CADIZ CITY, Negros Occidental—More than 100 Scouts from Dr. Vicente F. Gustilo Memorial National High School (DVFGMNHS) participated in their institutional camp on May 20-23.
Senior Scouts of Outfit 211 and 722 from DVFGMNHS took part in a four-day Institutional Encampment with a bubble set-up, where participants–including the staff– were restricted to leave the premises and accept visitors for the whole duration of the activity.
The camp started with an investiture ceremony. It was graced by Scout Leader Jett Ledesma—accepting around 50 new members of their group. Newly-invested Scouts received full support from their guardians as they were donned their neckerchiefs.
The grand opening ceremony followed– signaling the official start of the bubble camp. AMAPS Executive Director JK Gamora was invited to share an inspirational message. He encouraged the Vicentinian Scouts to be more proactive in the fight against climate change.
“Faith without action is dead, and so are our advocacies,” he said.
Gamora explained that sharing campaigns on social media may be vital, but it is not enough. “There are a lot of programs in the Scouting movement that we can bring to our local community to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis like the Earth Tribe, Messengers of Peace, and Scouts for SDGs,” he added.
The second day of the bubble camp focused on developing camaraderie between the old and new members. They also focused on the development of their Scouting skills; as well as tackling various efforts to achieve a sustainable future.
The first Mx. Vicentinian Scouts was also conducted on Saturday, a gender-fair pageant that focuses on the humor, witty, and Scouting knowledge of the candidates. AMAPS conducted the first pageant of this type in January 2022 during the socialization night of their Journalism Skills Training.
Newly-invested Senior Scout Carlo Z. Malihan was hailed as the Mx. Vicentinian Scouts 2022 with special awards such as “Best in Survival Attire” and “Best in Humor.”
The program veered onto physical activities on the third day, starting with the obstacle courses in the morning and skills-o-rama in the afternoon. The night ended with a campfire just like any other Scouting activity. The Institutional Head, Dindo M. Ampalla, and other Scout Leaders were also present at the campfire to show support.
Ampalla said that they are hoping for a bigger version of the camp that will bring more Scouts together as soon as the Schools Division Office and the local Inter-Agency Task Force assigned on implementing COVID-19 protocols give them clearance.
The encampment was declared closed by Scout Leader Ledesma on Sunday afternoon, sending more than 100 Scouts back home to their families.
