Interreligious dialogue for peace at the WSIS 2017

The 5th World Scout Interreligious Symposium (WSIS) was held from the 27th to 29th of January 2017 at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York.

It is organised by members of the Boy Scouts of America's Religious Relationships Committee and the Interreligious Forum of World Scouting (IFoWS, an informal network of religious groups/organisations in Scouting), and supported by the World Scout Bureau and the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID).

130 Participants with an interest in interreligious dialogue and with spiritual and religious aspects of Scouting, and those concerned with growing Scouting among religious communities attended the symposium from over 40 countries. The Participants discussed The Duty to God principle in Scouting and the different spiritual development aspects.

Prior to the symposium, a dialogue training was delivered by KAICIID and WOSM for those interested.

"I got to participate in the most inspiring sessions on Duty to God, I got to listen to how scouts from all over the world work with spirituality, I took part in a jewish study session on what it means to love others as yourself, I heard about WOSM's work on an Interreligious dialogue badge, I got to share thoughts on how to give a voice to secular scouts on this topic, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt during evening games and I met the most wonderful bunch of diverse, tolerant, inclusive, curious and thoughtful people. I will be adding more jewish, muslim, catholic, christian, LDS, buddhist, sikh, agnostic, atheist and some undecided scouts to the list of people I call friends."

Birgitte M. A. Boe, Denmark