Issue Issue 8787 June June && July July 2014 2014
From the Courtyard
sac scouts newsletter
From the Courtyard feature of the month
JAMBOREE IS ROUND THE CORNER
What is a World Scout Jamboree?
What’s on
A World Scout Jamboree is an international camp for Scouts, teenagers, and scout leaders with the purpose of providing a dramatic demonstration of Scouting's ability to develop world brotherhood, a spirit of friendship, and a source of understanding among young people through fellowship, activities, and adventure. Most of the countries with Scout Associations will be represented.
Sept. 6—13 Summer Camp Ghajn Tuffieha
The 2015 World Scout Jamboree The 23rd World Scout Jamboree Japan 2015 will take place from 28th July 2015 to the 8th August 2015. The Jamboree will be held in Japan in 2015. The theme for the Jamboree is Spirit of Unity (WA). ... So what does this mean?? Many ask the question: What will the Jamboree experience be like? How will I make friends with Scouts from all over the world? How can we learn about global development? How is this all possible? The answer is: Unity!! We like to think that this is the feeling you will get onsite, wherever you are. This is the experience of Scouting in all its variety. This is a fantastic quality programme of activities for all. This is a modern approach to tackling today's issues in society. This is our Scout Method, our values, our way of working. "WA: a Spirit of Unity" is the theme for the Jamboree. The Kanji Character "和" (WA) embraces many meanings such as unity, harmony, cooperation, friendship and peace. WA also represents Japan and its culture. Where will the Jamboree be held? The Jamboree will be held in Kirara-hama, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. How is Malta preparing? The Maltese Contingent Planning Team is working on the plans for our participation at the Jamboree. Topics like registration, finance, promotion, activity wear, equipment and travel arrangements are all being tackled. If you have any questions, please email us on jamboree2015@scout.org.mt and we do our best to guide you!
Feature of the Month
From the Courtyard
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JAMBOREE IS ROUND THE CORNER
Issue 87 June & July 2014
From the Courtyard
GSL’s NOTE
Issue 87 June & July 2014
Planning and events The June issue has been incorporated with the July issue of our newsletter as in June we did not have much to report besides many of our members were busy studying for their exams. This does not mean that all was quite behind the scenes. Many of the leaders were busy planning the summer activities. The troop and unit already held some events in July which you can read about in the next sections. The leaders also organised the annual pasta night fundraising event that was very well attended. Around one hundred and ninety persons attended making this event one of the best we ever had. Our very able rovers and ventures made sure the event went well and that the event would be as organised as possible. Special mention must go to Matthew Zarb and Kyle Mangion and their crew in the kitchen and all the ventures and rovers that helped before, during and after the event. A special thank you to Mr and Mrs A Sammut for providing the wine for the event and all sponsors for the raffle prizes. Summer camp
GSL’s note
As mentioned in previous emails summer camp for the group will be held between September 6 th and the 13th and Ghajn Tuffieha Camp Site. Circulars have been issued and we encourage members to apply as soon as possible to facilitate organisational issues. For further details please refer to circulars or address questions to section leaders. HQ improvements In the coming weeks we shall start works on the central courtyard so that we can replace the concrete floor which is deteriorating due to a number of reasons. We shall also fix the water drainage systems from the roof down to the street level to avoid blockages that take place periodically. We apologise for any inconvenience and disruptions that one may face but we will ensure the place is safe enough for all to use. In fact we will do our best to get the works done as soon as possible. HQ Extension I am very glad to announce that Fr Rector has given us access to the room next door to our HQ (the one at the corner) to be able to have more space for our members. It will not be an easy task taking the room over as some serious structural work is required on the ceiling but we are confident we can get it done. We will appreciate all the support we can get from members, families and contacts they have to get the job done soon. The room I am referring to (formerly tal-madum, as we all knew it) is “a dream” we have had for over thirty years and I recall Cubbie mentioning that it would be very difficult to get hold of it, if ever. Now that he is up there with the Almighty I suppose he must have used his influence to get the room for the Group. The room will increase the area of the HQ by at least 30% and this is a huge boost for us to increase our membership and also improve our storage facilities. We thank Fr Rector for his continuous support and promise we will make good use of it in the future. Wine Night Somehow we never stop coming up with initiatives to occupy us and try and generate funds for the Group. We are planning another Wine Night similar to the one we held some years back. The plan is to have a quiet soiree of entertainment for adult leaders and friends and members’ families where we can enjoy some good traditional Maltese food and various wines turning our HQ into a wine bar for the night. The elves in our brains are still working on this but we shall let you know about it soon…………
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From the Courtyard
WET CUBS!!
