Our Worldwide Family

Young people in Scouting are Messengers of Peace and are advocates for the things that matter most to them, to us and to our world. They unite us and inspire us to celebrate our differences, using their skills and abilities to make a change in the lives of others and to create a better world.

Over the past few weeks, communities across the globe including Australia have held marches and peaceful protests to express solidarity against racial inequalities and injustices surrounding the way people are being treated. These recent events have started serious and important discussions about race and symbols of the past. These open and empathetic conversations are the first steps in helping to bring about systemic change.

As an organisation, it is important to embrace these conversations, participate in dialogue and be willing to listen to the views of others. We need to be open to diverse views, reflect on our past, and learn from it. These values that we live today reflect the expectations of the young people in Scouting and the communities in which we operate.

By engaging in open, meaningful conversations with our young people, and guiding them to learn to recognise racism and challenge practices that fuel inequality and cause harm, we can empower them to help play an active role in creating the positive change our society needs.

A number of valuable resources are available to support you in engaging in meaningful conversations with our young people.

These include resources from the Scouts UK , UNICEF, and the Voices of Youth.

As a community, these recent events have highlighted that while we place inclusion and acceptance at the heart of Scouting, we must all do our part in reflecting on how we live up to those values and always strive to be better.

Phil Harrison

Chief Commissioner
Scouts Australia