23/04/2026
HIGHLIGHT | Where Scouts Lead: TOBSPA’s Multi-Role Impact in Scout Youth Forums
The Scout Youth Forum (S*F) of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) is a cornerstone of its Youth Development Program, creating meaningful spaces where young people actively shape decisions. Held annually, it gathers Scouts to address pressing issues, craft collective resolutions, and advance these into the decision-making bodies of the National Scout Organization (NSO), while also conducting elections that empower youth to secure seats in the Local Council Executive Board (LCEB), Regional Scouting Committee (ResCom), and National Executive Board (NEB). Through these roles, Scout representatives go beyond occupying positions—they help shape institutions by ensuring policies remain grounded in grassroots realities and by bridging the gap between youth clamor and governance.
Through the years—and up to the present—many awardees of the Search for the Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines have served as Scout representatives. They channel their Scouting excellence into action-driven leadership that advances governance forward. This includes members who have served as National Scout Representatives (NSR) to the NEB and Regional Youth Representatives (RYR) of the Scouting in the Asia-Pacific Region (WOSM-APR), amplifying youth voices both at the national and international level.
In this forum season, Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines Association (TOBSPA) members have been actively present across all levels—Council Scout Youth Forum (CS*F), Regional Scout Youth Forum (RS*F), and even the National Scout Youth Forum (NS*F)—serving as participants, leading the organizing committee, forum advisors, and resource speakers.
The recently concluded NS*F, held from April 14 to 17, 2026 in Roxas City, Capiz, was marked by the strong presence of the association. The national forum was chaired by National Scout Representative for Visayas, Karl Vincent Manjares, TOBS 2025, under the guidance of Forum Adviser, Mark Leo Sales, TOBS 2022.
Notably, Atty. Matthew Java, TOBS 2008, delivered the keynote address during the opening ceremony, articulating a compelling vision anchored in service and excellence, setting an aspirational tone for the forum body.
This shows the sustained development of a culture of youth leadership within the Scouting movement. It also reflects stronger integration of youth perspectives in Scouting governance and program direction, as emphasized in World Scouting's (WOSM) framework on Youth Leadership in Decision-Making (YLiDM).
This continued engagement across levels accentuates a shift in Scouting where youth leadership is no longer symbolic, but steadily becoming a defining reality. It means that when Outstanding Scouts take their place in youth and policy spaces, their presence defines direction and drives meaningful change—most powerfully in the Scout Youth Forum, where Scouts take the lead.