Dear friends in Scouting,
I’m incredibly proud and honoured to have been appointed by the World Scout Committee as the 11th Secretary General of World Scouting.
Like so many of you, I grew up in Scouting. I experienced the programme as a young person, delivered it as a local leader, and eventually had the opportunity to serve as Chief Executive of my National Scout Association in Belgium. Scouting has shaped who I am, the leadership values I stand for, and offered me some of my most meaningful and memorable life experiences.
For the past decade, I’ve been working at the World Scout Bureau, most recently as Acting Secretary General, and before that as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary General. During that time, I worked closely with Ahmad Alhendawi and a remarkable team to develop an ambitious new vision and Strategy for Scouting that will guide us into the future. And I had the opportunity to learn and experience the depth and diversity of Scouting around the world through countless leadership and training engagements to strengthen the capacity of our National Scout Organizations.
Now, I’m excited to continue that journey in this new role. As I look ahead, I want to share a few thoughts about where I believe we need to focus our energy and attention as a global Movement.
First, we need to focus on what we have been hearing loud and clear from National Scout Organizations around the world: that the nature of volunteering is changing, and we need to adapt too. Adults in Scouting still want to contribute their time and talents — but how they do that is shifting. We need to build stronger, more flexible support systems and models that make it easier for volunteers to get involved and stay involved.
Second, our educational programmes must keep evolving. The world is moving fast — and our approach to learning needs to move with it. Scouting has always been about building skills for life, and we need to keep pushing ourselves to offer more impactful, relevant, and transformative experiences that enable young people to thrive in today’s rapidly changing world.
Third, and perhaps most critical, is safeguarding. National Scout Organizations have made remarkable progress towards meeting international standards for safeguarding. We need to continue investing and supporting Member Organizations in these efforts. But we also have to go beyond safeguarding policies and procedures. It’s about creating a culture where every child, every young person and every adult, should feel safe, heard, and supported across the Scout Movement.
And finally, if we want to achieve our new vision to reach every young person, everywhere, then we must go where Scouting hasn’t gone yet. That means reaching out to new communities, forming new partnerships, and opening the doors wider than ever before for people of all backgrounds to experience the power and magic of Scouting.
My leadership style is rooted in the ideas of shared purpose, openness and collaboration. This global Movement doesn’t belong to one person, one organisation, or even one generation. It belongs to all of us.
We have a unique opportunity at this pivotal moment in Scouting’s history to keep building a Movement that’s stronger, safer, and more inclusive, ready to take on the global challenges of today and tomorrow. And to make sure that every young person, no matter where they are in the world, gets the opportunity to develop new skills through Scouting to be ready for life.
I look forward to connecting with all of you at local campsites, in communities, and at global gatherings so that we can keep Scouting growing and thriving for years to come.
Yours in Scouting,
David Berg
Secretary General
World Scouting