By: Mike Paul
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 – The Asia-Pacific Region Social Impact and Advocacy Workshop 2025 (APR SIAW 2025) continues to serve as a vital platform for Scouts and NGOs to strengthen their contributions to social development, with calls to enhance collaboration and improve how impact is communicated.
Samuel Isaiah, Executive Director of Global School Leaders (GSL), emphasised that the workshop provides more than just networking opportunities—it promotes community-driven, sustainable solutions to global challenges.
“This programme not only gives us the opportunity to share initiatives carried out in Malaysia but also helps elevate the country’s image on the international stage,” he said.
Isaiah noted that many social challenges thought to be unique are actually shared by nations across the region, and cross-border collaboration is essential for creating meaningful and lasting change.
“There are problems we often think are unique to our own countries, but in reality, many of these issues are universal and can be solved together.”
Sarah Czarina Mashanis, Programme Coordinator at Family Frontiers, praised the workshop’s Social Impact Storytelling segment for introducing creative methods to amplify the impact of social work.
“Many people are involved in social work, but don’t know how to creatively showcase its impact, especially on social media,” she said.
Sarah stressed the importance of ethical storytelling, particularly when engaging with government agencies and local communities.
“We need to be more mindful of how social impact is communicated so that it conveys genuine meaning to the intended audience.”She also expressed hope that this kind of dialogue would inspire not only Scouts, but also broader civil society actors to take part in advocacy through more mindful messaging.
The regional event, held from 26–29 June, brought together 60 participants from 15 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Malaysia.Organised by the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (Asia-Pacific Region) in collaboration with the Scouts Association of Malaysia, the programme seeks to develop regional strategies to increase the visibility and effectiveness of social impact work led by volunteers and youth movements.
- TNS News