The World Scout Movement was represented at the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Promoting a Culture of Peace through Interreligious Dialogue and Education, held on 26 and 27 November 2025 at the University for Peace (UPEACE) in San José, Costa Rica.
Mauricio Veayra, Director of Education and Youth, took part in the conference, organised by the University for Peace, Religions for Peace – Latin America and the Caribbean, the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID) and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The event brought together academics, professionals, policymakers and religious leaders to explore the transformative role of interreligious dialogue and education in fostering peace, social cohesion and inclusive societies.
The representative of the Scout Movement participated in the Panel on Innovation in Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Education, where he shared the Movement's experience as a global educational movement based on values, present in 176 countries and offering one of the largest non-formal education systems in the world.
During the conference, it was highlighted that the Scout Movement promotes safe, structured spaces for dialogue, where young people can explore their identity, beliefs, and cultural heritage through guided reflection and experiential activities. The emphasis on learning by doing enables Scouts to collaborate across their differences in real contexts through mixed patrols, intercultural exchanges, camps and community projects.
Among the Movement’s flagship initiatives, specific programme frameworks for intercultural and interreligious dialogue were presented, including the Dialogue for Peace Challenge and the Interreligious Dialogue Challenge, hosted on the Scouts for SDGs Hub. These challenges provide structured learning pathways and reflection tools that help young people explore diversity in a meaningful way.
The Dialogue for Peace Challenge has trained more than 50,000 Scouts worldwide in methodologies that follow four stages: listening, understanding, engaging and collaborating. Meanwhile, the Interreligious Dialogue Challenge guides young people through processes of self-reflection on their own beliefs, learning about other religions and carrying out community service projects.
The impact of the Messengers of Peace initiative was also highlighted. Since 2010, it has empowered millions of young people in projects that promote peace, dialogue and inclusion. The initiative has recorded more than 16 million projects and community actions, nearly 3 billion hours of community service contributed to the SDGs, and over 4.7 million direct beneficiaries.