Scouts are known for their good behavior and adventurous lifestyle. Behind this, we all have our passion but only a few have the courage or the means to pursue it. This is the story of a collective of committed Scouts who thrived in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and pursued their passion for journalism.
The physical meeting restrictions brought by the pandemic encourage the founders and officers of the Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts to establish a Scout Media group for the Scouts, by Scouts.
Without the assurance of getting support from any organizations or the community itself, they braved the storm, and now, thousands of Scouts and non-Scouts witnessed their small victories over time.
Here are 10 interesting facts about the team and the association.
1. It started as a podcast – Pinoy Scout Podcast.
In July 2020, a group of friends started to wonder what they can do to spread Scouting knowledge and ideals despite the COVID-19 lockdown. Inspired by then trending interview-type vlogs, Eagle Scout Keven-Jayson Ecat and Eagle Scout Jan Khim Gamora got an idea of doing a podcast about Scouting.
They never dreamed of establishing an organization or a group that the Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts is now. The first episode was released on September 30, 2021, on Spotify, and on October 1, 2021, on Google and Apple Podcasts.
2. The camaraderie goes way, way back.
The friendship of the founders did not start this pandemic, it goes more than a decade ago when the Eagle Scout Ecat, Eagle Scout Gamora, and Eagle Scout Dominique Doarte Gapayao was still in the Senior Scouting section of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
The three of them have known each other since 2008, serving for the now separated Metro Manila South Council. Ecat or also known as “KuyaMo Ecat” is ahead of the other two but anyone who saw the three bonds won’t even suspect that they are not “batchmates”. Gapayao and Gamora were part of the same crew in their survival camp – a requirement for the Eagle Scout rank. Gapayao is currently living his life as a seminarian, Ecat is the Taguig City Associate Council’s Program and Advancement Executive, while Gamora is a staff of the Public Relations and Communications Office of the BSP.
Even with the pandemic and different work and life schedules, they always find time to talk to each other and keep updated with each other. Communications played a big part for the past decade for them to keep the fire burning but Scouting is the reason why they are still friends.
3. Everything changed in November 2020.
After more than a month, the Pinoy Scout Podcast failed to record its second episode. The founders then realized that they cannot reach more Scouts by them alone. On November 5, 2020, the then Pinoy ScouTV opened its doors to other Scouts and was overwhelmed with applications. Within one week of recruitment, the organization got more than 100 applications before shortlisting 50 applicants to continue with the recruitment process. By this time, there was no formal recruitment procedure in place, but everything went fine. With more than half of the recruited volunteers were interested to have their show, everything changed.
Pinoy ScouTV was able to launch 11 live shows with minimal training, and the Scouting community embraced the different programs. Within a month of airing, the social media following of Pinoy ScouTV gained more than 3,400 new followers and a total of 55,600 minutes viewed. This then shaped the now Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts – an independent Scout Media group with almost 9,000 social media followers and more than 250,000 minutes viewed across all platforms.
4. Girl Scouts were part of the original membership.
When Pinoy ScouTV started accepting members, it also welcomed members from the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. When Pinoy ScouTV was relaunched as the Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts, the logo consists of three “play” buttons representing the shows; the colors blue and red symbolizes Rover Scouting and Senior Scouting of the BSP, while the orange symbolizes Senior Girl Scouts of the GSP.
They even had their show entitled “Hindi Ka Babae Lang” hosted by Cadet Girl Scout Joanna Sediego of Manila Council – GSP. It was part of the plan to promote inclusivity and unity among Scouts and Guides in the Philippines. However, there were only a few members of the GSP who were interested in journalism and broadcast media at that time. The executive committee then decided to shift the focus on recruiting Scout Journalists from the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
5. There was no funding from the start.
For more than 12 months, the Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts has received no external funding despite efforts to get some. According to their assessment, it may be because they raised funds too early – a few months before the community started to grow.
The absence of external funding did not stop the association to pursue its passion – the love of Journalism and Scouting. They continued to thrive and swim against the current, with determination and support from their families, friends, units, and councils. Now that the association is growing with more projects and more activities, a little donation would help.
6. It was and it is never easy.
Who said that establishing a long-distance group is easy? We always had an issue with our members’ schedules, internet connectivity, and proximity. It was and will never be easy to manage a group of this kind, but we always make it work – or not?
