Boy Scouts of America

Messengers Of Peace

What is Messengers of Peace?

Welcome to the Messengers of Peace program in BSA. World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) created Messengers of Peace in 2011, to encourage Scouts around the world to step up and do what they can to make the world a little better. The MoP program falls under WOSM’s Better World Framework.

Messengers of Peace aims to promote a culture of peace and dialogue for mutual understanding, promote service initiatives led by Scouts, support the development of young people affected by conflict situations, provide further connection to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and connect Scouts around the world in a global network of 20 million Messengers of Peace.

WOSM has defined Three Dimensions within which we can build a culture of peace and create positive change in our world today:

  • Personal
  • Community Based
  • Collective Results

The Program

Each level of the Messengers of Peace Program is broken down into four stages: Inspire, Learn & Decide, Do, and Share. For each level there is a list of requirements in each of these areas. Apart from where it is stated that you can complete one or two items from a list, all
requirements must be completed to earn the award. These activities should include direct contributions to the achievement at the local or national level of one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by WOSM, see SDGS.SCOUT.ORG for more information.

While there are no official age requirements, based on the requirements, a good guideline is that those working towards the MoP Champion Award are at least 13 years old and that those working towards the MoP Ambassador Award are at least 16 years old, BUT this is not mandatory. Recipients of the MoP awards must be registered members of the BSA.

Completion of the Messenger of Peace Award may be signed off by any registered adult volunteer in BSA. Completion of the Messengers of Peace Champion, Ambassador, and Unit Awards require signature from your chosen Messengers of Peace Project Advisor, your International Representative OR Council Executive Committee OR your Council’s MoP Representative.

For more details, or to get started on your Messengers of Peace Project, please refer to the official BSA MoP Guide.

You can log your hours here.

Note: Before recording service hours at SDGS.SCOUT.ORG, youth Scouts should have completed the “Protect Yourself Rules” or CyberChip online safety guidelines training appropriate to their rank.

Assets

Program Guide

Training PowerPoint

Promo Video for Download

Application Form – Unit Award

Application Form – Champion

Application Form – Ambassador

Application Form – Distinguished

Council Guidance Sheet

MoP Flyer

MoP Program Poster (11×17)

International Rep Call FAQs – June 28th, 2023

Awards

Connect with us & share your projects

We want to hear about your Messengers of Peace Projects. Projects submitted below have a chance to be featured on our Social Media accounts and blogs to help inspire other Scouts and Scouters to develop their own Messengers of Peace projects.  

Follow “Messengers of Peace BSA” on Facebook & Instagram. 

Submit projects below to be featured on our Social Media, Newsletters and Blogs. 

Share your projects here

Messengers of Peace Heroes 

Katie is a Messengers of Peace Hero from California.  

The Messengers of Peace Heroes Award was created in 2012 to recognize exceptional Scouts, volunteers and professionals for their outstanding work in creating a better world. The award acknowledges and recognises the extraordinary service of young people and their contributions towards community development, the promotion of dialogue and peace, and relief in times of need. Learn more here. 

Program Overview

Launched in September 2011, Messengers of Peace is a global initiative designed to inspire millions of young men and women in more than 220 countries and territories to work toward peace. Using state-of-the-art social media, the initiative lets Scouts from around the world share what they’ve done and inspire fellow Scouts to undertake similar efforts in their own communities. The initiative is inspired by the World Scout Committee, administered by the World Scout Bureau, and driven by youth volunteers worldwide.

Defining Peace

In terms of the MOP initiative, peace encompasses three dimensions:

Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a project that has had a significant impact on the community in any one of the three dimensions above can qualify as a Messenger of Peace.

Submitting Projects

The Unit Leader or designated Unit Committee Member reports the Messengers of Peace service hours in Scoutbook and signs off on completion of the Messengers of Peace Award for each Scout who actively participated in the project.

Recognition Item

Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a qualifying project is eligible to wear a Messengers of Peace ring patch around the World Crest on his or her uniform. A unit representative can purchase these ring patches at a local Scout shop, council service center, or Scoutstuff.org.