Issue 87 June & July 2014
On Wednesday 9th July, a Water Games Activity was organised for the Cub Section. The cubs were divided into 4 sixes and the activity consisted of various water games in which the cubs had to use their team-work skills to try to win the points of each game. Each game was worth 40 points, however additional points could also be won.
From the Pack
The activity was based on four main games together with a final battle.
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The first game was a Wet Sponge relay. Each team had to carry water from one full bucket to a bottle on the other side of the car park by filling the sponge with water from the bucket and then running to the bottle and trying to fill it with the water in the sponge. The winner of this game was the team that managed to fill the bottle with most water. Extra points were given to the first team to empty the bucket.
The second game was Water Gun Catch. This was like normal catch except to catch the cubs the catchers had to squirt them with a little bit of water from the water guns. At the beginning of the game there were two catchers with two guns. As the game proceeded the catchers increased but the number of guns available did not, so that catchers had to work as a team, sharing the guns available between them. There was a reserve of water guns available for when the water guns ran out of water and these were handed to the catchers by a leader. 40 points were awarded to the last cub not to be caught and 20 points to the one before the last. Points were also given to the two cubs who volunteered to be the first catchers.
From the Courtyard
WET CUBS!!
Issue 87 June & July 2014
From the Pack
The third game was Wet Sponge Over and Under Relay. Each six stood in a line, facing in one direction with a short distance between each cub. . There was a bucket full of water in front of the first cub and an empty bucket behind the last cub. The first cub had to fill the sponge and with two hands lift it over his head to the next cub. The next cub then had to take the sponge and hand it back under his legs. The cubs then continued to hand the sponge backwards over and under until it reached the last cub, who had to squeeze the water into the empty bucket. The last cub then had to run towards the front of the line to fill the sponge again and pass it backwards. The six to fill most water into the empty bucket won the 40 points and 20 points were given to the six which finished first. The fourth game was the Water Balloon toss. Each six spread across the car park in a straight line. Each six has a bucket with water balloons at one end and an empty bucket at the other. The aim was to get balloons from the bucket to the bucket on the other end, by throwing the balloons from one person to the next. The Six with most balloons in the end bucket won the 40 points, and 20 points were given to the runner-up six, but consolation points were given to the six who did not manage to get any balloons across.
The final battle consisted of the cubs trying to wet each other with water balloons or water guns. Water balloons were put in buckets around the car park as ammunition where each cub could run to a bucket to pick up his ammunition. The winner of this game was the cub who managed to most avoid getting wet. Special points were given to the cub that was voted ‘most wet’. The leaders of the pack also joined in, in this game. The winning six of this activity was the Yellow Six who one with a total of 190 points. The points were then added to the points of the monthly cup.
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From the Courtyard
CENTRAL DISTRICT TROOP BBQ
Issue 87 June & July 2014
The troop joined other troops from the Association’s Central District for a night of games, meeting new people and most of all BBQ food! Craig and Gerald write about that night. On Saturday 5th July an activity was organized by the Hamrun scout group troop section for the troop sections of other central district scout groups. It was a meet up between the scout groups as to make new friends and to have a good time! It was held on Golden bay and started at 16.00 hours.
From the Troop
It started by all the groups forming one large circle. The leader for the day was then introduced. We were asked to then take off our shoes and to put them all in a pile in the middle and then reform the circle. We were then asked to run to the pile of shoes in the middle of the circle and to take two and reform the circle. After this we had to find people who had the same matching shoes and exchange them until you ended up with your own shoes. The aim of this was for everyone to socialize, and to start becoming more comfortable with the other members of scout groups different to your own.
