Brazilian Scouts awarded as the country's most relevant NGO for Education

The organization has obtained the highest certification in the education category of the Best NGOs Award

For the second year in a row, Brazilian Scouts are named among the 100 best NGOs in the country. This year, during the award ceremony held virtually on December 9th, the organization also received a featured award, being selected as the most relevant educational NGO in the country for 2021.

The Best NGOs Award is considered the country's greatest award for Third Sector organizations.

In this edition, the Award had a record number of participants, adding up to 1033 associations, which were evaluated in aspects such as governance, transparency, finance, management and communication. In addition to the award itself, every organization taking part in the selection process receives feedback for its participation, indexed in comparison to other organizations in Brazil. It allows a self-assessment to identify possible points for improvement and note the areas in which the organization stands out.

According to Cristine Ritt, Vice Chairperson of the Brazilian Scouts, the recognition is a source of pride and a historic achievement for the Organisation. “One of the main goals of World Scouting is for the National Scout Organizations [NSOs] to be the most relevant youth educational movement in the country they’re based in, contributing to the education of young people and building a better world. This award crowns the work we’re doing in Brazil, led by thousands of volunteers and professionals from our organization”, says Ritt.

Cristine also adds that receiving this award in a pandemic scenario makes the accomplishment even greater for them: “As scouts, we were pushed to our limits during this pandemic as we’ve seen ourselves in an extraordinarily different situation from what we’re used to. Brazilian Scouts and other NSOs around the globe have suffered a big impact - not only contingently, but also financially. So, being recognised as the most relevant educational NGO in the country, shows to the world the strength and ability to innovate that only Scouting can provide. It reinforces our commitment towards transparent and quality management at the head of the Institution,” Ritt adds.

Brazilian Scouts’ coverage and projects

Being present across the country, Brazilian Scouts have thousands of volunteers and young people engaged in outdoor life and in social projects in their communities. The institution stands out for its non-formal education work carried out with young people, guided by their recently updated Educational Program, which values ​​team life, youth empowerment and the shaping of future leaders.

Since March 2020, Brazilian Scouts have adopted a new way of doing Scouting: at home and virtually. Due to the social distance, the Local Scout Units could not meet in person, therefore creativity was a fundamental part for the young people to continue the practice of this centenary movement. Despite the obstacles, they were able to gather thousands of Scouts on national events held online, a great demonstration of strength and renewability. Now, with the vaccination reaching more and more people throughout the country, scout groups are gradually returning to face-to-face activities, following all the guidelines of the health agencies and also the protocols and safety measures required by the Brazilian Scouts.

For 2022, the institution has already launched their annual theme: “De Volta à Nossa Natureza”, which translated would be “Back to Our Nature”; and plans to recover the pace of growth, in order to reach even more young and adults willing to build a better world. 

Watch their centenary ceremony (Portuguese):