MANILA — The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) will host the 26th Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Conference at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) from Oct. 15-20 this year.
In a statement Tuesday, the BSP said the conference is a triennial event, which gathers scout officials from National Scout Organizations (NSOs) in 29 member countries across the region.
The conference, which will have the theme “Growth and Stability”, will serve as an opportunity for scout leaders “to meet and share their experiences and expertise on various topics and areas of common interest”.
Aside from sharing best practices and experiences, BSP national president Wendel Avisado said the conference would also serve as a venue for the organizations to express their views on important issues and concerns affecting the NSOs and the global scouting movement.
Slated activities include the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) Course for Leader Trainers from Oct.6 to12, 9th APR Scout Youth Forum also on Oct. 9-12, and the Chief Scout Executives Meet on Oct. 13.
The APR Scout Youth forum will give participants “the opportunity to express their views and recommendations on issues of interest and to develop the skills necessary to strengthen their capacity to take part in the decision-making process of the global scouting movement”.
The Course for Leader Trainers gives the participants the opportunity to become course leaders capable of managing the training system of their NSOs, while the Chief Executives’ Meet is among the highlights of the conference, where chief executives gather to share their best practices in facing the challenges in their NSO.
The conference will also feature the winners of the Search for Outstanding APR Scouts, where the BSP nominated one candidate who won in the Search for Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
Avisado also urged participants to “leave no stone unturned for the smooth conduct of the event”, adding the event would represent the country on the world stage.
The APR scout conference, which is held every three years, was founded in 1956 and started with 10 founding members that eventually grew to 29.
Eight of the 15 largest scout associations are located in the region.
The Asia-Pacific region has a total membership of at least 30 million scouts.
The Boy Scouts of the Philippines, meanwhile, was founded in 1936 and has a membership of at least 2.6 million. It is considered one of the largest scout organizations in the world. (PNA)
