National Scout Organizations invited to vote on delivering the World Scout Conference and Youth Forum virtually

National Scout Organizations invited to vote on delivering the World Scout Conference and Youth Forum virtually

Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the convening of in-person events, with many international organisations shifting the delivery of global gatherings and conferences online. In planning for the 42nd World Scout Conference and 14th World Scout Youth Forum, the World Scout Committee has carefully considered research conducted into the various modalities to deliver these events, while still maintaining the health and safety of all participants, meeting constitutional requirements, and reflecting feedback from National Scout Organizations (NSOs).

After looking at all available options and taking into consideration the health and safety risks posed by the pandemic, the World Scout Committee has concluded that it is not viable to host these international events in-person in a safe and inclusive manner in August 2021. As such, a referendum has been shared with all 171 NSOs to vote and decide on delivering these events virtually. NSOs have until 15 February 2021 to submit their vote in the referendum.

The opportunity to host these events virtually opens up the possibility to invite more NSO leadership and youth participants than ever before to a World Scout Conference and Youth Forum, and to design an exciting programme that will engage and inspire our Movement as we continue to work towards realising Vision 2023, our Strategy for Scouting.

The Conference and Youth Forum aims to deliver a positive, inclusive and engaging participant experience virtually, leveraging technology and best practices for online voting and digital engagement to bring our Movement together. Through a virtual conferencing platform and technical support offered to NSO delegations, participants will be able to take part in decision-making to shape the future of World Scouting, engage in educational workshops, have fun during social activities, and network with Scouts from around the world.

We invite you to watch this short video to explore what we envision for the virtual delivery of the World Scout Conference and Youth Forum in August 2021. For more details, National Scout Organizations can visit the information page and Q&A section on scoutconference.org/virtual to learn more about the referendum and virtual conference modality. More details and guidance will be communicated as it becomes available to NSOs through the conference website.

Scout Create A Better World

PROMOTING SCOUTING GLOBALLY