SAC Scouts Newsletter - Issue 127

Issue 127 Issue 1272018 June June 2018

From the Courtyard

From the Courtyard SAC SCOUTS NEWSLETTER

In this issue Cubs..

- Badge Work within the Pack

Scouts..

- Dlam ÄŠappa

Ventures..

- Website Revamp

Rovers..

- Scavenger Hunt

SAC Member elected to National Scout Councl The National Scout Council is tasked with the governance of the Scout Association of Malta. Elections to elect eight new members of the National Scout Council took place at the end of June 2018. A total of thirteen candidates, including two members from our Group, were nominated as candidates for these elections. The members fielded from SAC were Timothy Zammit and Jackie Maistre Melillo. A former member of our Group who was already serving at Association level in the role of Honorary Secretary, Reuben Lanfranco, was also nominated.

Voting was open to all adult members of the association who have a leaders' appointment. During this election, Timothy Zammit was elected to the National Scout Council after having received the largest number of votes from all candidates. Jackie Maistre Melillo also had a very respectable performance even though she was just four votes short of being elected.

Results were as follows: David Darmanin - 125 votes(11.8%); David Mallia - 63 votes(6.0%); Edel Cassar - 94 votes(8.9%); George Cassar - 111 votes(10.5%); Jackie Maistre Melillo - 67 votes(6.4%); Josef Custo - 33 votes(3.1%); Joseph Calleja - 75 votes(7.1%); Mario Micallef 71 votes(6.7%); Mark Vassallo - 49 votes(4.6%); Martin Bajada - 48 votes(4.5%); Patricia Marsh - 116 votes(11.0%); Reuben Lanfranco - 71 votes(6.7%); Timothy Zammit - 132 votes (12.5%).

Timmy Zammit

From the Courtyard

BADGE WORK

Issue 127 June 2018

Part of the course work which the Cubs need to follow throughout their years with the Pack include badge-work.

From the Pack

As the word itself explains, the Cub must complete a number of requirements in order to obtain a badge. The requirements are assessed by a Cub Leader and, should the Cub complete all such requirements, he will then be awarded the badge which can in turn be displayed on the uniform.

While some of the badges are obtained as part of the Cub Programme, better known as Arrow Work which we do on a monthly basis during our meetings, the Proficiency & Interest Badges can be done at the leisure of the Cub Scout himself. In fact, the first meeting of each month in our group is dedicated to just this. The Cub Scout can choose which ever badge he likes from the long list of Proficiency and Interest Badges and inform a leader that he would like to do the badge during the next badge-work meeting. During the respective meeting, the Cubs doing badges are assessed by one or more leaders or even in some cases, such as in the case of the Pet Care Badge, by the whole pack. Upon completing the requirements the badge is then awarded to the Cub and registered in the online scout database called Scout Keeper. A certificate is issued and a badge is then bought for the Cub. In the case of badge requirements not being fulfilled, the leaders will explain to the Cub what was missing or lacking from the badge requirements and another opportunity will be given to the Cub to present his badge-work again in the next meeting.

It is always a great joy for us Pack Leaders to see our Cubs working hard towards obtaining badges and we are extremely proud of all the badges which are displayed on the sleeves of the pack when they are in uniform.

In 2017, a total of 73 badges were completed and awarded to 24 Cubs. We really, really hope that by the end of 2018 we will surpass this number!

Congratulations to all the Cubs who have already obtained badges this year!

Keep up the great work!

Nicole Mifsud Hathi P.S – We currently stand at 57 badges in 2018 :)

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From the Courtyard

DLAM ĊAPPA

Issue 127 June 2018

From the Troop

June was a relatively quiet month with most of the boys still going through exams for part of the month. The first activity post-exams was Dlam Ċappa, held between the 28th and 29th June, to kick off the summer season so to speak!

It’s a yearly activity and as the name suggests, Dlam Ċappa is a night hike. We try to choose some of the less well known parts of Malta in order to keep things interesting. There’s no fun in night hiking along a main road after all! This year, we started off from San Luċjan Tower in Marsaxlokk. Meeting time was 8 pm, but until everybody got to the fish’s mouth (Malta is vaguely fish shaped and San Luċjan Tower is pretty much right in the middle of the ‘mouth’), it was about 8.30 pm. It was a fairly long drive from anywhere central, and Marsa was dismally blocked with traffic even at 7.30 pm!

The delay wasn’t such a bad thing, however, as many of the scouts didn’t seem to have informed their parents about the need for consent forms and predictably turned up without the necessary paperwork. Thankfully we had a few spare forms with us, and we were able to use the time to get Sunset colours from Delimara. them filled out there and then.

The route we took was coastal, around the bay of Marsaxlokk, up towards Tas-Silġ from just behind the Delimara Power Station and onwards through Munxar until we got to Marsaskala.

There we had a pit stop where whoever wished could buy ice cream and also a visit from ex-SPL Paolo Bezzina who was staying in the area and came to meet us with their adorable golden retriever puppy Ellie, who was immediately spoilt by attention from everyone around. After about 20 minutes we shouldered our packs again and set off towards Żonqor Point. From there, we continued along the coast until we got to Xgħajra, on the outskirts of Żabbar. There we met Marcel, Xgħajra Scout Group’s GSL who was kind enough to not only allow us to spend the night at their HQ, but also met us there at midnight to show us around the place.

