Messenger of Peace FAQ's

The Messengers of Peace Program Guide has requirement info and in depth information. Overall there are four Scouting America MoP Awards: Advocate, Champion, Ambassador, Distinguished (Must be Nominated for this specific award). Individual units may earn (collectively if 60% of the unit participates) either the Advocate or the Champion awards, depending on the depth of the Unit’s project. The Ambassador award is designed to be an individual award. 

The Dialogue for Peace Awards are also now mentioned in the program guide.

Any one of these awards can be earned at any time upon completion.

Please look at the updated guide and thank you for your interest in benefiting world scouting!

MoP stands for Messengers of Peace and is an awards program that invites Scouts to take the lead in building a better world by completing projects. Projects are meant to foster peace and page 2-8 and 14 of the Messengers of Peace Program Guide are focused on what qualifies for each.

The Scout! The Scout will decide what his or her project will look like. Then, the Scout will work with their local International Representative and Scout Executive to submit their paperwork for the higher awards.

Refer to the Messengers of Peace Program Guide. Then start with your Scoutmaster and International Representative in your Council.

Absolutely! Refer to the Messengers of Peace Program Guide and Worksheets to ensure that the project is scoped and developed properly to be aligned with both programs. Many Scouting projects can be modified slightly to align with the framework of Messengers of Peace. Messengers of Peace projects tend to align themselves directly with one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as outlined by the United Nations.

There is an applications & nominations section on this webpage that can be filled out upon completion of the requirements outlined in the program guide. Units and councils manage awarding and submissions for everything other than for the Distinguished MoP Award. Hours should be submitted on Scoutbook, via Google form, and on the World Scouting site to showcase your projects and details to submit hours are on Page 13 of the Messengers of Peace Program Guide. Certificates for Unit, Ambassador, and Champion are available on this webpage.

Pages 16-21 of the Messengers of Peace Program Guide.

The Dialogue for Peace and the Inter-religious Dialogue badges are an optional activity that a Scout may choose to engage in, especially if the Scout’s project deals with dialogue in any way.

Learning how to hold a group dialogue is also outlined in the Appendix of the MoP Program Guide.  We encourage all scouts who are working on their MoP badges to explore these optional activities as well!

Both Dialogue badges are brand new to Scouting America and will be coming soon to the online scout shop.

The Interreligious Dialogue badge is different from the Duty to God activities in that is primarily focuses on exploring the religions, faiths, and beliefs of others and promotes open discussion on those topics.  It allows a Scout to gain a deeper understanding of others’ perspectives in these areas, which will allow the Scout to grow in their own faith and beliefs. 

The Scouting America Messengers of Peace program has been updated to better align with World Scouting’s Scouts for SDGs educational initiatives. The new information seeks to educate and place a defined framework around the program. These updates allow Scouts to lead projects that recognize their connection to World Scouting and the millions of Scouts around the world that are also becoming change-makers in their communities.

Here are sample project ideas, when conducting projects you must meet the requirements in the Messengers of Peace Program Guide to earn each award:

• Host a holiday party for children of prison inmates.

• Collect books and magazines for inner-city schools.

• Conduct entertainment programs, including skits and plays, at a nursing home.

• Make and donate gift boxes to be distributed by Feed the Children.

• Assist organizations that provide home maintenance services for those in need.

• Clean a Habitat for Humanity house before the family moves in.

• Create a community prayer garden.

• Replace graffiti with peace-related murals.

• Host conflict-resolution workshops in a local school.

• Plan a sports tournament that brings together kids from different segments of the community.

• Serve as “victims” for a county EMT or first responders training course.

• Assist in the packaging of medical supplies for developing countries.

• Clean up a campground, a local park, a river, or a school parking lot.

• Assist with a shoreline-restoration project.

• Collect and dispose of household chemicals, batteries, and other potentially dangerous waste products from the residences of shut-ins.

• Remove invasive species and plant native trees in a park.

• Volunteer at a community recycling center.

• Clear brush from fire buffer zone.

Since 2011, Scouts have committed to projects, of various scales, to make the world a more peaceful place and logged their hours online for Messengers of Peace.

The initiative is supported by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Carl XVI Gustaf, and follows on from the Gifts of Peace initiative to mark the centenary of Scouting in 2007. Funding has been made available to support The Messengers of Peace Support Fund. In April 2025, the government of Saudi Arabia committed an additional $50M USD to World Scouting under the Messenger of Peace program.

Messengers of Peace projects focus on a global community of Scouts who are engaged through individual and collective community service actions in the areas of peace-building and dialogue, diversity and inclusion, humanitarian action, culture and heritage, and civic engagement.

Messengers of Peace projects tend to align themselves directly with one or more of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as outlined by the United Nations.

The Messengers of Peace program is run by the World Scouting orginization.

Within the United States, the Messengers of Peace program is administered by the Messengers of Peace Committee, a subcommittee of the Scouting America International Committee.

There is a full Messengers of Peace Program Guide available on the Scouting America Messengers of Peace website.

The Scouting America Messengers of Peace website has many resources to assist you with the development of your project. Including the page you’re on right now!

Here is the official Messengers of Peace Program Guide and you can find the informational video right HERE.

No, the MoP Awards can be earned in any order upon completion. For example, there is no requirement to earn the Advocate award before the Ambassador award. 

Only one award can be worn at any time, so a Scout should wear the “highest” award they have earned.

Will the MoP Program allow us to work with other Scouts Internationally?

Your Patrol Leader should be your first stop then ask your Senior Patrol Leader. Your Troop advancement chair Mr. Ward is also available and the Scoutmaster to answer any questions that you may have.