Beyond 2025: Building Better Opportunity for Young People, Together.

We're working on a new strategy for Scouting in Canada that will capture the dreams and goals of young people so they are prepared for success — now and in the future. This new strategy will guide the actions we take nationally and locally to provide life changing opportunities to hundreds of thousands of young people, not tens of thousands. We are thrilled to kick off the process to figure out what is to come Beyond 2025.

What we have done so far

Over the past 6 months we have engaged young people, volunteers and external stakeholders to figure out what steps we need to take to create a plan for Beyond 2025 in a way that hears from as many people as possible. Through in-person meetings, virtual workshops and surveys, we collected insights that resulted in the process we will take to develop the new strategy.

During these engagements we asked you to review our ideas on how to create the strategy and what principles should guide this process. 94% agreed with the proposed process while 89% agreed with the principles. Your open response also captured key insights we should apply as follows.

This is what we heard:

Young People and Power: You want young people to have more than just a voice. Insights collected showed a strong desire to give them power so the new strategy is youth-driven and youth-approved.
Continuous Engagement: You want two-way communications that makes sure your voice is heard and that we report back on what we heard, what we will be doing with your insights, and what we will not be doing. Once the new strategy is launched you want to stay up to date on how it is going and how you can get involved.
Transition Period: You want time to prepare for any changes that come from the new strategy and clarity on the goals we are looking to achieve.

We also asked how you wanted to get involved and participate.

This is what we heard:

Existing Channels & Events: You asked that we integrate engagement opportunities with existing channels like the network, newsletters & social media. There was interest in creating opportunities to gather your great ideas at Camps, Council Meetings, ScoutCons and other events.
Local Scouting: You suggested that we empower local Scouting to collect ideas from their own Scouting community. To do so successfully it was requested that we provide tools, resources and ways to feed what you learn back to us.
Engaging youth: We heard loud and clear that we need to engage youth differently than we do adults. Trail cards, activities and games were recommended for Beaver and Cub aged youth, while digital communications is how to reach those between the ages of 14 to 26.
Outside Perspectives: You want to know what others think of Scouting and what it would take for them to join. You suggested we should have a presence at community events, engage with parents/carers and connect with like minded-organizations.

The Result

Thanks to your feedback we are happy to share the guiding principles and process that will result in a new strategy Beyond 2025. After each stage of the process you can expect to hear from us- what we heard, what we did, what we didn’t do and why.

Connection: Everyone, especially young people, adult volunteers, Group Commissioners, and staff, will see the plan as their own.
Outward Looking: We will listen to & reflect the thoughts and ideas of those not in Scouting- like parents, families, young people and experts.
Power & Young People: Young people will have more than a voice; they will be given real power to make decisions and take action.
Common Purpose: The goals of the plan will be clear so staff, adult volunteers, and young people know how to help; and so we can see what’s working and what needs to change.

Embedded & Resourced: At implementation, we will have an action plan and know what finances, people, and support is needed to reach our goals.
Sustainability & Capacity: We will make sure the plan works for young people now and in the future; and that local Scouting, Councils and National Teams have what they need to take action.
Agile & Flexible: We will be ready for change and remain flexible so we can adjust our plans and actions when things don’t go as expected or when new ideas arise.

Co-Design Process

Phase	Process	Discovery	Vision	Ideation	Testing	Launch	Action Plan
Timeline	Jan. to May 2024 (Complete)	Jun. to Sep. 2024 (In Planning)	Oct. to Dec. 2024 (Not Started Yet)	Jan. to Mar. 2025 (Not Started Yet)	Apr. to Jun. 2025 (Not Started Yet)	Jul. to Sep. 2025 (Not Started Yet)	Oct 2025. to Mar. 2026 (Not Started Yet)
What we will do	We will create a way to make a plan that gets ideas from people in and outside of Scouting.	We will find out what is currently working, what is not and, what the public thinks to help us decide what we want to achieve.	Together, we will craft a clear & exciting Vision for the future.	We will co-design ways to make our vision a reality.	We will check back in with a draft plan to make sure it works for our members and families outside of Scouting.	We will tell everyone about the new plan — inside & outside of Scouts.	We will put resources in place for Local Scouting, Councils and National Teams to act on the plan and we'll monitor to make sure it is working.
How you will be involved	You will review the proposed process and principles that will guide it. Your input will help us understand where there is support and what we need to change or amplify.	You will be able to tell us what information you need to come up with great ideas for our next plan. You will help us decide what insights and findings we need to learn more about and discuss as a movement.	You will participate in a National conversation to co-design Scouts Canada’s strategic vision through local and online events.	You will come up with great ideas that will bring our Vision to life.	You will be able to comment on the draft plan and say whether it reflects what we heard.	You will be provided the tools and support to tell everyone about our new plan.	You will tell us what you need to act on the plan — whether you are a young person, Section Scouter, Group Commissioner, Council Key 3 member or staff.

How we used your feedback

We appreciate everyone’s input into the first phase in shaping our new strategy where we figured out the steps we need to take to get to a plan for Beyond 2025. We used your inputs as follows:

Your feedback directly impacted our decision to include the principle ‘Power and Young People’. Young people will be given more than a voice, they have real power to shape our new strategy.
Through member consultations we heard that to be successful at delivering our plan, local Scouting needs time to prepare for any changes. We agree, which is why there will be a 6-month period after the new strategy is launched to determine what resources, tools and services are required to support Groups & Sections.
You told us you want your time and input to be valued in this process. We promise to be clear about how we're using your feedback, and if we don't use it, we'll explain why.
You said it’s super important to hear from different perspectives. To reach hundreds of thousands of young people instead of just tens of thousands, we need to listen to those who aren’t usually heard and figure out what they need to join us. That’s why we’ve set goals to make sure we’re always looking outward and including everyone.

Your Voice. Your Strategy.

If these opportunities are not a fit but you still want to help, there are many ways for you to get involved. You can join workshops, host events to discuss ideas with your local Scouting community or take action to make our next strategy a reality. If these opportunities sound good to you, let us know here and we'll get in touch.

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Media inquiries, please contact Naina Trivedi: naina.trivedi@scouts.ca

Scouts Canada Charity Number: 107761694RR0028

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