MoP Bulletin Issue No. 17

Messengers of Peace

ASIA-PACIFIC

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

I ssue No . 17 JA NU A RY-MARCH 2017

Messengers of Peace quarterly newsletter is an initiative of the Asia-Pacific Support Centre of the World Scout Bureau highlighting the projects of National Scout Organizations under MoP Initiative.

Regional Scout Camp, Bhutan Story on page 2

Chairman’s Message Dear Colleagues,

tional Scout Organization member.

My warm greetings to all!

With the effective implementation of projects, our region continues to lead in terms of service hours, service projects and network size.

The Messengers of Peace (MoP) started the year 2017 with new projects and activities. Since it began in 2011, MoP has come a long way in terms of project development and scope of network. It is such a pleasure to note that MoP now spans to 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, with the addition of Myanmar as our newest Na-

In this issue, we can take a look at some NSO’s completed, ongoing and future projects that focus on disaster preparedness, environment, capacity building, turn to the next page

Chairman’s Message from page 1

and support to Scouting events.

The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) has successfully completed the series of Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Training Course, and also awarded its World Scout Environment Programme (WSEP) badges to 649 Scouts.

MoP Team Pakistan is set to hold a second gathering for its local coordinators this May. MoP activities were presented at the Regional Scout Camp in Bhutan.

MoP will showcase its different modules in the Better World Village of the 31st APR Scout Jamboree in Mongolia in July.

While we have been successfully promoting the MOP initiative in our region, we need to continue to work together in order to create a stronger network. This will only be possible with the continued dedication and cooperation among all NSOs. So I encourage all of you to keep working on projects that are significant not only to our region, but globally as well.

To all Scouts who are truly the Messengers of Peace, my heartfelt appreciation to all your efforts.

Paul D Parkinson OAM Chairman Asia-Pacific Regional Scout Committee

Regional Scout Camp, Bhutan Around 150 Scouts from five districts of southern Bhutan congregated at the Regional Scout Camp from 21-27 January 2017, with the support of 50 Adult Scout Leaders and volunteers.

Participants were engaged in numerous activities related to Messengers

of Peace initiative, i.e. creation of scout.org accounts, screening of MoP films and other inspirational movies. Other activities engaged their creativity where they learned life and survival skills. Challenging events tested their competitive spirit.

The 7-day camp also introduced value-based activities centered on the Scout promise and law.

Contingents were tasked to build canopies for a local school resulting in the construction of five beautiful canopies.

2

A

Better World Village at 31st APR Jamboree highlight of the upcoming 31st APR Scout Jamboree in Mongolia will be a showcase of the Better World Village. This will take place from 27th July to 2nd of August 2017 at the International Children’s Center (Nairamdal) in Ulaanbaatar.

Various modules of the Better World programme will be onsite, and for the first time at a Regional Jamboree, three programmes

Messengers of Peace Station 1: Sharing the Ideas Station 2: What Does Peace Mean to You – Drawing Station 3: MoP Beat – We are Scouts Station 4: What is MoP – Life Vest & Platform Station 5: Patrol System – Networking Game Station 6: Introduction to scout.org

– Messengers of Peace, Scouts of the World Award, and World Scout Environment Programme – will be in one village.

The Asia Pacific Support Centre will provide full support to Scout Association of Mongolia in running the village, which will start with orientation and rehearsal at different stations.

Pavilions will house the six stations for the module activities, as follows:

World Scout Environment Programme Station 1: Solar Heating (Cooking) Station 2: Solar Games – Car, Cockroach, Grasshopper Race Station 3: Solar Art – Painting & Sun burning Station 4: Solar Gadget – Making a Torch light Station 5: WSEP – How to get the Badge Station 6: WSEP – Movie Show

Scouts of the World Award Station 1: SWA Discovery Station 2: SWA Passport Station 3: SWA/UNESCO Activities

3

BSP records 649 WSEB awardees for 2016

F

ive years after the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) adopted the World Scout Environment Programme (WSEP) and integrated it in the Advancement/Progressive Scheme and the Merit Badge System, and after less than six months of active implementation under the Revised WSEP Matrix for Boy, Senior and Rover Scouting Sections, a total of 649 applications for the World Scout Environment Badge were approved in 2016.

Out of the 121 Local Councils of the BSP, 17 or 14% produced their first set of awardees of the WSEB. A total 606 awardees was recorded for the Senior Scouting Section, followed by the Boy Scouting Section with 43 awardees.

Several programs, activities and trainings are lined up for 2017 as the BSP targets 5,000 awardees of the World Scout Environment Badge for the entire year.

• The World Scout Environment Programme offers tools, resources

The World Scout Environment

and initiatives to help Scouts all

Programme includes:

around the world work together for the good of the

• Principles and aims for environment

local and global environment. The programme focuses

education in Scouting

on the environment in a broad sense and

• Framework for environment education in

encourages the Scouts to have a holistic

Scouting and the World Scout Environment Badge

awareness of the natural world and how their

• Programme Activity Resources

day-to-day actions can impact upon this,

• SCENES – Scout Centre of Excellence

progressively building a sense of responsibility

for Nature and Environment

for the environment. It is based on a set

• Scouts of the World Award

of environmental principles and aims

• Partnerships

that provide a foundation for environment education in Scouting.

44

Better World Resource Centre, Pakistan With the support of Boy Scout of America and the Embassy of the United States in Pakistan, PBSA built and inaugurated the Better World Resources Centre on 7th February 2017 in the presence of Chief Commissioner of PBSA Ms. Raheela Durrani and a representative from the Embassy of the United States.