Despite all the hindrances, the AMAPS was able to produce more than 150 episodes of different shows. We were also able to produce a documentary about one of the 28 Scouts who perished their life on their way to the 11th World Scout Jamboree in Marathon, Greece. In partnership with the BSP – National Capital Region and in cooperation with BSP – Quezon City Council, the Scout Media group released “Scout’s Honor: Roberto Castor Story” on July 28, 2021.
7. Female leadership? No problem.
Our Scout Media group is a proud advocate of Gender Equality – with no reservations. Misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and patriarchy have no place in our association. We believe that leadership knows no gender. And every one of us should be given the chance to lead regardless of our sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression. We can’t advocate for equal gender rights if we have reservations.
The highest decision-making body of the Amateur Media Association of Philippine Scouts is headed by Eagle Scout Win Sharm M. Cinco. Four out of six executive committee members are female. The continued success of our group is not because of male leadership nor because of female leadership. It is because of competent leadership, teamwork, respect, accountability, and collective decision-making that just happened to be led by a female.
It’s 2021, who run the world?
8. The distance made us close to each other.
For more than a year, we have worked together for more than a thousand hours. And most of the time we don’t see each other’s faces nor hear each other’s voices. This is what happens behind the scenes of our live programs – we talk, and we plan via Messenger chat. Every time we say goodbye to each other after a StreamYard or Zoom meeting, we feel like we want more. And every time we say hello on the same platform, we know it is not what we wanted. But these feelings and experiences only made us close to each other.
There are only a few of us who have seen together in person. On October 1, 2021, Bianca and Win worked together on a project for the National Scout Shop – BSP. They were given a chance to meet each other in the City of Manila. It did not end there as they were brought to Mt. Makiling and, they even experienced the New Makiling adventures. They described their experience as the longest and shortest 36 hours they had.
9. No, we are not apolitical. We are non-partisan.
Everything is political – even the choice to be apolitical is. If we are going to use Bishop Desmond Tutu’s statement logic in this point, you see an elephant with its foot on the tail of the mouse. You have three choices here, you can side with the elephant, side with the mouse, or be neutral and just watch the mouse being beaten by the elephant. Let’s say you choose to be apolitical. You watch the mouse beaten by the elephant – yet, that decision is still a political choice. You simply just don’t care about what’s happening in the world around you.
In our everyday life, we choose either to do the right thing or the wrong thing – and that our friends are a political decision. Do we take care of or destroy the environment? Do we treat every gender-equal or not? Do we help that old person crossing the street or not? Do we help the victim of an accident or not? Or just simply watch all these happen on their own. Every choice we make is political, it’s only a question of whether our decision will do good, do bad, or help the bad.
As responsible citizens, we are aware of what’s happening in our surroundings. We should take care of the environment, do a good turn daily, and always help other people. But as a media entity, we are and will not endorse any candidate.
10. We nurture outstanding Scouts.
Every group’s goal is to produce outstanding individual or future nation-leaders. Even us ourselves to be one of the producers of top-achieving Scouts or Students. In fact, on October 25, 2021, our very own Vice President for Sustainability Bianca Mae S. Elpedes proved to the world that she is exceptional. She is one of the Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and she is the only woman who made it to the top. Elpedes was one of our most active decision-makers and members from the start. She already made herself an influencer to her fellow Scouts to care for the environment. She will also be part of the observing delegation of the BSP in the upcoming APR Scout Youth Forum.
Aside from her, we have another pride in the name of Lian Jon B. Santos, the Regional Scout Representative of Mindanao, and a national finalist for 2021 Search for Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts. Our President, Eagle Scout Win Sharm M. Cinco was also a regional finalist from the Southern Tagalog Region – BSP.
There are a lot of remarkable Scouts in our Scout Media group. Some of them may not be included in the official search or be elected as Scout Representatives but they are outstanding in their way. Their commitment to the association, their respect for all genders, their enthusiasm to deliver news, and their promise to protect the environment.
In AMAPS, members are free to evolve positively and we help our members develop and discover their skills and talents. We support our members in every way we can for them to succeed. But most importantly, we cultivate humble, respectful, and modest Scouts.
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These are just a few interesting facts about our Scout Media group. It has only been a year since we started, and we look forward to bringing our Scouts and our community more in the upcoming years. We won’t stop here; this is the end of the beginning. Be with us as we enter the new phase of our roller coaster journey and let’s reach the top together.