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We were then divided randomly into groups, with a mix of around 2 scouts of each scout group, in a group of around 8 members. There then was rotating command tasks of ten minutes each. The command tasks varied from egg and spoon races, to human knots, to a water balloon fight! After the command tasks everyone went into the sea and there were games in the sea. After the sea games there was a barbeque for each scout group and then everyone went home. Overall it was a very enjoyable activity, that opened doors to new connections. Craig Bonello S.P.L
From the Courtyard
CENTRAL DISTRICT TROOP BBQ
Issue 87 June & July 2014
From the Troop
On Saturday 5th July SAC Troop met up at Golden Bay to spend a few hours at the beach. Our day began with a BIG surprise. As soon as we arrived we found another 5 scout groups from central Malta, which were San Gwann, Hamrun, Marsa and Attard. After we met all up and looked at the other groups to see if we know someone we went for a quick swim with Mike. We played some games and after an hour we went back up, dried up and all the scouts did an enormous circle. We didn’t know what was happening but then a leader from another group entered the circle and kept walking to the center. He then instructed us to take off our shoes and put them in the middle. We all threw them and the leader shuffled them well and then told us to “pick” (at random) two shoes which come in your hand first and we had to wear them. If you are asking yourself “How did they fit???” they didn’t!! When we had managed to put them on (without tearing them) we had to find our “partner”, the one with the same shoe and we had to stay next to each other and at the end we had to form a huge line but we didn’t manage (maybe because we were over 130). We next had more games but this time in groups. The groups consisted of 2 scouts of St. Aloysius, 2 of Marsa etc... so about 12 each group. These groups rotated and in every station there was a task. Some of these tasks where “volleyball” with balloons and towels (had to throw balloons with a towel and the other team had to catch them with their towels), human “obstacle course”, egg race and last “The Bucket”, by Mike, (here we had a rope tied at ends and a circle was formed. A bucket was placed in the centre. The players had 2 ropes and you had to get out the bucket out of the circle. There were a few rules like u can’t touch the bucket with your hands and you also can’t touch the inside of a circle).
As soon as we did all our tasks we went to have a 15 minute swim until the leaders prepared the BBQ. The young scouts went to play football on the sand and the senior members and SPLs helped the leaders cook. We cooked burgers and hotdogs (“ketchup”, 5% tomato and 95% water, was optional). At 20:30 we finished and everyone was exhausted and left with his parents. The bay was now empty!!! Gerald Sammut
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From the Courtyard
NEW VENTURES
Issue 87 June & July 2014
The Venture Unit has welcomed some new members. Taking this well needed opportunity, the Unit has also re formed the executive committee which will soon start operating, VSL Andre tells us more about it. As from the 1st of July, the Unit has received six new Ventures. We would like to welcome Michael Psaila, Luke Cassola, Daniel Pace, Jonathan Pace, James Caruana and Daniel Vancell to our growing family which is now 12 member strong. The executive committee has thus been revived with the following posts retuning into force:
From the Unit
Unit Chairman—Jamie Maistre Jamie is responsible for the running of the unit, he is a sort of Patrol Leader. His main tasks are to organise the weekly meetings, being activities or discussions , particularly preparing the weekly agenda and ensuring it is followed up. Unit Secretary—Michael Psaila Mike’s role will be that of taking note of what is being discussed and decided during weekly meetings. He will then report all this to the rest of the unit on our facebook page, so everybody is up to date. Mike will also be in charge of any paperwork the unit may have as well as the newsletter and website articles about the unit. Unit Treasurer—Dylan Mifsud Baron As Treasurer, Dylan keeps a check on what we are spending and earning. Each week he checks our funds and when we have fundraising events, ensures all money is accounted for and kept safe. Dylan, along with the leaders is the one who allows any expenses to take place. Unit Quartermaster—Albert Galea Having already been QM for over a year, Albert will continue his good work as quartermaster within the Unit. He is responsible for the upkeep of all the Unit’s belongings and of the Mousehole itself. Jobs may range from buying new ropes or covering a map to painting the walls or building a shelf. Asst unit Quartermaster—Luke Cassola Since the QM role is quite demanding, Luke has volunteered to join Albert and learn the skills needed to keep the Mousehole in one piece over the next few years. Nonetheless one must point out that everybody is expected to help out whenever there is a job at hand. Together we have already started working on the Theseus badge by organising the venture camp about which you can read in the next pages. All ventures are urged to read into their venture programme to learn more about how to get this first badge... Soon though we will start planning our next requirement which is a 20km expedition. Get ready for some crazy ideas! The Unit has gained a new leader, recently Isaac Schembri has joined the Ventures as an Assistant Venture Leader. We are very glad of his arrival and are sure that his enthusiasm and good scouting skills will benefit the whole unit’s performance in the future months of training and activities. 8
From the Courtyard
VENTURE CAMP
Issue 87 June & July 2014
From the Unit
With the arrival of the new Ventures, a camp was held to kick off this new beginning . Through this camp we got to know more about our new brothers and also introduced the different lifestyle of being a venture. Mike Psaila and Luke Cassola gave us their impressions about this camp.