The resource center is situated at the National Headquarters of PBSA in Islamabad.

This is the first resources center featuring the Better World concept ever opened by a National Scout Organization, and potentially a benchmark for other NSOs to develop the same.

Secretary General of PBSA, Mr Zahid Mahboob, said that this resource center is a longtime dream that took many years to build. It caters to the needs of PBSA in providing training and resources that could be shared with other NSOs focusing, but not limited to, the three world programs i.e. MoP, WSEP and SWA. It also strengthens partnership programs, i. e. Scouts Go Solar etc. and links Scout activities with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

5

Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Training Course March 2017 APR Support Centre and Boy Scouts of the Philippines jointly organized a practical training on Disaster and Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) on 14-19 March along the rivers and coastlines of Romblon Province.

The area is rich in natural resources with pristine landscapes. Key elements of disaster management are conservation of environment and sustainability.

There were 30 participants and trainers which include all staff members of APR Support Centre team, Boy Scouts of Philippines national team, and key volunteers of Romblon Scout Council.

Activities and sessions of the training included indoor coursework about basics of DRRM, i.e. preparedness, resilience, rescue, response, safety drills, first aid and different techniques of survival. Outdoor activities were water rescue and hiking across natural terrains, all with safety and precautionary measures.

6

Update from MOP NSO Coordinators MoP NSO coordinators are trained Scout Leaders nominated by National Scout Organizations to coordinate the Messengers of Peace initiative in their country.

Their main role is to promote the MoP network at the same time coordinate the development and implementation of MoP funded projects in their NSO. For the purpose of capacity building, coordinators are trained at the Coordinators Gathering organized by the APR Support Centre, therefore coordinators have the added responsibility to provide updates to the A-P Centre on their progress.

Reporting templates and guidelines are available for Coordinators such as: 1. Updated MoP Guideline 2. List of Upcoming Projects for the year 3. Progress of activities by the Coordinators 4. Success Indicators 5. Teams of local coordinators The Asia-Pacific Support Centre received updates from NSOs for 2016 and a glimpse of planned projects or events for 2017. To date, reports were received from Australia, Pakistan, Thailand, Brunei, Macau, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand and Scouts of China.

Highlights of the reports are: • Messengers of Peace Training – Pacific Nations

by Scouts Australia • Better World Framework Gathering, Pakistan • Cultural Art for peace teaching and competition for small schools, Thailand • Waste Recycling Workshop, Macau • MOP networking, Fiji (local coordinators training workshop) • Local Coordinators workshop, Hong Kong • Preserving Balinese Traditional Culture, Indonesia • National and Local Coordinator Training, Taiwan Among non-funded projects and events in 2016, the most prominent are: • AJ2016, Beating the Blues – Supporting young people with mental health, Australia, • Annual Scouts Rally, Fiji • Jota-Joti (MoP), Hong Kong • International Day of Peace 2016, “Run for Peace”, Indonesia, Brunei • First National Solar Workshop and WSEP/Solar Exhibition, Pakistan • National Coordinators Training, Taiwan • MoP Exhibition on International Peace Day 21 September 2016, Thailand • MOP educational visit and community service in Temburong, Brunei • Peace Tree, Macau • MoP at 21st National Jamboree, New Zealand More activities and service projects delivered in 2016 are reported in various media channels of APR and in MoP social networks.

7

MOP Regional Team REGIONAL DECISION COMMITTEE Peter Blatch Chay Hong Leng J. Rizal C. Pangilinan

REGIONAL OFFICE COORDINATOR S Prassanna Shrivastava Director, Development Support & Finance REGIONAL SUPPORT TEAM J. Rizal C. Pangilinan Regional Director

S Prassanna Shrivastava Director, Development Support & Finance Luz Taray Director, Communications and Strategy Uzair Kamal Development Support Manager Nancy P. Ladores Assistant, Development Support

MoP NATIONAL COORDINATORS Australia: Johnathan Raymond Morey Bangladesh: Mohammad Atiquzzaman

Malaysia: Amir Hamzah bin Aman Maldives: Ibrahim Rasheed Myanmar: Kaung Set Hein

Bhutan: Nawang Gyaltshen

Mongolia: Uyanga Erdenebulgan

Brunei Darussalam: Liyana Binti Haji Salleh

Nepal: Ram Prasad Bhattarai

Cambodia: Chek LIM Scouts of China: Sherman Sheng, Hsiao-Ming

New Zealand: Michael Jeffrey Pakistan: Zahid Mahboob PNG: Vagi Clergy Waru Vagi

Fiji: Kailash Vimal Pillay

Philippines: Carmelo B. Francia

Hong Kong: Peggy TAM Siu-lan

Singapore: Tan Sijie

India: Krishnaswamy R. Indonesia: Venny Indri Christiyanti Japan: Reiko Suzuki Korea: Kim Su Yeon

Sri Lanka: Prabath Kularathne Thailand: H.E. Dr. Poldej Worachat Macau: Tang Chon Meng, Jacky Scout Polynesia: Raiarii Benjamin Tama

Kiribati: Mataiti Bwebwe

Log-in to scout.org. Create your profile. Share your stories.

For any information or for submitting your MOP initiatives, please contact Asia-Pacific Support Centre Tel: (+63 2) 818 0984/ 817 1675 Fax: (+63 2) 819 0093 Website: www.scout.org/asia-pacific Email: asia-pacific@scout.org Facebook: Scouting in Asia-Pacific Region