The presence of ICCS at the continental gathering that brought the Americas together around peace, service, and spiritual development
JamCam 2025 – “The Americas United for Peace”, held in Cali, Colombia, brought together thousands of scouts from across the continent in an experience of fraternity, learning, and cultural exchange. In this context, the International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) actively participated in the event program, promoting spaces for reflection, celebration of faith, and spiritual development open to children, youth, and adults.
One of the most dynamic moments was ICCS’s participation in the Global Development Village, where the interactive workshop “Focus on Spiritual Development” took place. Through a playful activity inspired by a blocks-and-images game, participants were invited to reflect on faith, vocation, and service. Each block offered questions or challenges connecting the scouting experience with spiritual values: sharing inspiring quotes, naming role models, reciting the Scout Promise, or discussing the meaning of holiness and religion. The activity combined play, dialogue, and reflection, showing how spirituality can be lived in a participatory and creative way within the Scout program.
Spiritual accompaniment was also experienced through moments of communal prayer. During the event, a Liturgy of the Word was celebrated with the participation of children, youth, and adults from different countries, creating a space of recollection and fraternity that reflected the universal dimension of the Scout Movement. In a special way, on January 1st, Holy Mass was celebrated, allowing many participants to begin the new year in a spirit of faith, gratitude, and commitment to peace.
Furthermore, ICCS contributed to the event program through the Skills Workshop for Spiritual Development, aimed at adults responsible for youth training within the Scout Movement. This space provided pedagogical and methodological tools to support the spiritual growth of children and young people within the Youth Programme, reaffirming that spirituality is an essential dimension of the holistic development proposed by scouting.
The JamCam 2025 experience shows that spiritual development remains a fundamental element of the Scout Movement. For this reason, ICCS invites the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) to continue promoting and strengthening these spaces at major international events, also ensuring specific moments in the program for religious worship so that participants can fully live their spiritual dimension within the scouting experience.
Finally, we express special recognition to the Regional Director for Adults in the Movement of ICCS Interamerica, Mr. Jorge Larrañaga, who was responsible for the stand in the Global Development Village and who designed the games and workshops carried out during the event. We also thank the Asociación Scouts de Colombia, host of JamCam 2025, for their valuable work in making this continental gathering possible, uniting the Americas around peace, service, and scout fraternity.
Juan Pablo GUTIÉRREZ-ALZATE
Secretary, ICCS Interamerica