The Organisational and Educational Contexts of the Portuguese Catholic Scout Association: their Impact on Youth Participation

Notwithstanding its relevance as a context for youth participation, research is lacking regarding how the scout organisational and educational settings contribute to development of civic and political competences. Using a mixed methods approach, combining document analysis, interviews with scout leaders and a pilot study with a non-probability sample of 199 scout youth, this paper presents results from the analysis of the organisational and educational framework of the Portuguese Catholic Scout Association. We found a hierarchical organisation, which institutes itself as a kind of micro society based on principles of representative democracy. Somewhat paradoxically, non-adult scouts are excluded from having direct involvement in the highest levels of the organisational decision-making processes. This is in some ways consonant with the educational approach where youth are seen as citizens-in-making, on their way to becoming good citizens, ready for service and volunteering – a portrait consistent with the most frequent forms of scout youth participation.