Between October and November 2025, the International Catholic Conference of Scouting – Interamerican Region (ICCS-IA) once again participated in one of the most important governance forums of the Scout Movement: the Interamerican Scout Conference, held in Curaçao. More than a mere formality, this participation confirmed a strategic commitment: to be present where decisions are made, where the voices of young people are heard, and where the future of Scouting in our Region is envisioned.
From making ourselves known to consolidating a presence
This journey did not begin in Curaçao . The path opened at the Inter-American Scout Conference in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, in September 2022. There, the ICCS’s priority was simple but decisive: to make itself known.
At that time, the ICCS Regional Committee took on the challenge of presenting itself to the National Scout Organizations (NSOs) as an ally dedicated to evangelization, holistic development, and spiritual accompaniment within Scouting. This marked the beginning of a dialogue that allowed us to explain who we are, what we do, and how our approach could be applied to youth programs, adult teams, and governance structures.
That first exercise sowed something crucial: trust . From those initial meetings, doors began to open for offering pastoral services, training opportunities, support for national chaplaincies, and proposals to enrich the spiritual dimension of youth programs. Scouts and young leaders interested in revitalizing the ICCS in each country, from their own perspectives, were also identified.
Curaçao 2025: From presentation to close encounter
Three years later, in Curaçao , the scene was different: ICCS no longer arrived as “the great unknown” but as a recognized and growing presence. The delegation was headed by the regional chair of ICCS, accompanied by the regional secretary, who also participated as a delegate of his National Scout Organization, Scouts of Colombia, of which he is vice president.
The goal was no longer just to introduce themselves, but to deepen ties on three very specific levels:
- With the ICCS member NSOs, strengthening the close relationship, listening to their progress, challenges and needs, and projecting new lines of support and collaboration.
- With the NSOs interested in being part of the ICCS or that were in the past, resuming conversations, clarifying concerns and exploring ways to rebuild ties and update their involvement.
- With the NSOs that were not yet familiar with the ICCS, sharing in a simple and approachable way our identity, mission and the added value that Catholic Scouting can offer to the pastoral life of each Association.
Within this framework, very significant conversations were held with the Venezuelan Scout Association, Scouts of Colombia, Chile, Curaçao, Aruba, Uruguay, Paraguay, Scouting America, and various organizations in the region with different levels of institutional maturity. All of them, without exception, expressed interest in learning more about ICCS’s proposals and in participating in educational and spiritual activities that are relevant to their own realities and contexts.
Building networks to serve young people
The ICCS’s presence in governance spaces is not limited to listening and being heard in plenary sessions. An essential part of the experience is the life that unfolds in the hallways, during breaks, in bilateral meetings, and in spontaneous conversations with young and adult delegates.
There, a network of personal and community ties is woven, which later translates into shared projects, days of prayer, spaces for reflection on faith and social commitment, support for program teams, and concrete proposals to integrate the message of the Gospel into the daily life of scout groups.
In Curaçao , this “web of relationships” made it possible to recognize that Catholic scouting is alive and thirsty for spaces where faith, service and citizenship can be articulated, illuminated by the Magisterium of the Church and, in particular, by the intuitions of the pontificate of Pope Francis.
A moment of grace: the Inter-American Scout Distinction “Francis: Witnesses of Hope”
One of the most significant milestones of ICCS’s participation in the 2025 Inter-American Scout Conference was the opportunity to present and award the Inter-American Scout distinction “Francis: Witnesses of Hope”.
This award recognizes individuals and institutions who, through their testimony within the Scout Movement and in their respective spheres of action, embody the values that Pope Francis has proposed to humanity and that are deeply in dialogue with the Scout educational proposal.
The distinction is especially inspired by the encyclicals Laudato si’ , Laudate Deum and Fratelli tutti , as well as other texts from the Magisterium of Pope Francis, which invite us to:
- Caring for our common home and for the most vulnerable.
- Promote an integral ecology that encompasses personal, community, and social life.
- Building fraternity and social friendship beyond borders.
Awarding this recognition within the framework of the Inter-American Scout Conference was not just a symbolic gesture, but a clear message: the spiritual and social commitment of Catholic Scouting is fully in tune with the great challenges of the world Scout Movement and with the priorities of the Inter-American Region.
A commitment that is renewed
Curaçao 2025 experience confirms that the presence of the ICCS in the governance and youth participation spaces of the World Organization of the Scout Movement is not a luxury or an add-on, but a strategic priority.
Being there allows you to:
- To contribute the richness of Catholic spirituality to the collective discernment of the Region.
- Ensure that the Gospel-inspired dimension of faith and service has a visible place in discussions about program, governance, youth participation, and social impact.
- Listen firsthand to the needs of National Scout Organizations in order to respond with realistic, relevant proposals that are rooted in their reality.
With the conclusion of the Inter-American Scout Conference in Curaçao , the commitment of the ICCS to continue working for Catholic Scouting in the Inter-American Region is renewed , contributing to the integral formation of girls, boys, adolescents and young people, and accompanying adults in their educational mission.
Because every governance space that opens up, every meeting, every conversation, and every recognition given are, at their core, an opportunity to continue being, as the name of our distinction says, “witnesses of hope” in the Americas and in the world.
By: Juan Pablo Gutiérrez-Alzate
Regional Secretary – ICCS Inter-America
Information and images of the Inter-American Scout Distinction “Francisco: Witnesses of Hope”
