Scouts in search of solutions in the face of climate change

Sunday, March 30, 9 a.m. Tired faces after a night under the tent gather at the Petite Ferme, an annex of the Château de Jambville, a French castle located in the town of Jambville, some 50 kilometers northwest of Paris. The activity center of the Scouts and Guides of France, with its 50-hectare park, is a calm place conducive to reflection.

About a hundred participants took part in the conference on adapting the movement’s activities to climate change over the weekend. Among its 99,000 members, 50 young people aged 6 to 21 and 50 adult volunteers were drawn by lot, modeled after the Citizens’ Climate Convention, to come up with and vote on recommendations along these lines. First, it is time to raise awareness.

Understanding the stakes through games

Despite the cool air, minds are warming up, driven by the energy of Gwénaëlle David, 28 years old. In the scouts, it is through games that one understands the stakes. Such pedagogy allows each age group, from young (ages 6–8) to senior (ages 17–20), to grasp all aspects of climate change.

About 20 people with shirts covered in badges form small groups around tables. Goal: to identify the risks to which scouts may be exposed. The anecdotes fly: “As for rising water, the Vosges isn’t Brittany…,” commented Régis, a group leader. “For us, the problem is the rising temperatures. We set up watchpoints to prevent forest fires.”

The day before, participants had become aware of the causes and consequences of climate change through discussions with scientists like Valérie Masson-Delmotte, climatologist and former co-chair of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Also present were members of associations such as E-graine, a French nonprofit focused on civic education and sustainable development, the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), and Les Petits débrouillards, a grassroots science education group for children and teens in France.

The scouts are well aware of the challenges posed by global warming. Their many memories and experiences from summer camps are proof. “At the Jamboree (a large scout gathering – Ed.) in 2015 in Strasbourg, we woke up in the middle of the night with water up to our shins,” recalled Alban Lengaigne. “We were right in the middle of the storm, pots and pans flying everywhere outside! We had to evacuate the camp and take shelter in the theater.”

And the stories don’t stop there. In July 2019, the “Connecte!” gathering of 20,000 scouts was hit by a heatwave, causing many young people to suffer heatstroke. “We sheltered under the trees, otherwise we risked sunstroke,” recalled Clément, an 18-year-old senior Scout.

Hope and adaptation

“We will not manage to stop climate change,” commented David. “It’s up to us to adapt by formulating a set of recommendations.” Thought out for more than a year, the conference is part of a broader movement led by the organization Les Clameurs, a French initiative amplifying grassroots voices, focuses on civic engagement and public debate.

This large mobilization campaign, which ran from 2024 to 2026, invited young scouts to take on challenges around the ideas of social and environmental justice. This approach is in line with the call for ecological conversion in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, published ten years ago.

The gathering of 20,000 in the Château de Jambville’s park in July will be the highlight. “The spiritual aspect is essential because it brings hope,” David emphasized. “Believing in humanity and forming a community allows us to search deeper for solutions.”

Scouting forges ahead

It’s noon, and the weekend is coming to an end. After the tents are taken down, the final gathering in front of the château’s orangery is a collective brainstorming session. On sheets placed on tables, the participants jot down their adaptation ideas according to each risk. After awareness comes a second building block, calling the association to rethink its areas of activity.

Several concrete proposals emerge: “Organize camps during All Saints’ break or Easter holidays,” “shift the times of activities,” or “create cool zones at camp using sheets”…

These recommendations will serve as the basis for the next work session, from May 8 to 11, during which they will be expanded upon and approved by vote. Once the recommendation booklet is presented and validated by the general assembly of the Scouts and Guides of France, a working group will be tasked with implementing them starting in 2026.

“Share what you’ve seen this weekend around you,” David said as the guitars came out. Everyone sings the scout song, The World Is Calling Me: “And if there is no path, I will know how to carve my own.”