2 brothers, 1 shared purpose: To bring Filipino stories to the Upper East Side’s Scouting community

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, two brothers in Scouting are reshaping what an Eagle project can look like.

Through their service, Lucas and Leonardo G. del Rosario have brought Philippine indigenous culture and literature into a neighborhood where Filipino and Asian Pacific stories are rarely taught, seen, or celebrated.  

Lucas, 19, and  a Presidential Merit Scholar, is a freshman at American University in Washington D.C., and Leonardo, 16, a junior at The Browning School in Manhattan, completed their projects during the winter and spring. Together, their work reached hundreds of people within and around the Scouting community, inspiring the youth to explore their own heritage and showing how leadership in Scouting can change a neighborhood’s understanding of history and identity.

One project centers on indigenous Maranao culture, music, and Catholic faith. The other project elevates Asian Pacific writers and student voices through a citywide magazine, scholarship, and symposium. Both grew from deeply personal questions: Where do I come from, and who gets to tell that story?

Lucas: Finding identity through Maranao culture

Lucas’s Eagle Service Project began with a simple realization. As a Filipino American growing up on the Upper East Side, he saw almost no mention of Filipino Americans in his school curriculum or community. In classrooms, on bulletin boards, and in local events, his heritage was largely invisible.

Outside of school, Lucas took a different path. For eight years he has been active in the Filipino American community in New York City, volunteering on local election campaigns that featured Filipino American candidates and attending classes in Filipino history, education, music, and dance. That journey led him to Kinding Sindaw, a not-for-profit arts and education organization that preserves and shares the indigenous cultures of the Philippines, especially the Maranao people from southern Philippines.

Through Kinding Sindaw, Lucas discovered indigenous traditions that existed long before Spanish colonization and began to understand how more than 300 years of Spanish rule shaped religion, language, and culture across the archipelago.

Working in partnership with Kinding Sindaw and other experts, he designed an educational and fundraising event that introduced indigenous Maranao culture and Filipino American history to the Upper East Side. The program included brief lectures, storytelling, Filipino food, live performance, and demonstrations of rituals that reflected both indigenous traditions and Spanish Catholic influence.

Scouts from Troop 662 and from all over the city were supportive of the event. They helped fundraise for two months and assisted Kinding Sindaw artists and leaders. For many attendees, it was the first time they had seen indigenous Philippine culture. For Filipino Americans in the audience, it was a moment of recognition and pride.

Leonardo: KAPWA and the power of Asian Pacific literature

While his older brother focused on dance, ritual, and music, Leonardo turned to writing and public conversation. His Eagle Service Project, The KAPWA Project, shines a light on Asian Pacific identity through literature, discussion, and scholarship.

KAPWA is a Filipino Tagalog term that means shared identity and shared humanity. It also serves as an acronym for Kultural Asian Pacific Writers Association. Leonardo built his entire project around this idea. He saw that in many New York City schools there were few, if any, platforms where Asian Pacific students could publish their own stories about immigration, environment, family, faith, and culture.

His Eagle project became a three-part initiative. The first part was a scholarship for a high school writer. The second was an annual magazine featuring student literary work. The third was a live symposium that would bring students, educators, parents, and community members together to discuss Asian Pacific identity and storytelling.

Leonardo hosted the first KAPWA Symposium at The Browning School. Six months before, he formed an Editorial Board and a group of advisors.

High school students from seven schools across New York City, including Bronx Science, Poly Prep, St. Ann’s, Avenues, and Browning, submitted original pieces. Submissions focused on immigration, the environment, and Asian Pacific identity or shared humanity. A detailed rubric helped the Editorial Board select the winner of a 1,000 dollar college scholarship. 

Leonardo opened the evening by leading the Scout Oath and Scout Law, then welcomed donors, panelists, advisors, Troop 662 families, and guests.   More than one hundred people attended in person and more viewed the event online. Together they explored how Asian Pacific identity shapes life in New York City, which books and stories have influenced their understanding of themselves, and how stereotypes, privilege, and technology affect visibility and representation.

As with Lucas’s project, Troop 662 Scouts provided essential support. Youth volunteers managed check-in, food, set-up, seating for about 60 participants in the main space, and clean-up afterward. Leonardo’s project totaled 51 documented hours of planning, coordination, promotion, implementation, and follow-up. More importantly, it established The KAPWA Project as an annual symposium, magazine, and scholarship meant to continue beyond his own Eagle journey.

Two projects, one shared purpose

Lucas’s work with Kinding Sindaw and Leonardo’s KAPWA Project grew out of different interests, but they share a common purpose. Both brothers used the Eagle Scout framework to address a real gap in their community. Filipino and Asian Pacific stories were largely missing from the curriculum, from local events, and from public conversation on the Upper East Side.  The brothers created two platforms that honor Philippine and Asian Pacific heritage, educate their neighbors, and empower youth who rarely see themselves centered in public spaces.

Both projects reflect what Scouting can look like when service is rooted in identity, community, and courage. Two brothers from New York City noticed the absence of their stories in the places they loved. Instead of accepting that silence, they chose to act.

Lucas and Leonardo del Rosario are the sons of Cristina and Antonio G. del Rosario, a licensed broker at Brown Harris Stevens. They volunteered in Steven Raga’s election campaigns, and promoted the launch of Loida Lewis’ book “Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?” In addition to their Eagle Scouting Projects, they did a lot of nature conservation work and went on high adventure trips like sailing for 70 miles in Caribbean, hiking 100 miles in New Mexico and Jamboree in West Virginia.  They are committed to promoting Filipino and Asian Pacific culture knowing there are still many harmful  stereotypes that affect our community.