Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 09:28:14 +0100 From: sfrossard@Scout.gn.apc.org (Stanislas FROSSARD) To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Article about youth involvement Y O U T H I N V O L V E M E N T """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Policy and issues for European associations by Stan R. Frossard, Chairperson of the 5th WOSM World Forum Member of the European Working Group on Youth Participation "Scouting is a Movement of young people, supported by adults; it is not a Movement for young people managed only by adults." The above statement (extracted from the WOSM Youth Involvement Policy) as well as the existence of a WAGGGS Youth Committee show at which point youth involvement has become a key issue for Scouting and Guiding. Is it only a fashionable theme or a strategic goal focused on associations from other areas of this world ? Surely not ! I am going to underline some roots of this present issue and the challenges for our European associations. Background ========== The idea of youth involvement is not actually new. It is one that the Founder laid as a corner stone of the Scout method Of course, BP did not use words like participation or involvement, which were not part of the language usage at the beginning of the century, but he used words such as self government and self education. Our fundamental principles still today refer to self-education. Since the late 60s, the World Conference of WOSM has expressed its view on various aspects of Youth involvement. In 1969, the Conference encouraged National Associations and Regions to organise Youth Conferences and Youth Forums. This movement followed its way up to the Bangkok World Conference (1993) where the Policy on involvement of young members in decision-making was adopted. The basic principle of this policy is summarised by the sentence stated as epigraph. Within this trenium ('93-'96) National Associations and Regions have committed themself to implement this principle in their Youth Programme and in their decision-making structures. Implications for the Youth Programme ==================================== In the Youth Programme, the involvement of children and young people is developed progressively through learning by doing, according to the Scout method. Indeed, providing children with opportunities to make decisions that affect them is part of growing up to be more responsible people. Of course, everybody will agree with this statement. Nevertheless, I know lots of Scout groups which are concerned by a lack of youth involvement . This lack is obvious in the units where the leaders plan and organise everything for the children and the young people. (This happens most usually in the Scout age range). In that situation, the kids are not actors of their selfeducation, but consumers of activities. On the other hand, an excessive laissez-faire policy in running a unit or the absence of leadership (this happens most usually in the Venture Scout age range) does not empower young people to take responsibilities either. Indeed, young people, like everybody, need help and advice to achieve their plans. In that sense the promotion of youth involvement concerns mainly the implementation of the Scout method at unit level. I am convinced that it is only on this basis that the youth will become the responsible and involved people we are trying to get. Existing tools at unit level ---------------------------- Some methodologies have been developed in order to promote youth involvement at unit level. Many associations (especially French-speaking) have adopted a methodology called Pedagogie du projet. This method is a way to involve the children and the young people in the choice of the activities, the planning process, the sharing of responsibilities and the evaluation. Other associations have put emphasis on strengthening the importance of the Troop council, Venture council (...) as an implementation tool for youth involvement in the management of the current activities. Developement of national scout programmes ----------------------------------------- This aspect of youth involvement at the Youth Programme level is going to be taken into account with the renewed approach to programme development, which is presently being developed by the WOSM World Programme Committee. The strengthening of youth involvement will be a meaningful contribution to what Scouting offers in today's world. Indeed, we are nearly the only youth organisation which really takes young people seriously and gives them responsibilities. In that way, I am convinced that in supplying such a programme open to youth involvement, we achieve a deep need of youth and also we apply in the best way the learning by doing and progressive self education parts of the Scout method. Implications for the decision-making process ============================================ Nothing revolutionary --------------------- Another way of considering youth involvement issues is linked with power relationships, structures and organisations. On this "organisational" side of the youth involvement policy, we find the present strengthening and generalisation of youth forums and other ways that are implemented to increase youth presence and efficiency in the structures of our organisations. Although this side may appear less relevant than the first one, it works as a success indicator of our Scout programme. Indeed, everybody will agree that, as an output of the programme we supply, we should get responsible and skilled people who are involved in society and in the communities where they live. So how could we explain why we have no young people in key positions in our associations? The efficient involvement of young people is actually a living demonstration of the success we have in achieving the aims of Scouting. Specific benefits ----------------- Moreover, the co-operation of different age-ranges in the same bodies adds a lot in our debates due to the difference of recent backgrounds. With greater youth involvement, the inputs to the debates will be richer and more representative of the base of our associations. By the way, this will contribute to bring more transparency and discussion in areas that traditionally attract little interest (e.g. world policies in national associations, national policies in regional bodies...) Some will object that young people lack the required competence to take part in these debates, but the Scout method including learning by doing should also be taken into consideration at this level. And last, but not least, the youth involvement policy comes from "youth structure" and contributes to developing such "youth structures". Although the creation of separate youth bodies risks putting young people in speared processes, it allows discussions to take place in another frame than the usual rather formal one of the statutory meetings. So all the consultative bodies, youth forums and youth committees provide opportunities for intensive exchange of experiences and prospective deliberation. So much more than promoting youth involvement, these committees, working groups, workshops, seminars... give dynamism to the debates of the Movement. Future actions -------------- The XIII European Conference, to be held in Salzburg next April, will apply to promote all the above-mentioned aspects. Already in Bangkok, youth representatives of the WOSM European associations proposed not to set up a regional Youth Forum just prior to the Conference. Their were followed by the European Comittee which took this decision (notwithstanding a request included in a resolution of the World Conference) - although many measures are going to be implemented in order to promote an active youth involvement there. Many Guide and Scout associations are already seriously considering this issue and will send more youth delegates than before. For instance, in my national association, the selection of the delegates has become more open and obvious than before. All the cantonal chief commissioners and all the members of the international team who are usually young adults in the world Youth Involvement Policy sense, have been invited to take part in this Conference. The international issues are also becoming more and more published and discussed. Of course it is not sufficient to push the association to send young delegates to a Conference. Therefore, various services are going to be supplied to the participants: introductory kit with clear information on the Conference, preparatory meeting about some conference sessions, workshops on youth involvement... Youth involvement is a complex issue which deals with youth programme and management processes. This question cannot be reduced to the proportion of young members in some bodies, or other structural requests, even if these requests carry much more than formal constraints and rules of balanced power. I actually hope that the next European Conference will provide us rich opportunities to bring further this debate and implement concrete measures focused on the needs of European youth and the European associations. This is the aim of our working group on youth participation. Stan ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stanislas FROSSARD Rue de Lausanne 54 1950 Sion Switzerland private ph. : + 41 27 22 63 45