Ticket to Life Manila’s 2nd Eagle Scout becomes a finalist in the search for Outstanding Scouts

John Jazper Luna is an 18-year-old Eagle Scout from Manila, Philippines. Inspired by his brother in his younger years, he started Scouting through Ticket to Life (TTL). Living among the poorest in the densely populated area of Manila, Jazper has come a long way to become a finalist in the Philippine’s search for its Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts in 2022. He now serves as a Scout Representative of both his council and region. Through the TTL scholarship, he is studying Computer Science, inspiring other TTL Scouts to dream big and act on it. We visited Jazper as he shares his journey from coming from difficult circumstances then finding a supportive environment through Scouting.

Jazper comes from a family classified as a poor household in the Philippines. The youngest of all three boys in his family, his father worked at a minimum wage job while his late mother stayed at home to take care of the family whilst fighting an autoimmune disease.

Despite this, Jazper tells us that his parents never fell short of showing support: “They made sure, through side hustles, that our needs were met. I remember vividly that when I told my mom that I want to join the drum and lyre school band, they purchased the one known for being high-quality despite of its price tag. I was flunking my grades back then, but my mom looked for help to get some of her friends to teach me after-hours.”

“Scouting really showed me an environment of support to which I continue to thrive and develop.”

He started his Scouting journey as a KAB (Cub) Scout as this was supported by the public school he was attending. This was the only choice to join Scouting due to financial constraints in the family.

Ticket to Life project (TTL) in the Philippines began in 2006, which aimed to integrate Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances to society through Scouting. In its early years, only Senior Scouts ages 13-17 were admitted to the project where his brother, Rincent, attended its weekly meetings. Jazper recalls being inspired to join TTL: “Seeing my brother with a red neckerchief when coming home inspired me to become a Scout… and talking about what he learned [on that day].”

In 2011, TTL Manila started to admit younger Scouts into a new troop where he joined as a Boy Scout, and went on to become one of its finest Scouts – mentoring new Scouts and helping in the weekly troop meetings.

The Ticket to Life Project in Manila has always wanted to hone their Scouts, make a name, and become an inspiration to their community. Among those with outstanding achievements were Reggie, then his brother Gmon (the first Eagle Scout from TTL Manila) who became an outstanding Scout of Manila. Jazper was selected to be the next candidate for the series of searches from his local council up to the national search. He then realized that the weekly three-hour troop meetings for the last eight years really helped him not just in Scouting but also in life.

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He recalled how Scouting gave opportunities that he might have missed if he didn’t take the chance. Despite hardships, his parents supported him and his passions from childhood up to the present. Receiving that same level of support, Jazper says he’s happy finding a family in Scouting. Despite not winning the award, he is proud becoming the first finalist from TTL Manila and will try harder for the next search this 2023.

“It was hard for me to see that it was possible to be where I am right now especially coming from a poor family. Despite this, my leaders in TTL believed in me just like how my parents believed and supported me.” - John Jazper Luna

Jazper says that he finds inspiration from his Scout Leaders: “My adult leaders Derek and Sophie saw in me what I did not see. They encouraged me compete for the outstanding Boy Scout award. They’ve always sponsored my participation in different forums. It was hard for me to see that it was possible to be where I am right now especially coming from a poor family. Despite this, my Scout leaders in TTL believed in me just like how my parents believed and supported me.”

He also found siblings who are Scout members who were showing up to troop meetings every week, handling sessions and ready to support any TTL Scout when it comes to Scoutcraft or academic subjects: “Scouting really showed me an environment of support to which I continue to thrive and develop”, says Jazper.

Aside from Scouting and eyeing to be one of the Ten Outstanding Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Jazper aspires to finish his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science through the TTL Scholarship – a fund from the project that supports eligible TTL Scouts in Manila to pursue higher education.

When asked for his message to young people who aspire to create a better world through Scouting, he said, “The most important thing is to develop yourself and one day you will achieve what you want and hopefully you will also inspire others to achieve what they want.”

Read more about Ticket to Life at https://scout.org/ticket2life.

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Story by Aaron Lopez, with interview from John Jazper Luna of Ticket to Life – Manila.