With the Jamboree exhibition and members of the team involved in sessions and breakouts the Jamboree Planning Team acts actively to disseminate informations about the Jamboree and to connect with the international community. The Pomorskie Voivodeship is an official partner of our participation to the Congress.
Inspiring generations of Scouts
Speaking at the opening ceremony, World Scout Committee Chairperson Andy Chapman encouraged participants to use the international event to actively participate, share insight, and engage in meaningful dialogue to address key challenges facing young people and Scouting.
“The future of education in Scouting is in our hands and we have an important responsibility now to pave the way for a future that continues to empower and inspire generations of Scouts to come,” he said.
Chapman highlighted alarming forecasts that by 2030, an estimated 825 million youths will lack critical workforce skills, signalling a need to revamp educational systems. To help mitigate some of these challenges, he highlighted Scouting’s essential role in complementing formal education, offering opportunities for young people to develop leadership, resilience, digital literacy, and intercultural communication skills.
“It is clear that young people need access to more modern, holistic, and accessible educational opportunities that can equip them with the skills, competencies, and experiences necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world,” Chapman said.
Upholding shared values
Underscoring the Movement’s values was Jean-Marc Sauvé, President of the Cité International Universitaire de Paris, who cited humanism, tolerance, solidarity, and mutual respect as crucial principles shared by Scouting and his institution.
“Cité Internationale strives to promote strong humanist values, which make it a unique campus. Our basic principles are tolerance, solidarity, living together as well as respect for others and the dignity of the person. They are included in our action day after day,” he said.
The Congress agenda builds on the commitments outlined in the Rio Declaration, charting a roadmap for the future of education in Scouting. Among the key topics discussed was technology as a tool for learning and personal growth, which Joao Costa, Portugal’s Minister of Education, said created the need for youth to develop new skills.
Echoing this was Andreas Schleicher, Director, Education and Skills Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, who said that with technology outperforming humans, its use was on the rise and should be embraced.
Schleicher said that technology’s ability to give access to a vast amounts of information had blurred the lines between formal and informal learning, before adding that there was need for education to offer solutions to current youth challenges, including unemployment and homelessness.
“Having a positive impact on the world is very important but we need to develop people who are deeply rooted and able to critically think,” Schleicher said before adding that one of the biggest mistakes of the century was not assessing education outcomes and that giving degrees and qualifications was not enough.
He also stressed the need to change education systems in order to achieve sustainable development.
Addressing misinformation and environmental challenges
Carine Petit, Mayor of the 14th Arrondissement of Paris, underscored the dangers of misinformation that come with advances in technology, expressing hope that participants would use the Congress to discuss ways to tackle these challenges.
Addressing sustainability, Nathan Spees, Global Education Coordinator for the World Wide Fund for Nature, called attention to the need to empower young people to take a more active role on issues related to the environment.
Zakariya Bakhouche from Scouts D’Algeria reiterated the importance of providing youth with opportunities to actively shape their future, stating that “youth must be part of, implement, and hold all parties accountable in sustainable development initiatives.”
