The Scout Movement is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people, open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed. Scouting offers young people the opportunity to develop their full emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible global citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities.

The organization of the Scout Movement at the world level, “World Scouting”, is governed by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM).

WOSM is an independent, non-political, non-governmental organisation that is made up of 161 National Scout Organizations (NSOs). These NSOs are located in 223 countries and territories around the world. With over 40 million members in some one million local community Scout Groups, WOSM is one of the largest youth movements in the world.

Some seven million members in WOSM are adult volunteers who support local activities.Through peer-to-peer leadership, supported by adults, each local Scout Group embracesthe same set of values illustrated in the Scout Promise and Law. Each of the one million local Scout Groups follows a similar system of non-formal education suited to the unique aspects of their local community.

Purpose

The purpose of WOSM is to promote unity and the understanding of Scouting's purpose and principles while facilitating its expansion and development. The organs of WOSM are the World Scout Conference, 
the World Scout Committee, and
 the World Scout Bureau.