The Forest, the Group, the Fire: Learning Through Scouting
In Sesto Fiorentino, near Florence, the scout group AGESCI Sesto Fiorentino 1 brings together 130 children between the ages of 12 and 16 in one of the oldest and most proven non-formal education traditions in the world: scouting. Part of AGESCI — the Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts Association — the group offers a year-round programme of outdoor experiences, community activities, and personal growth opportunities that place sustainability not as a topic to be studied, but as a way of being to be practised.
AGESCI’s educational philosophy is built on the founding insights of the scouting movement: that young people learn best through experience, challenge, and responsibility; that nature is both a classroom and a moral teacher; and that the group — with its mix of different characters, competences, and backgrounds — is itself one of the most important learning environments available.
A Year of Outings, Camps, and Projects
The programme at Sesto Fiorentino 1 includes a two-day outing into nature once a month, two camps in winter and summer, and a series of projects and service activities throughout the year. These are not passive excursions: young people are expected to take increasing responsibility for organising time and activities as they develop, setting their own goals and finding the tools to achieve them. Leaders act as facilitators and support figures rather than directive authorities — their role is to propose opportunities for experience and growth, and to offer spaces for sharing and reflection.
Through regular immersion in natural environments, children learn to understand nature not as “just any place” but as their home — the living system on which all human well-being depends. They develop skills in navigation, shelter-building, cooking over fire, first aid, and environmental stewardship. They also develop something harder to name but equally important: a sense of their own capacity, resilience, and belonging.
An Honest Assessment of the Challenges
The leaders of Sesto Fiorentino 1 are candid about the demands of their work. Scouting requires significant time commitments from both young people and their adult leaders — and time is not always easy to find. The group is also encountering more complex pastoral situations than in previous years, with increasingly fragile or challenging young people joining. This requires leaders to exercise care, creativity, and continuous professional development — which AGESCI supports through a robust tradition of internal and external training.
Relevance for Sustainable Learning
Scouting is one of the oldest and most widely practised forms of non-formal education in the world, and AGESCI Sesto Fiorentino 1 embodies its best qualities. The practice connects to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). In its emphasis on communal responsibility, ecological respect, and personal growth, it offers a model for sustainable living that is as relevant today as it was when scouting began.
Social: @agescisestofiorentino1
Contact: Samuele Degli Innocenti
