeting to conduct the induction and to review the working methods of the WSC. The venue was decided as Ten Mile River (TMR) Scout Camps, located in the Sullivan County Catskills in New York State, United States of America. The meeting During the weekend of 17-19 October 2014, the WSC, gathered for an introductory meeting at Ten Mile River Scout Camps in Catskills, United States of America. The meeting was attended in full strength (100%), comprising the 12 elected members, 3 ex-officio members, 6 Regional Chairpersons and 6 Youth Advisors. Besides the WSC members, there were the WSB Global Directors and some support staff who were part of the meetings. The overall aim of the meeting was to help prepare members of the WSC to successfully carry out their role, and to align the Committee around shared priorities and working methods for the 2014-2017 triennium. The 3-day meeting, which was largely facilitated by an external expert, was divided into 4 main sections: • Induction training: overview of the roles of the WSC, WSB, and the World Scout Foundation (WSF) • Looking at the future: shared priorities and aspirations of the WSC to achieve Vision 2023 and lead WOSM to greater heights • Reviewing the working methods: WSC working methods and interactions with WSB and WSF, agreed mutual expectations and accountability of the WSC members, finalized team aspirations • Future priorities and how to approach them Other items Although this meeting was largely an “Introductory Meeting” for the WSC, several important discussions took place and key decisions were taken. Apart from discussions on the working methods and priorities for the WSC, some urgent matters including the approval of the operational Budget (2014-2015) and the approval of the changing of the functional currency for the WSB and registration fee from the Swiss Franc (CHF) to the United States Dollars (USD) took place during the meeting. Besides the definition of the key priorities for the Committee during its term, a key outcome of the weekend was a Team Charter, a “contract” outlining how the Committee will work together in the new triennium. Having gone through the induction and agreed on the framework and methods, the WSC’s focus will now shift to implementing the Strategy for Scouting and putting in place structures and teams to achieve the Triennial Plan. Conclusion This introductory meeting, held at a Scout camp, was a very inspirational start to the new triennium. I believe (and was affirmed through the evaluation of the meeting) that all the WSC members left informed, energized and ready for the task ahead. The Ten Mile River Scout Camps is a year round Scout camp facility, welcoming over 7,000 campers every year and was the right environment for such a meeting. A special thanks is due to the Boy Scouts of America, especially the Greater New York Scout Council, for their kind hospitality. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the WSF (for the financial support) and the WSB for their contributions in making this meeting a success. Further steps will now be given in the forthcoming WSC meeting to be held in Kuala Lumpur (14-16 November) where we’ll be defining our work plans and working structures. We will inform you about the results in due time. If you would like to have more information about the setup and content of the induction to replicate for your teams, please contact the World Scout Bureau (worldbureau@scout.org). Yours in Scouting, João Armando P. Gonçalves Chairperson, World Scout Committee