Sr Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ 

Under-Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. 

Fr Gilfredo Marengo 

Professor of Theological Anthropology and Vice-President of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences. 

Tebaldo Vinciguerra 

Official at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. 

Isabella Bruckner 

Professor of Christian Thought and Spiritual Practice at the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant’Anselmo and Visiting Professor at the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute. 

Fr Sergio Massironi 

Theological Consultant to the Secretariat of State, university chaplain and lecturer in theology. 

Fr Roberto Del Riccio, SJ 

Former National Chaplain of AGESCI  

Chris Meadows 

Project Manager and Consultant for the World Organization of the Scout Movement. 

H.E. Bishop Dario Gervasi 

Deputy Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. 

Llanos Meseguer 

Chief Operating Officer at La Machi. 

Fabrice Ouattara 

International Federal Commissioner of the Fédération Ivoirienne du Scoutisme. 

Fr Romuald Uzabumwana, SAC 

Lecturer at the Institute of Anthropology of the Pontifical Gregorian University. 

Carla Simões 

Director of Education and Impact at the World Scout Bureau. 

Juan Ambrósio 

Professor of Theological Anthropology at the Faculty of Theology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. 

Fr Daniel Nascimento 

National Chaplain of the Corpo Nacional de Escutas and Professor of Sacred Scripture at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. 

Juan della Torre 

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of La Machi. 

Joaquín Reinoso 

Creative Director at La Machi. 

Pablo Pagès 

Key Account Manager at La Machi. 

Leaven in the Dough is an ICCS project designed to strengthen the presence and mission of Catholics in Scouting. It combines international exchange, training, mentoring and the development of local projects responding to the concrete needs of participating Associations. 

The project is promoted by the International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS). It reflects the mission of ICCS to support its member organisations and to serve as a bridge between the Catholic Church and the World Organization of the Scout Movement. 

The project helps participating Associations deepen their relationship with the Catholic Church while contributing to the educational mission of WOSM. It pays particular attention to spiritual and religious development, youth leadership, safe relationships, social responsibility and the integral development of young people. 

The project brings together ICCS Member and Observer Member Organisations from 27 countries and territories across the four ICCS regions. Each Association is represented by a team composed of a member of the national leadership, a young Scout leader, and a chaplain or spiritual guide. 

The application and selection process for the current project cycle has been completed, so new Associations can no longer join as full participants. However, ICCS Member and Observer Member Organisations may follow the development of the project, access the resources made publicly available and contact the Project Team to express interest in future opportunities. 

The training journey began with a face-to-face seminar in Frascati in November 2025 and continued with a five-module online training programme from January to July 2026. The modules address Christian anthropology, spiritual leadership, safe relationships and environments, Catholic Social Teaching, and communication. 

The face-to-face seminar in Frascati took place in November 2025, followed by the five-module online training programme from January to July 2026. During this period, each participating Association designed a project responding to its own local needs and context. The local projects are scheduled to be implemented between October 2026 and October 2027, with mentoring and support from the Project Team. 

The trainers come from the Catholic Church, the World Scout Movement, academia, Scouting and civil society. They contributed to the face-to-face seminar in Frascati, the online training programme, or both stages, bringing expertise in theology, education, synodality, leadership, safeguarding, Catholic Social Teaching, communication and project development. 

Participants are expected to engage actively in the different stages of the journey, work together as an Association team, complete the proposed exercises and reflections, and contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of their local project. 

Each participating Association develops a project based on its own needs, priorities and Scouting context. The projects translate the learning gained through the training programme into concrete action and seek to create a sustainable impact within the Association or the communities it serves. 

The projects were designed during the online training period, between January and July 2026. Their implementation is planned to take place between October 2026 and October 2027. 

Each participating team receives mentoring and guidance from the Project Team. This accompaniment supports the refinement of objectives, action planning, implementation, evaluation and long-term sustainability of the projects. 

The Local Projects section presents the participating Associations, projects in progress and stories emerging from their implementation. An interactive map will make it possible to explore the Associations and their projects by country or territory. 

Selected presentations, texts, videos, activities and practical tools will be made available in the Resources section. Some materials may remain reserved for project participants or may require the permission of their authors. 

Resources made publicly available may be used or adapted for Scout groups, training activities, meetings and Association initiatives, provided that the authorship, source and any conditions of use are respected. 

The main working languages of the project are English, French and Spanish. The availability of individual documents and resources in all three languages may vary. 

The current project cycle runs from 2025 to 2027. It includes the Frascati Seminar, online training, the design and implementation of local projects, mentoring, final evaluation and the sharing of results and good practices.