The Scout Association of Maldives and UNICEF have signed a partnership agreement to integrate UNICEF's TRAILs framework into the association's renewed youth programme, aiming to equip young people with essential life skills for a rapidly changing world.
The Scout Association is currently updating its youth programme to better address emerging challenges faced by young people, including digital safety, mental wellbeing, climate change and active citizenship.
Through the partnership, the TRAILs framework will be embedded into learning modules, activities, and training resources, promoting competencies such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, creativity, leadership, digital literacy and resilience.
The collaboration will also support the development of three new priority badges: Mind Builders, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Child Rights, linking skills development with adolescent wellbeing, climate resilience and children's rights.
These badges aim to help young people build resilience, understand and exercise their rights, prepare for emergencies and take positive action in their communities, the Scout Association stated.
The initiative includes strengthened training and support for Scout Leaders to ensure high quality learning experiences for children and youth across the Maldives. By embedding these competencies into the association's systems and educational resources, the association seeks to create long term impact for future generations through this partnership.
UNICEF Representative to Maldives Dr. Edward Addai said, "UNICEF looks forward to working closely with the Scout Association of Maldives to support the movement's growth and help equip young people to serve their communities today and shape a stronger Maldives tomorrow."
Scout Association of Maldives' Chief Commissioner Ismail Rifau stated, "As we continue to strengthen our Youth Programme through Project Raasthaa, this partnership will help us integrate important areas such as resilience, disaster risk reduction, mental wellbeing, child rights, leadership, problem solving and active citizenship more strongly into the Scout experience."
"We are not only thinking about the Cubs, Scouts and Rovers who are with us today. We are thinking about the young person who will join Scouting five years from now, ten years from now, and even beyond that. We want the next generation of Scouts to experience a programme that is relevant to the world they are growing up in. We want them to leave Scouting not only knowing how to be a good Scout, but also having the confidence, skills, values and resilience to become responsible citizens and positive changemakers in their communities," he added.
The agreement was signed by Dr. Edward Addai and Ismail Rifau at a special ceremony held yesterday.
