“We find out how many things unite us and how similar we are, rather than how different and separated we ‘should be’”

7 minutes
Raluca Popa, serving as the Peace Education Team lead for the European Scout Region, brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role. Her journey started in Romania with a simple curiosity that blossomed into a profound understanding of the Movement's broader impact through her active participation in jamborees and various projects. 
 
However, the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine ignited her interest in human rights. Stepping into action, she coordinated first responders at the Romania-Ukraine border, showcasing her dedication to humanitarian efforts. This pivotal moment propelled her into the role of Programme Officer for the initiative in collaboration with UNICEF, known as UAct: Scouts in Response for Ukraine. Through this partnership, Raluca and the team actively engaged in empowering Scouts to develop essential competencies and foster approaches aimed at promoting social cohesion and inclusion amidst challenging circumstances. Her commitment to fostering peace and unity stands as a testament to the transformative power of scouting on both a local and international scale.
Raluca holds a microphone and presents during the WeAct Forum.
Copyright
World Scout Bureau - Kamil Jasinski
What inspired you to become involved in humanitarian action and peace education within the Scout movement?
It was not a specific moment when I got inspired to become involved. It was a series of actions and events that led me to a place where I felt from my core that this was the direction in which I wanted to continue, personally and professionally.
 
I got on this path step by step, enjoying the beauty of scouting as a young person – its camps and jamborees, the lessons learnt from older leaders and coordinators from different projects. This exposure has equipped me with skills to get engaged in humanitarian action and with a proactive attitude when things seem to need a helping hand.
 
How do you believe your experience leading humanitarian projects has prepared you for your current role in peace education?
My experience in leading humanitarian projects is directly linked to my role as Team Lead of Peace Education. It wasn’t until recently that I had the feeling that topics related to Peace Education were quite philosophical for my taste, and with my style being more action-oriented, I was not really confident in my ability to engage in these. However, I realised by being involved in humanitarian projects, especially in crisis response, that prevention of conflicts and even natural catastrophes have a lot to do with pragmatism and not so much with my limited perception from back then – I rather thought that peacebuilding belongs to a world of fancy words. 
 
Back in February and March 2022, I was coordinating first responders at the border between Romania-Ukraine, and it was then that I realised that I wanted to learn more about human rights or safeguarding – just to name a few, and I understood how complex the picture was and how much I needed to learn in order to support groups properly in situations of vulnerability. Now, two years later, we have a Peace Education team focused on bringing closer to every Scout topics related to conflict resolution and dialogue, humanitarian preparedness, Safe from Harm and psychological first-aid. In our Region, we also have National Scout Organizations with remarkable expertise in humanitarian response thanks to their unbelievable efforts within the project UAct: Scouts in response for Ukraine, which was done as a partnership between WOSM-UNICEF in 2022-2023.
 
So, yes, I definitely believe that by being exposed to humanitarian contexts, Scouts can build a solid understanding of Peace Education. It is confirmed by the many Scout humanitarians across Europe, and they deserve a huge recognition!
Raluca wears the Romanian Scout scarf and speaks in front of participants during a training on gender equality.
How do you engage young people in peace education within the scouting community, and what strategies have been effective in fostering a culture of peace and tolerance?
Often, when I speak about peace with young people and adults, I realise how abstract the word ‘peace’ is. If we think about it, it can have many layers; from inner peace to the macro level of peace in the world. If I ask ten people what inner peace means for them, each of them would give their definition of inner peace – and this is brilliant and powerful, and it shows how much one’s living environment and life context influence the practices needed to feel inner peace. If we think of peace in the world, we add billions of other individual perspectives, as well as organisational, 
 governmental, and so on. So, when I speak about peace with Scouts, I try to focus less on finding a common definition and rather on building a common understanding of how peace is manifested in scouting and its impact on the broader society. 
 
Together with the Peace Education team, we have put together the concept of the ‘Peace Education Umbrella’. For short, peace is like an umbrella, and in order for it to protect humans, it needs to have its stripes very well sewn together. In scouting, these umbrella stripes are represented by Diversity and Inclusion, Dialogue, Safe from Harm, Advocacy, Humanitarian Action, and Human Rights. Therefore, to understand how we can create cultures of peace in scouting and beyond, we need to make sure that all these stripes are equally tackled and that young people have skills related to each area. The strategy is to build on the strong foundation we already have in scouting (not to underestimate the huge work of the Peace Education team and allies) and showcase the connection between the umbrella stripes and cultures of peace.
Raluca speaks to participants of the Scout and Guide Academy 2023.
Copyright
Till Sanders
What role do you see scouting playing in promoting peace and social cohesion at local, national, and international levels?
I want to share the most simple example that comes to my mind, which is a testimony of how scouting promotes peace and social cohesion at all levels.
 
In the Peace Education team, we have members from various countries across Europe, and one thing that makes our team valuable is that we are team members from Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, and Germany. We all share a common history, some of us very strongly due to the fact that we have shared borders. Outside scouting, as citizens of the countries where we live, we hear discourses which are meant to create tension between nationalities rather than acceptance, resistance rather than solidarity, and hate rather than peace. In the team, we are two members from Romania who come from different parts of the country, and even between these, we notice the same attitude. I believe many of you reading this, no matter where you live, can think of similar examples happening in your regions.
 
Being part of this international team creates a space for dialogue between us, and we love it! Not only do we learn from each other, but most importantly, we identify similar patterns in the discourses carried out publicly by different stakeholders. Naturally, we all think critically in general, but having this foundation to discuss openly, allows us to collaborate and to find approaches in which we tackle these challenges through education.
 
So yes, absolutely - scouting promotes peace and social cohesion at all levels.
 
Through scouting, we shape future adults who are exposed to many realities and educational contexts. This equips them with critical thinking, dialogue skills, openness to learn more about the world, and to lead with empathy, no matter what their role will be in the future: a team leader, a mayor, a CEO, or a nice fellow in the neighbourhood.
 
Finally, what advice would you give to young people who are passionate about promoting peace and humanitarian values within their communities, especially through organisations like scouting?
Let’s just do it. 
 
I genuinely believe that with every small action taken in our local group or at a broader level, we are giving an example to our peers, and we are creating frameworks for other Scouts to get equipped with the skills and attitudes of peace advocates and humanitarian responders.
 
This is the power of Scouting; we are raising generations of future leaders for our society who lead with empathy and commitment.