The National Key 3 (NK3) share their progress on empowering more youth to discover what they are capable of as they are joined by a New Executive Commissioner and CEO, Liam Burns.
We are reconnecting youth with their friends, for fun outdoor adventures, and an exciting world of opportunity to enhance their abilities. This year alone, we welcomed over 20,000 new young people and over 3,300 new volunteers into our Scouting community; we feel a sense of urgency.
Post-Covid19 - Canadians, volunteers and youth are joining Scouting in higher and higher numbers seeing the great value our program offers in their lives.
A quarter of young people (aged 2-17) in Canada experience mental health challenges. More than half of youth (aged 12-18) across all provinces and territories in Canada experience depression, and 39% face anxiety.
Statistics Canada reports that approximately 76.2% of children aged 5 to 17 were not meeting physical activity guidelines. In addition, another study found that exposure to nature has been shown to improve a range of mental health outcomes in children and youth, including reduced symptoms of ADHD, improved mood, and reduced stress and anxiety.
We have seen our Scouting program positively impact the well-being and resiliency of our members. Parents have told us about the positive impacts Scouting has provided to their children.
- 78% of Scouting youth have become more confident in themselves.
- 75% of Scouts have learned skills to build resiliency.
- 72% of youth have developed stronger leadership skills.
Our communities and young people need Scouting now more than ever.
Going Beyond: Turning Our Strategic Plan into Action
– Built on a Strong Foundation
Scouts Canada’s National Commissioner, Stephen Loney, and National Youth Commissioner, Justin Chenier, would like to sincerely thank outgoing Executive Commissioner and CEO, Andrew Price, for his leadership and contributions to Scouting and welcome our new Executive Commissioner and CEO, Liam Burns to the National Key 3 team.
We are eager to advance the outstanding work already underway to deliver on the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan so that we can reach more youth from all backgrounds and empower them to discover what they are capable of.
– Building a Strong Movement Across the Country: Proud Volunteers Mobilize a Movement
Although we see great momentum and dedication, we know we can do better to support volunteers. Only when aligned as a team of 15,000 staff and volunteers can we deliver on our mission to develop well-rounded youth better prepared for success. The National Key 3 has been engaging with grassroots volunteers and youth to listen and better understand how to support them to deliver outstanding Scouting programs.
Over the past couple of weeks, members of the National Key 3’s and Council Key 3’shave been travelling across Canada to introduce Liam to you, our members. During this tour, we have been actively listening and engaging to find out how we can uplift the four areas of our Scouting culture that we know lead to success:
- Focusing on outcomes + youth experience.
- Empowering & enabling new voices & behaviours
- Forums + opportunities that allow all voices to be heard, recognized and valued.
- Appreciating + recognizing progress /success.
We would like to highlight a few stories collected by a new team of Scouters dedicated to actively reaching out across the Scouting movement to engage and unite our membership together for future success. Shared through the #ProudScouterMoments hashtag on social media, these stories demonstrate how these shifts in our culture, truly embody the organizational change we heard and learned from you is needed, to empower youth to thrive.
#ProudScouterMoments – find more on Proud Scouter Moments
Scouter Magda joined Scouting with her son upon his Doctor’s recommendation to help with his Autism and ADHD. Through the Scouting program, Magda found her #proudScouterMoment as well as rewarding life experiences for not just her son but for herself as well; helping to remove barriers actively.
Scouter Matt Pittman shares a #ProudScouterMoment of when he started planning an activity by Saying Yes! to his Cubs Scouts when they wanted to blow something up… the result?
…. “Tonight, we were rocket scientists and spent the evening launching our rockets. Everyone had a successful launch, and only two weren’t recovered due to tree interference #ProudScouterMoment
Scouter Nicole Elocin shared a story about building a meaningful relationship and the trust a youth had in her as a mentor in scouting; this is her #ProudScouterMoment
Recently, I had a youth who was hesitant even to try Archery; with some gentle encouragement to take ONE TURN, I was amazed to watch that same kiddo get back in line and DOMINATED that Archery Range.
Scouter Bruce Schollie and his Scouts are Bound for the world jamboree in South Korea. But instead of just the big adventure, Bruce took the Opportunity to uplift the diversity of his community to bring greater understanding to his Scouts of the rich culture to which they will soon be travelling– now that is a #ProudScouterMoment.
– Creating a Safe Space for Scouting
Scouts Canada believes youth cannot thrive if they are sidelined from an activity because they are physically hurt, feel emotionally withdrawn, or do not feel included because of their gender or ethnicity.
Approximately 30% of Canadians are visible minorities under the age of 25
Over the last few years, we have been researching our history and reviewing our current practices to develop a modified approach to Scouting that preserves the good intentions of our movement while actively removing practices and traditions that cause present and future harm. We aim to achieve better outcomes for all young people AND make necessary changes to the program that are barriers for youth from diverse backgrounds to participate and thrive.
Learn more about our Reconciliation Journey.
We also continue to track Canadian statistics and trends, both within Scouts Canada and in our communities, regarding youth safety, to ensure we deliver on our promise to provide a safe and inviting space for youth to discover new skills through fun, outdoor adventures.
As members of our Scouting community, it falls on all of us to support each other and address all safety issues immediately and with compassion and empathy. Scouts Canada continues to provide its members with the latest information and training as well as practical tools such as a Safe Scouting app and a 24/7 reporting hotline.
Visit the Safety Resources.
Going Beyond, Together
Scouting has never been about reaching the summit of our goal—it’s about going beyond the peak and extending each adventure into another. It’s a vibrant lifestyle that gives members something to look forward to, from friendship and fun adventures to achieving our organizational goals and new heights. In Scouts Canada, we say “Yes” when others say ‘no.’ Liam will be a strong addition to the National Key 3 as Stephen and Justin continue to lead Scouts Canada in reaching our strategic objective and going beyond.
