The Youth Programme is the educational means used to achieve the purpose of Scouting, which is ‘to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities’. Therefore, the Youth Programme is the means through which Scouting contributes to the empowerment of autonomous individuals and the holistic development of active global citizens for the community.
The Youth Programme in Scouting is the totality of the learning opportunities from which young people can benefit (What), created to achieve the purpose of Scouting (Why), and experienced through the Scout Method (How).
The Youth Programme is the educational means used to
achieve the purpose of Scouting, which is ‘to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities’. Therefore, the Youth Programme is the means through which Scouting contributes
to the empowerment of autonomous individuals and
the holistic development of active global citizens for the community.
Scouts as Empowered Individuals – Areas of Personal Growth
Based on the purpose of Scouting and considering developmental theories, Scouting takes all the dimensions of the human personality into account and identifies several areas of growth on which the Scouting’s educational objectives are based. The areas of growth should not be considered separate elements, but as parts of a whole.
The Youth Programme acknowledges areas of personal
growth stated in the purpose of the Scout Movement as physical development, intellectual development, emotional development, social development, and spiritual development where all of these areas help the individual’s character development.
Scouts as Active Citizens – Creating Positive Change in Their Communities
Scouting’s educational process leads to the development of active citizens, who take positive action in their communities. An active citizen is a citizen who strives to build a better society with tools that are democratic and non-violent, respectful of
the opinions and differences of others. An active citizen is a committed and responsible individual, endowed with critical thought, who does not passively accept reality as defined by others or institutions as they have developed over time and current laws, but one who strives to critically examine and potentially challenge the status quo using the principles of democracy, whilst taking account of the diverse range of opinions which exist in any society.
As a worldwide movement, Scouting should prepare young people to be active citizens within their local communities and also to be active global citizens. Young people should therefore be:
Autonomous – able to make choices and to control their personal and social life as an individual and as a member of society.
Supportive – able to show concern for others, able to act with them and for them, and able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes (empathy).
Responsible – able to take responsibility for their actions, keep commitments, and complete whatever they undertake.
Committed – able to assert themselves in respect of values, a cause or an ideal, and to act accordingly.
Culturally sensitive – able to respect other paradigms by virtue of their gender, ethnicity, religion, language, or culture.
Scout Method
The Scout Method is an essential system for achieving the educational proposal of the Scout Movement. It is defined as a system of progressive self-education. It is one method based on the interaction of equally important elements that work together as a cohesive system, and the implementation of these elements in a combined and balanced manner is what makes Scouting unique. The Scout Method is a fundamental aspect of Scouting and is expressed through the following elements: