The Education and Culture Committee of the Federal Senate approved on Tuesday, July 11, Bill 3936/19 establishing the National Pathfinder Day. With the measure, September 20 will be part of the country's official calendar. The next step for the bill to become law is the sanction of the President of the Republic. Because it has a terminative character, it will not need to go through any other instance.

It is a recognition by the authorities of the relevance of the care, teaching, and training of young people throughout Brazil. In his presentation, Senator Hamilton Mourão, the rapporteur of the project, reinforced the contribution given to the participants since the 1950s. "The Pathfinders clubs emphasize the importance of education, health, and service to the community. They stimulate the integral growth of young people, preparing them to be responsible citizens and committed to the well-being of all," he expanded.

"I want to congratulate the initiative of the Chamber of Deputies, through Deputy Tadeu Alencar, and the rapporteur, Senator Hamilton Mourão. I think that all of us, in different places of the Federation, follow the work, the presence, the training that you carry out, and the help to the community, with different initiatives," praised Senator Professor Dorinha Seabra, vice president of the Education and Culture Commission of the Federal Senate.

The project was voted unanimously. In the room where the commission took place, Pathfinders, club board members, and other leaders visualized the result through the panels scattered around the room. One of them was Pastor Udolcy Zukowski, who leads this ministry for the South American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. He has followed the process closely since its inception, when it was proposed in 2018 and approved by the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) of the Chamber of Deputies in 2021.

Social Relevance

"I can confess that as a good Pathfinder, as passionate about the Pathfinder Club, I was moved. Alone there, I thought of every club director, every counselor, every father and mother of a Pathfinder, every Pathfinder who struggles to be recognized, to have credibility, to be valued. And now we will have a day that will be fundamental for us. And it is the first country on the planet to have the National Pathfinder Day," states Pastor Zukowski.

Currently, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay comprise 13,809 clubs and 369,613 Pathfinders. In Brazil alone, there are 288,353 participants. Manaus, for example, is considered the world capital of Pathfinders. That's because it has 413 clubs. Next are the cities of São Paulo, with 362, and Salvador, with 187. With the institution of the date, in addition to visibility, it is expected that more clubs will be born in all regions of the national territory, thus enabling physical, mental, and spiritual development for more adolescents.

During the commission, Senator Zequinha Marinho asked for the floor to reinforce the contributions of Pathfinders to society. "There in my state, Pará, thank God there is a very large work, divided into four Adventist Church conferences [regional headquarters of the denomination]. A total of 1,028 clubs throughout the State of Pará, with more than 28,400 boys and girls participating. I want to commend the initiative. This commission pays a great tribute to this group of young people who need to start life very well, recognizing and learning good things," he said.

At the age of 12, Alícia Ferreira was one of the representatives of the thousands of Pathfinders who will have a day on the official calendar of Brazil. She is part of the Corais Club, from São Sebastião, in the Federal District, and says she is honored with this recognition. The date, she says, is an opportunity for more people to take an interest in what makes a big difference in her life. The preteen assures that in the last two years, she has made many friends and seen changes, not only in her way of being, but mainly in her relationship with God.

“When we say that we are forming good citizens, this is more than proven. This great mix of adventure, friendship and overcoming helps our teens focus on what is useful, what is good, what is enjoyable," Zukowski said.

To learn more about the Pathfinder Club, visit encontreumclube.org.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.