Between January and June 2026, participants in the Leaven in the Dough – Driving Social Change through Scouting project completed the second phase of the programme: a six-month online training journey bringing together young leaders, chaplains and national leaders from 27 Scout associations across the four ICCS Regions.
Building on the international seminar held in Frascati in November 2025, the programme aimed to provide participants with the foundations, skills and tools needed to develop local projects capable of strengthening the spiritual, educational and social impact of Scouting.
At the heart of the journey was a fundamental question: what does it mean to be human? Guided by Juan Ambrósio and Fr. Daniel Nascimento from the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Portugal, participants explored a biblical vision of the human person, reflecting on dignity, freedom, relationships, vulnerability and hope. Religion emerged not as an addition to life, but as one of its constitutive dimensions.
If the first module focused on the person, the second focused on those called to accompany others. Through the complementary perspectives of Fr. Roberto del Riccio SJ, former National Chaplain of AGESCI, and Carla Simões from WOSM, participants explored both the Catholic understanding of spiritual leadership and WOSM’s vision of Youth Leadership. Leadership was presented as service, accompaniment and shared responsibility, with young people recognised as active protagonists in the life of the movement.
A healthy Scout movement requires more than good intentions; it requires safe environments and caring communities. Together with Fr. Romuald Uzabumwana SAC from the Institute of Anthropology of the Pontifical Gregorian University and Fabrice Ouattara from WOSM, participants reflected on safeguarding, healthy relationships, spiritual abuse and the responsibility to create communities where every person feels respected, protected and valued.
The programme then widened its horizon from the Scout group to society as a whole. Under the guidance of Tebaldo Vinciguerra from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, participants discovered how Catholic Social Teaching can inspire action for justice, peace, fraternity, ecology and human dignity. The challenge was clear: how can faith become a force for social transformation?
Finally, attention turned to communication. With Juan della Torre, Joaquín Reinoso, Pablo Pagès and Llanos Meseguer from La Machi, participants explored how strategic communication can help bring projects, values and experiences to life. Through storytelling, digital communication, branding and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, they reflected on how to communicate mission effectively in today’s world.
The completion of the online training phase now opens the third stage of the project: the design and implementation of local initiatives. Inspired by the training received, each association is developing a project adapted to its own reality, responding to local needs while contributing to the broader mission of Catholics in Scouting. These initiatives will be implemented throughout 2026 and 2027, leading to the conclusion of the project in November 2027.
Different contexts, different priorities and different projects, but one shared ambition: to become, in the words of the Gospel, true leaven in the dough.