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DAY 1 Due to the fact that several new ventures joined the Unit, we have decided to organise a venture camp which would last three days and two nights. This was to be held from the 4 th to the 6th of July. We arrived at HQ, where the camp was held, at around 4:00 pm. As every other camp we had to bring several items with us, these including the mess kit, washing kit, sleeping gear and other personal equipment. When we all arrived, Including the two leaders, we had a short game, were we had to introduce ourselves. Afterwards we started preparing for the pioneering activity which was a tree house where we would sleep for the night. The plan of the tree house was discussed during the first venture meeting we had last Wednesday. This activity was organised to practice our skills in pioneering, such as planning and building the structure, our lashings skills and team work. We spent several hours building the tree house, during which we faced many difficulties.
From the Unit
From the Courtyard
VENTURE CAMP
Issue 87 June & July 2014
After making sure it was stable enough we went into the courtyard where we had a lecture of how to cook, the proper way, a stuffed chicken, with cheese and bacon, and a sort of vegetable burger made from carrots, potatoes, eggs and some onions. We could also cook something else of our choice. After each venture had his own utensils to cook on his own stove. After an hour our food was ready and we sat together to eat what we cooked. After we had duties and washed our own utensils. We then decided to watch a film on one of the venture’s laptop. At around 2:30 the film finished and we went to prepare to sleep on the tree house. However was not stable enough for us all and when we started going on the tree house, it started to subside on one side. We tried our best to fix it, however it was useless. We then had no choice but to sleep inside the troop room. We went to sleep at around 3:00 am. DAY 2 At around 8:00 we started waking up. We had showers/ washing up. We then had breakfast in the courtyard, a sort of English breakfast. After duties we had teambuilding activities. Were we split into two teams. We then had a siesta were many stayed playing football. We then also dismantled the tree house since we won’t be using it that night, and also to save time the day after. After we had a late lunch at 3:00pm, since no one was particularly hungry because of the large breakfast we had in the morning. We helped in the cooking. We had steak, sliced potatoes and sausages. We then got ready for the night hike we would have. We split up into two patrols, it could have been more patrols. However, we didn’t have enough maps. The leaders took us to an ‘unknown’ area, blindfolded, where
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From the Courtyard
VENTURE CAMP
Issue 87 June & July 2014
we had to figure out where we were before setting off. After they gave us the first checkpoint. The checkpoints were: A chapel in a main road, between Siġġiewi and Rabat. The parish church in Siġġiewi A windmill in Żebbuġ A cross road in Żebbuġ And back to the HQ We arrived at around 3:00am and went to sleep again inside the troop room.
From the Unit
DAY 3 We woke up at 8:00am. Today was the day we leave. We had showers/washing up. We then had breakfast, cereal and fruit. We then spent the day doing duties, cleaning and storing the kitchen utensils, arranging the court yard and cub/troop room. We then spent the rest of the time playing poker in the shade because the sun was too hot! Michael Psaila
I am now finally a Venture and we had our first camp together at HQ which in my opinion was amazing. The things I liked in this camp were, when everybody had to cook his own chicken. That was a surprise for all of us but we also had some help from Zarby who helped us throughout the cooking. Another thing I liked was the hike and the idea of not knowing where we were! One thing I didn’t like is that we had missed some of the activities. I look forward to our next camp. Luke Cassola
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