The WeAct forum took place in June 2023, in Krakow, Poland, and it was the final event of the amazing UAct project, that was based on the partnership between UNICEF and WOSM, when 9 organisations stepped up and joined forces to support refugees and internally-displaced persons, managing to have a positive impact on the lives of 1 million people. Amazing results and important examples of youth-led humanitarian action were captured in a resource called UAct 360, that was launched during this event. 

Together with the members of the regional committee, we were present to close this project and follow-up on this historic partnership with UNICEF, and reflect together with scouts from other regions of WOSM on how to improve and celebrate the amazing humanitarian work scouts are doing all over the world. 

One year later, but with the world in a no better place, I still believe in the reflections I shared at that time with participants of the event, which were these:

“This is a celebration of scouting as a youth movement, of each and every one of us, scouts but also partners, as young peacebuilders (young in age or young at heart), and the huge impact we have had this past year and will continue to have, in making the world a better place.

The UAct project emerged as a response to the immense humanitarian tragedy that was caused by the war in Ukraine, and it's results have been many. There were short-term results, in the form of immediate response at borders and points of transit, medium-term results by working with authorities and schools and extending the partnerships to help both refugees and internally-displaced people in Ukraine, and long-term results through the work done to integrate Ukrainians in new communities. 

These are very important, as peace is not just the absence of war (just as health is not just the absence of disease), it is also building communities which are safe, inclusive, equitable and have a culture of peace. Where there is diversity and inclusion, there is less segregation and isolation. Where there is equity, there is less suffering and violence and where there is trust, in authorities, in systems, in people in general, there is less hate speech and fewer extremist movements, to which young people are particularly vulnerable. 

During the past 2 days, there has been a lot of talk and reflection around what has made this project such a success, and while many contributing factors have already been discussed, there is one which I want to highlight: the fundamental value which is at the core of it all: TRUST. 

When I was 16, I participated in my first jamboree, an international event for 20000 young people from all over the world. A personal reflection I had back then remained relevant in all of my leadership roles afterwards and it is this: 

I was walking across the campsite, watching people of all races and nationalities wearing their scout scarf around their necks and I thought to myself "with any one of these persons I have some values, experiences in common, and I know they made a promise to be better people". This changed my perception of the world, as I realised the world is filled with good people, and I can consider trusting any one of my fellow scouts. That is the basis of a culture of trust in an organisation, something that many companies and organisations work very hard to achieve, but in scouting, we are two steps ahead. 

However, we must never take it for granted, as trust is hard to gain and easy to lose, both in interpersonal relationships and in partnerships, so we must treat it like it’s pure gold. When we receive trust, we must be accountable, responsible and don’t betray it, and we must always continue to give our trust to others (even when people may see us as naive, we are actually brave). 

Scouts, let’s continue to give our trust to young people, trust in their future, help them build trust in their communities and in themselves. 

In a world filled with crises of all sorts, trust is the most valuable currency, and in this currency, we are all rich. 

So let’s celebrate that tonight and remind ourselves of that every day” 

In the meantime, the number of armed conflicts around the world has reached the highest numbers since World War 2 and polarisation is threatening the little culture of peace we have managed to build across the world. So what can scouts do to actively protect peace, prevent the spread of hate speech and fake news in their societies? Encourage and teach kids to choose their sources of information wisely, build empathy and understanding of different perspectives, take down prejudices and stereotypes, and introduce elements of peace education in our programmes and activities as frequently as possible.

* This article is not an official position of WOSM or the European Scout Committee.