Everybody was pretty knackered, because although the hike wasn’t long, it was over long parts of rough terrain and had a few uphills and downhills. Some of us did take some time to explore the are though, as the Xgħajra HQ is magnificent. They have use of Delle Grazie Battery, or Xgħajra battery, a British Era fortification that housed cannon to protect the entrance to the Grand Harbour. It was a fairly unique opportunity to be able to roam around such a place! We slept in what used to be the Sargeants’ Mess, the sign was still well preserved next to the door!

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From the Courtyard

DLAM ĊAPPA

Issue 127 June 2018

The next day we woke up at around 7.30 am and, although it was not an easy wake up, we managed to get out of the fort by approximately 8.30 am, with everybody still half asleep! From Xgħajra HQ, it was a short walk to the pick up point, which was Smart City. We were there in 15 minutes or so, and Bernard handed out a quick breakfast from the boot of his car which he had gone out to buy earlier that morning. (The breakfast, not the car!)

From the Troop

All in all, it was a very successful activity, and although we would have liked attendance to be higher, given that exams were over, it was well enjoyed by all who participated. Hopefully attendance will pick up during summer. It’s true that our HQ is not a beach, but we still love the place whatever the season!

Part of the troop forming up upon arrival outside Xghajra Scouts HQ. From left to right: Carlito, Neal, Antonio, Andrew, Sam and (part of) Julian.

Andrew Agius

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From the Courtyard

WEBSITE REVAMP

Issue 127 June 2018

The time has come to update the Group’s outdated and now inactive website. A new project has been kick started, undertaken by the Venture Unit, which consists of creating a new and improved website from scratch. The Unit aims to develop a fresh looking, modern website which is user friendly and packed with useful features.

From the Unit

With today’s increasingly growing reliance on technology and online services, it was only natural for the Group to realise the necessity of redesigning and upgrading their website in order to offer others a web service where they can read and learn about St Aloysius College Scout Group and keep updated with any new announcements.

WordPress is a website development system that allows users to create, design and maintain their own website. The program offers features such as themes and plugins. By utilising these features, the Unit should be able to create an elegant, feature-rich website. Such a website would include multiple sections displaying different information, a variety of pictures showing different aspects to scouting and activities performed by our group, as well as facilities and links to the Group’s various social media and communication platforms such as Facebook and email.

Through team effort, numerous Venture volunteers, including myself, will work together utilising WordPress software in order to meet the new website’s aforementioned requirements. Despite the fact that the software is new to all of the volunteers, this will not hinder the Unit’s capability of developing the website once the basics are learnt and each venture gets a grip of the fairly simple, easy-to-use system.

The Unit plans to work on the website during the weekly meetings as part of each meeting’s agenda. While it is true that the ventures enthusiastically took up the task of developing the website, the completion of which will largely depend on the Unit’s weekly attendance, communication and efficiency while working, as well as the amount of time required to learn the basics of using the software. Nevertheless, hopes are high within the Unit that the website will come along well. The volunteers are confident that the finished product will satisfy and hopefully

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From the Courtyard

WEBSITE REVAMP

Issue 127 June 2018

exceed expectations through consistent, quality work.

Other than to contribute our efforts to helping the Group, this project is also being undertaken as part of the venture training programme of both new and senior members alike. Such a project serves as a way of further integrating the new and older ventures together by promoting teamwork and communication between each other. By having such a project, the ventures, whoever has avid interest in IT or is just willing to help out, have the chance to work together, hence learning and utilising each other’s strengths and counter each other’s weaknesses in order to form an efficient work force.

By the time the task is completed, the Unit hopes to not only have developed a website they can be proud of, but also come out more united and more understanding of each other than before, thus contributing towards a more cohesive Venture Unit.

From the Unit

Nigel Grech Venture Unit Treasurer

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From the Courtyard

SCAVENGER HUNT

Issue 127 June 2018

From the Crew

As part of the Crew’s Monthly Activity scheme, Crew member Emanuel Lewis had the rovers running all over the place in June.

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June’s monthly activity included a scavenger hunt where the rovers had to perform several tasks, as well as, take pictures of several locations in the vicinity of HQ. The crew was split into teams of five people and were given a list of tasks to do, as well as, a list of objects needed to be found. Photos or videos were taken of the challenges performed. Examples of challenges included “Fully Mummified person wearing SAC scarf” or “Replicate Beetles Zebra crossing”. A number of points were given for each task and points for originality were also given, in some cases. 2 hours were allocated to do all the tasks, and after the 2 hour mark, everyone returned to HQ to present the pictures or videos to the Jury. In the end, the winning team was announced.

This scavenger hunt allowed the Rovers to put their time management and teamwork skills to the test while having a great time together.

Issue 127 June 2018

SCAVENGER HUNT

From the Crew

From the Courtyard

The wind changed and their faces are now stuck that way.

Mike Psaila Baloo Rover Crew Member

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