How Scouting Ireland is making peace education accessible to younger Scouts
What does peace look like through the eyes of a seven-year-old? At Castle Saunderson International Scout Centre in Ireland, it looked like planting wildflowers, creating kindness postcards, and discovering that even the smallest actions can make a difference.
Over the weekend of 27–28 June 2026, more than 120 Beaver and Cub Scouts became the first participants in Scouting Ireland’s renewed Messengers of Peace programme. Through games, reflection, and hands-on activities, they explored what peace can look like in their everyday lives, including showing kindness to others, building friendships, and caring for their communities.
Rather than introducing peace as something distant or difficult to understand, the activities helped children experience it through practical actions. They considered how kindness can make others feel, chose small actions they could take to support others, and planted native Irish wildflower seeds while learning that positive change takes time and grows through collective effort. These experiences showed that we do not need to wait until we are older to contribute to a more peaceful world, because peace starts with the small actions we take every day.
This approach reflects the heart of Messengers of Peace, one of World Scouting’s flagship initiatives that empowers Scouts to create positive change in their communities. Across the world, the programme has supported more than 16 million projects and actions, contributing almost three billion hours of community service. From supporting communities and promoting inclusion to protecting the environment and strengthening relationships between people, Scouts are showing that peace is built through action.
Castle Saunderson was a meaningful place to begin this new chapter. Located close to the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the International Scout Centre was created as a place where young people from different communities, traditions and backgrounds could meet, learn from one another and build friendships. Its connection to peace and reconciliation makes it a fitting home for the renewed Messengers of Peace programme in Ireland.
The weekend marked only the beginning of a wider journey. Scouting Ireland will continue expanding Messengers of Peace through new resources, training opportunities for young people and volunteers, and support for local projects that turn ideas into action. By introducing peace education from an early age, Scouting Ireland is helping young people develop the empathy, confidence and skills to shape their communities.
These actions may seem small, but they are the foundation on which stronger, more inclusive communities are built. Peace is something we all have a role in creating.
About the Messengers of Peace Fund
Since 2010, the Messengers of Peace initiative has empowered millions of Scouts to lead community-impact projects and contribute nearly 3 billion hours of service for peace and sustainability worldwide. Its continued impact is supported through the generous contributions and partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has committed USD 50 million through the World Scout Foundation over the next decade to expand Scouting’s global impact.