Scouting in Malta - Naomi

Scouting in Malta

How come you’ve been in scouts for such a long time?

This question, along with many others, is one of the questions I get asked often by many people during scouting activities. My answer to that is always the same: How come you’ve never involved yourself in scouting before?

Many people are still at a loss as to what scouting really means: some look at it as a means of disciplining their children by continuous parades and drills while to others it means taking part in fun, exciting, adrenaline rushing adventures ... and this list can go on and on.


History of Scouting on Malta

One cannot really understand what scouting really means, though, without actually going slightly into its history:

It was during his term as Assistant Military Secretary to his uncle, General Sir Henry Smyth - who was Governor of Malta between 1890-93 - that Baden-Powell showed a concern for the welfare of soldiers, which in time led to his writing his 'Aids to Scouting'.

The Malta Scout Association formally applied to become a member of the British Movement on November 9th, 1908, and was officially recognised a year later.

Those first few scouts started a tradition that has kept scouting at the very forefront of youth education in Malta. Since its early years, scouting has been the most active and strongest youth organisation on the island. Baden-Powell visited Malta on several occasions and took the Maltese Scouts under his wing, often writing to them with advice and praising 'the progress in efficiency and the spirit of the Boy Scouts of Malta'.

Shortly before his death, Baden-Powell typed what was possibly his last letter on July 21, 1940, from Paxtu in Kenya 'to congratulate my old friends, the Maltese on the plucky way they have stood up to the infernal bombing of the Italians ... They have the spirit of fearlessness and patience which enables them to face danger with a smile to stick it out to the triumphant finish ...'. The Scouts of Malta played a notable role in the aerial siege of the Island between 1940 and 1943. They were collectively decorated with the unique honour of the Bronze Cross 'in recognition of their courage and devotion to duty in the face of continuous enemy action in the war for freedom'.

The Scout Association of Malta was, until 1966, a branch of the British Association. Malta became an independent state in 1964, and in October 1966 the Maltese national organization became a member of the World Scout Conference. The Scouts of Malta have maintained, throughout all these years, their sense of service and dedication to the ideals of the movement, as conceived by its founder.

The idea of helping and fighting for those people in need, and the country we all love, was what started scouting in Malta ... but what did it take for it to survive throughout the coming years?


Dedication & Commitment: anyone involved in scouting would wholeheartedly understand what these two phrases mean. Going for the weekly meetings, organising fund-raising activities, teaching the young and older ones fun topics like knotting and backwoods cooking, making sure that the group runs in a smooth effective way does not come easy at all: it takes dedication and commitment from each member involved to make sure all the above succeeds.


Adventure and Fun: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy: one of the proverbs that really comes to life during a fun-filled scouting activity. Abseiling, canoeing, raft-building, backwoods cooking, campings, hikes, night hikes, bike hikes, trekking, treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, themed parties, expeditions in Malta and abroad, jamborees, international activities, parades and much, much more are some of the activities that scouts experience and help make more sense of the words "living and loving to live".

Brotherhood and Friends for Life: when joining any scouting group, you are not just joining one group but you are joining a world-wide movement. In 2007, the Scouts and Girl Guides together had over 38 million members in 216 countries. Each and every activity carried out in scouting focuses on the words "friendship to all", "team spirit", "support" and "helping those in need". When this is kept in mind, it’s no longer a surprise to know that, within your scout group, you can actually rely on people who will not let you down.


Discipline & Education: these two aspects go hand in hand. You can never discipline a child or grown-up without educating them first. They need to know the reason as to why they are obeying certain rules and they need to know the meaning of respect to the leaders and everyone else. Therefore education is delivered through the many different topics that scouts cover like weather knowledge, safety at sea and home, first aid, compass and mapping, fire safety, knife and axe, tracking signs, together with socializing with others. Disciplining both the younger and older members comes automatically when they are being educated in fun ways and meeting people that have the same solid values as themselves.


Parades and Drills: ever looked out of the balcony and seen uniformed and non uniformed scouts playing instruments and walking in an orderly manner? Well that’s what a Parade is. It’s with a deep sense of satisfaction that scouts and non-scouts watch these scouts marching in impeccable order while playing an instrument. For a parade to be successful, it takes practice - in the form of drills which are basic instructions given to all members. These need to be followed accordingly. Though drills may sound hard and tough for some, these are most of the times carried out in a fun way so that members enjoy and learn from them.


Mottos: the scouting mottos are the words which scouts try to live with day by day to grow up into adults with values. They start from the very early age of 5 years old with the Beavers’ motto ‘Making Friends’, followed by the Pack Motto ‘Do Your Best’ at the age of 8 years old, ‘Be Prepared’ for those Troop/Scouts members aged 10 and a half, ‘Look Wide’ for the Venture Scouts aged 15 to 18 and last but not least the Rover Crew’s Motto ‘Service’ for those aged 19 and over. Therefore, as one can see, scouting embraces a mixture of activities ranging from making friends and having fun, to giving service to the community and to others as one grows older.


I think by now you should have a clear idea of what has kept me in scouts for these last 10 years: so if fun, adventure, discipline, education, friendship, brotherhood, socializing and a sense of belonging feeling is what you are looking for, then scouting is definitely for you!