The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a worldwide ecumenical
fellowship of Christian movements and student associations as well
as other members of the academic community. Created in 1885 by a
group of young students, it is historically the first international
student organisation. It seeks to provide a worldwide ecumenical
forum for students across boundaries of culture, race and religion.
Its aims may be summed up by the following excerpts from its Constitution:
to bring them (its members) into fellowship with one another
in mutual service..., to strive for peace and justice in and among
nations..., to work for the manifestation of the unity of the Church...,
to be servants and messengers of God's kingdom in all the world.
In other words, it calls its members to live out the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
The local unit of the WSCF is the
Student Christian Movement
or SCM. Its primary constituency includes students in the university
and tertiary institutions, senior friends, members of the academic
community, staff and other persons involved in churches and ecumenical
work. Every branch of the SCM relates to the national movement in
each country.
The World Student Christian Federation Asia-Pacific Region (WSCF-AP)
is one of the five regional groupings which came about when the
WSCF Assembly in 1968 decided to regionalise. Aside from the WSCF
Asia-Pacific Region, the other regions in the Federation are: Africa,
Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. As
for the North American region, composed of Canada and the USA, the
movements relate directly to the Inter-Regional Office (IRO).
WSCF in Asia-Pacific
The WSCF A-P is composed of affiliate, associate and corresponding
member movements of the WSCF in Asia and Pacific. There are presently
eighteen (18) Student Christian Movements and two associated movements
within the region:
The WSCF-AP carries out its work in the region through a number
of committees and staff. The major committees are:
- Asia-Pacific Committee or Regional Committee, which determines
the programme priorities of the region;
- Regional Standing Committee, which reviews the progress and
facilitates the implementation of decisions made by the Regional
Committee;
- Regional Women's Committee, which is responsible for the women's
programme.
The full-time staff are the Regional Secretary and Regional
Women's Coordinator. Currently we have part-time staff for publications
and volunteer Solidarity Work Coordinators.
The aims of the WSCF A-P may be summarised in the words of Ahn
Jae-Woong, a former Regional Secretary: to train and nurture members
to become "academically advanced as students, theologically
equipped as Christians, and ecumenically oriented as church-related
persons." To fulfill this, the WSCF A-P carries out a wide
range of programmes based on assessed needs of member movements
and the current social realities.
Major Programmes
The WSCF A-P's partnership with the churches
in Asia, through the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), began in
the 1960s with a covenant between the two bodies to work in partnership
in promoting ecumenical student ministry. This covenant affirms
the churches' understanding of the SCM as the "arm" of
the ecumenical movement on campuses.
Also in the spirit of partnership, WSCF A-P works
closely with other regional ecumenical and church agencies such
as Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs, Young Women Christian Association
(YWCA), International Young Christian Students (IYCS) Asia, Internationl
Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Asia Pacific and Asian Students
Association (ASA).