The Kids Are Not Alright, But with Scouting They Can Be

Photo Credit: Scouts South Africa via Facebook

With school bullying reaching a breaking point, the role of Scouting has never been more critical in fostering the guidance and values-based youth development every learner deserves.

South Africa (06 January 2026) – The world can be quite a tricky place to navigate for both young and old alike. For children in particular, social spaces like schools come with academic and social pressures, which for some are worsened by bullying.

According to Scouts South Africa, our country is raising a generation under pressure where bullying is not just a “phase” or a few isolated incidents but a widespread problem, with more than 3.2 million learners bullied each year, and 67% of victims not reporting it.

Whether it is social, verbal, physical, or cyber, thousands of youngsters experience some form of bullying at least once a month, affecting their mental and emotional health, which sometimes results in learners skipping school or even dropping out altogether.

Children today navigate complex social worlds both online and offline – where cruelty can become normalised, and bystanders become participants simply by doing nothing. The children are not okay, and that is why youth and value-based organisations like Scouts SA matter.

Why Scouting Matters

According to Farai Ntuli, SCOUTS SA Board Member, the organisation is one of the largest youth organisations in the country, supporting young people from early childhood through to young adulthood.

“What distinguishes Scouting is method. Scouting is built on the principle of learning by doing. Through structured programmes, outdoor activities, and positive peer environments, young people develop leadership and teamwork, self-motivation and perseverance, commitment and accountability, environmental and cultural awareness and strong personal values.

“Importantly, Scouting leverages positive peer pressure, a force often associated with harm, and redirects it toward service, responsibility, and growth. Rather than reacting to harmful behaviour after it occurs, Scouting works upstream by shaping the kind of character that reduces harm in the first place,” Ntuli explains.

Scouts SA programmes place young people in environments where values like respect, service, and leadership are expected and modelled. Scouting helps children grow up believing not only that they can change the world, but that they should leave it better than they found it.

“Many South Africans who have passed through Scouting go on to become community leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and volunteers, not because Scouting guarantees success, but because it instils the values and confidence that enable it.”
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Ntuli stresses the need to accept that many children aren’t alright. That way, they can be offered the support they require, such as investing in youth development alongside formal education and supporting parents and schools with programmes that build character, instead of responding with outrage after the next incident or viral video.

“We cannot discipline our way out of a values deficit. We must develop our way forward. The kids are not alright. But with intentional values formation, strong role models, and community-based youth movements like Scouting, they can be.”