SWA Discovery Workshop Report
Last 24th to 26th of February 2017, the Roosevelt College Rodriguez Scout Movements participated in the Scouts of the World Award (SWA) Discovery Workshop held at the Roosevelt College Inc. - Rodriguez Campus. The SWA is a recognition given to the Scouts who epitomize exemplary performance in the field of volunteerism to attain betterment of the world.
The aforementioned SWA Discovery Workshop was spearheaded by Sctr. Bernando G. De Leon, Deputy National Program Commissioner for Community Based-Scouting, together with his team- Sctr. Dexter C. Villa, from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Sctr. Carmelo B. Francia, the Program Research Development Officer of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines-National Office; Sctr. Roy Christian A. Inciong, from Globe Telecom; and, Sct. Allizandra Janina F. Gulapa and Sct. Carl Jeff Andrew F. Angeles, both from Brighton Venturers 1012 of Manila Council.
The SWA Discovery Workshop was consisted of several modules which mainly tackle about peace, development, and environment.
The first day started with a simple opening ceremony. This was followed with Sctr. De Leon giving an overview of what was going to happen in the whole SWA Discovery Workshop. He also spearheaded the icebreaker where Scouts sang "Here We Are Again"- a musical game wherein you will introduce yourself to others.
The second day started and the Scouts started with a flag-up ceremony. The first discussion is about the environment which was taught by Sctr. Villa. He highlighted the great need to stop climate change for it has a destructive impact to the Earth's environment. He encouraged the youth to partake in the advocacy of preserving the planet through proper waste segregation and waste disposal.
In the noon, the Scouts conducted a field visit at Sitio Wawa, one of the remote places in the Municipality of Rodriguez, to observe the location and to interview several residents in order for them to know the problems that need to be addressed and to be solved once they started their community service per se.
When they went back to the school, the second discussion- peace- began and it was discussed by Sctr. Francia. He emphasized that peace can only be achieved if two or more people, who already have peace in themselves, will work together to diffuse it to the world. He also made the Scouts to have a simple roleplay on how they are going to define "peace" by themselves.
Moreover, in the evening the development module was then explained by Sct. Angeles. He shared to the Scouts the 17 United Nations Stable Development Goals which primarily aim to eradicate poverty, to safeguard the planet, and to guarantee impartiality and success to all. The Scouts then chose two or more goals to be presented as an integration of what they have learned.
The third day came. Through the leadership of Sctr. Inciong, the participants were enlightened on how to make an action plan in making solutions. He also tested the Scouts' decision-making skills thru an interactive activity where the Scouts portrayed a family which was living in a slump area and needed to budget their income- from making bags- against their monthly financial necessities.
Ultimately, the closing ceremony began. Facilitators were given certificates of appreciation and tokens of gratitude. The Scouts were then awarded their Scouts of the World Award Passports which marked as their initial stepping stone in their journey in bringing peace and development to the world and to the environment.