Messengers of Peace Resources

Messengers of Peace Downloads

Messengers of Peace Frequently Asked Questions

Messengers of Peace Service Project Ideas

Messengers of Peace Marketing

Messengers of Peace Videos

WOSM Messengers of Peace

2024 Distinguished Messengers of Peace Projects

Messenger of Peace FAQs

Messengers of Peace Service Project Ideas

Peace is more than the absence of war. It encompasses harmony between individuals, between communities, and between humankind and the environment. A Messengers of Peace service project is defined as any project that touches on one of these dimensions of peace:

  1. The personal dimension: harmony, justice, and equality
  2. The community dimension: peace as opposed to hostility or violent conflict
  3. Relationships between humankind and its environment: security, social and economic welfare, and relationship with the environment

 

Here are sample project ideas:

Personal Dimension

  • Host a holiday party for children of prison inmates.
  • Collect books and magazines for inner-city schools.
  • Conduct entertainment programs, including skits and plays, at a nursing home.
  • Make and donate gift boxes to be distributed by Feed the Children.
  • Assist organizations that provide home maintenance services for those in need.
  • Clean a Habitat for Humanity house before the family moves in.

Community Dimension

  • Create a community prayer garden.
  • Replace graffiti with peace-related murals.
  • Host conflict-resolution workshops in a local school.
  • Plan a sports tournament that brings together kids from different segments of the community.
  • Serve as “victims” for a county EMT or first responders training course.
  • Assist in the packaging of medical supplies for developing countries.

Environmental Dimension

  • Clean up a campground, a local park, a river, or a school parking lot.
  • Assist with a shoreline-restoration project.
  • Collect and dispose of household chemicals, batteries, and other potentially dangerous waste products from the residences of shut-ins.
  • Remove invasive species and plant native trees in a park.
  • Volunteer at a community recycling center.
  • Clear brush from fire buffer zone.

For tips on conducting successful projects, visit www.scouting.org/awards/journey-to-excellence/unit-tips

How did MoP get started?

Since 2011, Scouts have committed to projects, of various scales, to make the world a more peaceful place and logged their hours on the Messengers of Peace Global Network site.  Projects fall into three categories: Personal, Community, Environment.

The initiative is supported by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Carl XVI Gustaf, and follows on from the Gifts of Peace initiative to mark the centenary of Scouting in 2007. Funding has been made available to support The Messengers of Peace Support Fund.

What is different with the "new version" of the MoP program?

The Messengers of Peace program is not changing. The new information only seeks to educate and place a defined framework around the program.  

The addition of the Champion and Ambassador awards are merely to recognize those Scouts that choose to lead a project that is substantially larger.

How does MoP differ from other service programs in Scouting?

Messengers of Peace projects focus on a global community of Scouts who are engaged through individual and collective community service actions in the areas of peace-building and dialogue, diversity and inclusion, humanitarian action, culture and heritage, and civic engagement.  

Messengers of Peace projects tend to align themselves directly with one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as outlined by the United Nations.

Do existing Scout projects qualify as MoP projects?

Absolutely!   Many Scouting projects can be modified slightly to align with the framework of Messengers of Peace.

Messengers of Peace projects tend to align themselves directly with one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as outlined by the United Nations.

Who runs the MoP Program?

The Messengers of Peace program is run by the World Organization of the Scout Movement, which along with the Scouts of the World Award and the World Scout Environment Programs form the Better World Framework program.

Within the United States, the Messengers of Peace program is administered by the Messengers of Peace Committee, a subset of the BSA International Committee.

Are there guidelines on developing service projects that qualify for the different awards from the MoP Program?

There is a full program guide available on the BSA Messengers of Peace website.

Where could I find a Guidebook or videos that explain the MoP program?

BSA Messengers of Peace website has many resources to assist you with the development of your project. Including the page you’re on right now!

Here is the official Guidebook and you can find the informational video right here.

Why are there different Award levels of service of the MoP program?

The Messengers of Peace award is standard around the world. In the United States, the addition of the Champion and Ambassador awards are merely to recognize those Scouts that choose to lead a project that is substantially larger.

Who decides which projects of service qualify for the different MoP Service awards?

The Scout! The Scout will decide what his or her project will look like. Then, the Scout will work with their local International Representative and Scout Executive to submit their paperwork for the higher awards.

Will the MoP Program allow us to work with other Scouts Internationally?

Messengers of Peace projects are structured such that they can be administered at any level. They can be done locally, or globally.

Where could I get information on the MoP program and then develop a qualifying project?

There is a full program guide available on the BSA Messengers of Peace website.

Could my Eagle/Quartermaster/Summit Scout Project qualify as a MoP project?

Absolutely! Refer to the Messengers of Peace program guide and worksheets to ensure that the project is scoped and developed properly to be aligned with both programs.

Who would I contact to get started on a MoP project?

Refer to the Messengers of Peace Program Guide. Then start with your Scoutmaster and International Representative in your Council.

Still have questions? Feel free to ask us questions here.

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.