Eighty years ago, from 27 May to 2 June 1946, delegates from National Scout Organizations across the continent gathered at the National Library of Colombia, in Bogotá, for the first Interamerican Scout Conference. That meeting gave rise to the body that would connect the Scout Movement across the Americas and the Caribbean. The week marked a milestone in the history of World Scouting: the creation of the first Scout Region within its global structure.
The Interamerican Scout Conference and the Regional Scout Committee were established during that session by the accredited representatives of the continent's Member Organizations, and were later recognised by the 11th World Scout Conference, held in France in 1947. It was the first model of regional governance within the Scout Movement, an approach that would later be replicated around the world.
Eight decades on, that vision remains alive and growing. The Interamerican Scout Region today brings together hundreds of thousands of young people and adult volunteers, members of 36 National Scout Organizations across 35 countries and territories of the continent. Throughout its history, its headquarters followed the growth of the Movement, moving across the continent from Havana in 1946 to its current home in Panama City, always close to the communities it serves.
The spirit of that first conference, "The Union of the Americas through the Scout Movement", turns into concrete action today. The Region supports and strengthens its National Scout Organizations, nurtures the leadership of young people across the continent, and backs the work of the volunteers who sustain the Movement every day. From this shared effort come initiatives that connect Scouts across the Americas around service to their communities and care for the environment.
"The future is not awaited, it is built. In the Americas, we have been doing it for 80 years", says the theme of the commemorative campaign "80 Years. Being Tomorrow," with which the Region celebrates this anniversary throughout 2026. The anniversary reaffirms the role of the Scout Movement as one of the most relevant and resilient forces for young people in the continent: one region, one movement, one promise.