scout.org – where a permanent jamboree comes alive

Today, we are launching a new online platform for World Scouting. It aims to bring together all the Scouts around the world in a permanent jamboree. It marks a fundamental mind-shift in our communications and will contribute to change the way we are doing business in World Scouting. Also, this moment is very special as we prepare to celebrate another JOTA-JOTI and we hope that this new platform will contribute to further engagement and exchange between Scouts worldwide. The changes to scout.org go beyond creating a new website. They reflect the way we see our Movement and its role in the lives of our members.
We have created a platform which will provide constant learning, communication, sharing and development.” – Scott Teare, Secretary General WOSM

Why is it happening: Our digital journey

When we launched the previous website 7 years ago, we were focusing on our SCOUTS brand. It was a necessary move, which unified our identity and our activities. As people change the way they use the Internet, so must we. Major social media platforms have started expanding to become an integrated part of young people’s lives. We should not only be part of this change but actually help drive it. The new website we are launching will become an enabler for young people and adults in Scouting to share, experience and learn. Moreover, it will allow all Scouts to feel that they are participating in a global movement.

Our new website is the centre of World Scouting’s renewed web presence. It is a hub for all of our digital activities. It brings a new level of transparency, responsiveness and interactivity.

What is happening: The vision for the new scout.org

The vision of the new scout.org is to be an online space where the Movement is living in its full vibrancy – 24/7 and 365 days a year.

We want scout.org to showcase the diversity, unity and vastness of our Movement. It will be a place where Scouts can share projects and feature success stories. It will be a permanent online Jamboree and a constant meeting place both for Scouts and external visitors. All the developments for the new scout.org should eventually contribute to the development of Scouting.

How we make it: Everyone’s a user, everyone’s a creator – a dynamic scout.org

The new scout.org will consist of three sites in one: a user-driven site, a corporate site and an intranet. It will be focusing on people AND content.

User-generated content changed the Internet and more broadly the way individuals and organisations communicate. People are empowered to share and communicate directly with institutions. To reflect this great shift, we would like to open scout.org to our members.

Technically speaking, the new scout.org enables people to create profiles, post content, share it, like it and comment on it. Personal profiles of users with photos bring a strong personal identity and connection with scout.org and the Movement at large. We want the empowerment of individuals to be visible from the very first moment. Indeed, the bubble-up effect will ensure that great stories from the grassroots of Scouting around the world will make it to the headlines on the homepage of scout.org within no time.

The corporate part of the website placed under “About Scouting” will provide a wide array of information about our Movement and about our organization. Good content and quality information from the previous website has been captured, updated and transferred. We will continue building our strong identity and communicate about our values and our Movement.

The intranet section is another new feature for the special benefit of National Scout Organizations. In this space, you will have dedicated access to the various announcements, resources and services that World Scouting offers to all its member organizations. The goal of the intranet is to improve communications and information exchange between World Scouting and NSOs. You will be able to find information about different events and activities, as well as reports created by all Offices of the World Scout Bureau and other NSOs. And this part will continue to grow over time as our needs evolve.

Creating success together: What’s next?

It is extremely rare that a user-driven website takes off on its own. We need to foster and help in the initial phase of organic growth. A team of creators and editors must assist in bootstrapping the website at the beginning. We all have great stories about our Movement and about our achievements, which we would like to share with the world. Now, it is a great moment to do so.

We invite you all to visit the new scout.org and to start sharing your personal and organisational stories. That way we can create success together.

See you there, where permanent jamboree comes alive –  SCOUT.ORG – Scouting 24/7

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