Stimulating Excellence in Youth Work: 09.11.08

Poverty and the Participation Agenda

The Human Rights Approach to development acknowledges that under-18s have:

"the right to express... views freely in all matters affecting (them), the views... being given due weight in accordance with (their) age and maturity..."

(convention on the rights of the Child, Article 12)

Meanwhile, with over half the world's population aged under 24 (closer to 3/4 in many developing countries) youth issues in development are more urgent than ever. Between 2000 and 2010 some 700 million young women and men will enter the labour force. And currently there are not 700 million new jobs available.

source: C YP

Youth Work and the Millennium Development Goal

"Young people are part of the effort or the effort fails," Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has said. By extension those who are able to engage young people, the youth workers, are also essential: "Many adults are used to exercising authority and keeping authority through authoritarian practices. People who have tried to promote participation with good intentions have become frustrated, demoralised or cynical when it hasn't worked well, and are left wondering what might have been done better".
(CYP/UNICEF2005: 21)

Strategy for Scouting

The adoption of the Strategy for Scouting in 2002 was the result of the work done at all levels of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) in recent years. The Strategy for Scouting recognises that each National Scout Organisation (NSO) has peculiar needs and challenges. Consequently each NSO adapts the Strategy to its own reality and develops coherent action plans. Therefore, the Strategy for Scouting is not rigid, it is a framework for integral action.

A common strategy makes sense because:

Based on a shared vision, it strengthens the feeling of belonging to a united, world-wide Movement, for both National Scout Organizations and individual Scouts.
Developed at world level, it enables us to "step back" far enough from the details to help us see the forest rather than the trees.
International co-operation on common issues enables us to help each other identify the "mental models" we are using and make the necessary "mind-shifts" which are required to find and implement innovative solutions.
Sharing experience at international level enables us to avoid becoming static and to benefit from success stories and good practices.
Building up and implementing a world strategy together, offers the best opportunity for National Scout Organisations to develop team learning and networking and to benefit from belonging to a world organization.

The Strategy for Scouting responds to the needs of Scouting because:

It is based upon the mission of Scouting.
It takes into account the key challenges which NSOs are facing in implementing the mission.
It proposes a shared vision of Scouting for the 21st century.
It focuses on three main areas which are crucial for the success of Scouting:
the needs and expectations of young people,
the motivation of adult leaders to contribute to the mission of Scouting,
new trends in managing non-governmental organisations
It identifies and proposes seven strategic priorities which should be used by each National Scout Organizations to build up its own action plans.
It identifies clearly the areas on which the world and regional bodies should focus in order to support their associations.

source: WOSM

World Scout Bureau: Youth Programme

Youth Programme is the totality of what young people do in Scouting (the activities), how it is done (the Scout method) and the reason why it is done (the purpose).

It is the principal means of achieving the purpose of Scouting and is the key to attracting and retaining members.

Youth Programme is implemented through a partnership between young people and adult leaders, taking into account the participants' interests, needs and abilities.

Youth involvement is a process that ensures youth have a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. It creates volunteer opportunities for youth to be a part of the changes and decisions being made in their communities.

Youth Involvement in Decision-Making is the first strategic priority in the Strategy for Scouting and it identifies three areas of work for young people to be fully involved in decision-making in the Movement.

These areas are: (1) Youth Involvement in the Unit; (2) Youth Involvement institutionally; and (3) Youth Involvement in civil society

ENVIRONMENT: Throughout the past 100 years of Scouting, young people around the world have been exploring, learning about and caring for the outdoors and our environment. The way in which Scouts contribute to tackling environmental issues have evolved with the times, and remains a fundamental part of the Scout programme.

REACHING OUT: The Scout Movement aims to improve the quality of life of young people by working in areas such as: people with disabilities, children in especially difficult circumstances and children at risk.

The World Organization of the Scout Movement support National Scout Organizations (NSOs) in identifying and responding to the needs of young people, adults and society where Scouting is not currently having an impact.

PEACE EDUCATION: Scouting has always been a peaceful and pacifying movement. Scouts around all over the world are actively working with the aim of creating a better world.

As Baden-Powell (the Founder of Scouting) said: “Our aim is to bring up the next generation as useful citizens with a wider outlook than before and thereby to develop goodwill and peace in the world through comradeship and co-operation, in place of the prevailing rivalry between classes, creeds and countries which have done so much in the past to produce wars and unrest. We regard all men as brothers, sons of the one Father, among whom happiness can be brought only through the development of mutual tolerance and goodwill – that is through love.”

Personality Development and Communication: Done... next : Learning Processes

In order to work optimally with young people, the intensive, complex and demanding nature of youth work requires youth workers to possess and demonstrate a high level of knowledge, skill and self-development.

... the vast and growing youth population - ensures that we pay attention to young people. not always for the right reasons. and sometimes for our own very selfish ends, but we pay attention no less. In our plans then, we develop programmes that engages young people. So, we have young people, and we have programmes, but how often do we focus on those who deliver these programmes?

Reunion Dinner on Board Nippon Maru - Group Photo of batch 1996 together with our National Leader + 1 Thailand PY96, Yo (a discussion facilitator to SSEAYP2008)