What Troops, Crews & Ships Can Do!
Troops, Crews & Ships: Lead as a Messenger of Peace
Lead change. Build peace. Take action.
Scouts BSA, Venturers, and Sea Scouts are ready to take the next step—from helping to leading. Through Messengers of Peace, they identify community needs, organize meaningful projects, and inspire others to serve.
How Scouts Earn Messenger of Peace Awards
The MoP program fits naturally into what Scouts already do—service, teamwork, and fun with a purpose.
Scouts “Listen, Acknowledge, Respond, and Collaborate” as they learn about helping others and taking action together.
The 4-Step Learning Process
- Decide – Which of the 5 Learning Path(s) you would like to focus on – Civic Engagement, Culture & Heritage, Peacebuilding, Diversity & Inclusion, or Humanitarian Action.
- Listen – Talk about what “peace” means and how Scouts can help their community.
- Acknowledge – Learn how civic engagement, humanitarian action, kindness and inclusion make a difference.
- Respond – Take part in a Pack or Den service project (2+ hours).
- Collaborate – Share what you learned and wear your purple MoP Advocate ring proudly!
Connect with Other Awards
MoP projects can count towards other Scouting requirements, including:
- Rank advancement OR Eagle, Summit and Quartermaster service hours
- Merit Badges – Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the World, Sustainability, Environmental Science and MANY more.
- The new Dialogue for Peace or Interreligious Dialogue badges
Project Ideas for Troops, Crews & Ships
Scouts can participate in Messengers of Peace activities in their units or individually in their communities by trying some of the sample activities below. These are only ideas - there are hundreds of ways Scouts can learn and put into practice new peacebuilding skills.
Organize a mental health awareness walk (Peacebuilding).
Partner with other civic organizations (like Rotary or Kiwanis for example) for a recycling initiative (Civic Engagement).
Host a cultural exchange or international Scouting night (Diversity & Inclusion).
Support emergency shelters or relief drives (Humanitarian Action).
Document local oral histories or preserve heritage sites (Culture & Heritage).
Show Leadership Through Peace
Be the example that INSPIRES others! Together, Scouts can turn service into a movement for peace.
- Present your MoP project at your Court of Honor or Crew meeting.
- Enable others in your unit to earn their Advocate ring.
- Submit your story to your Council International Representative for recognition.
Ready to Begin?
- Post pictures and stories on our Messenger of Peace Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/BSAMessengersOfPeace/
- Email your stories to us at international@scouting.org
- Share your stories with your Council and with local media. Let our communities know how the Scouts are taking action to be peacebuilders and why it is important.
Reporting Your Event
SCOUTBOOK+:
After the completion of your Messenger of Peace project, we need you to report your event so that we can truly show the ripple effect being accomplished by Scouting America units.
Recording Messengers of Peace project service hours for individuals and units within Scouting America is completed in the same manner as all other service hours. This can be done via Scoutbook for each Individual or Unit. To record an MoP project, create a new activity in Internet Advancement, then choose Messenger of Peace for the project type and add all the roster members who participated to the activity. For more information on how to do this, use the Scoutbook/Internet Advancement Help function.
National MoP Project Database:
The National Messengers of Peace Committee would like to collect information on all the incredible work our Scouts are doing across the nation. Please take a moment to fill out our GOOGLE FORM once your project is complete, so that we can share our success with the larger Scouting America and World Scouting community.
The Messengers of Peace program supports
several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:
SDG 1 – No Poverty
SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
SDG 5 – Gender Equality
SDG 8 – Decent Work & Economic Growth
SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities
SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities & Communities
SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption & Production
SDG 13 – Climate Action
SDG 16 – Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
SDG 17 – Partnership for the Goals
