SCOUTS South Africa Rover and Youth Influencer Gontse Malatji joined Scouting as a Rover in 2021. She has embraced her own personal growth journey and also gave back to children as an Assistant Pack Scouter until the Unified Scout Group closed down earlier this year.
“I began my journey in Scouting as a Rover squire where I was challenged to complete the various advancement tasks. Once completed, I got invested and was officially a member of the Rover Crew. During that time, I also learned more about Scouting. I decided to join the Scout Movement as a volunteer because I was inspired by how much of an impact it had on our community though learning, adventure and survival skills”, she says pensively.
“Today, the Scout Laws serve as a foundation of how I carry myself as a leader and a Rover. The values of respect for others, honesty, and doing my best to help the people around me when I can, are part of my character. The most important lesson I learned as a Rover Scout is team building, trusting my team, as well as companionship. Together we can do more!
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As a young adult, Rovering helps me navigate through life, as well as see the world in a different perspective. Today I am able to solve problems by providing solutions, and I try to always smile and whistle under all difficulties (Scout law 8)! As a Rover, I enjoy hikes, camping, as well as singing around the campfire! But when on a camp, be sure that the one thing that I cannot live without is definitely my sleeping bag! Some of my best memories are definitely the Rover Moot and when I did my Cub Warrant Course. From learning how to draft a Cub programme, to learning how to conduct games and dealing with different personalities was the best.
There have also been activities that were more challenging, like having to run a full day programme for Cubs as part of my Movement Bar requirements. I succeeded by asking for help with the bases from my fellow Rovers and they were the best of help! I later attended the Cub Warrant course which helped me a lot.
Being an adult volunteer is important to me because I want to leave the place a better world and make an impact in someone’s life. I think that young people often hesitate taking leadership roles because of the fear of the unknown, the fear of being judged, or they are afraid of making mistakes. It might also be that they are afraid of the responsibility. For me, the best thing about being an adult volunteer in a Cub Pack are the lovely smiles, the trust that the parents have me with their children as Assistant Pack Scouter, and the free hugs before every session from Cubs. I also really enjoyed becoming an ‘Adult Cub’ myself as I became one of them when playing the games! Seeing each Cub eager to complete a task for a badge in return and the dedication that comes with it was exciting to witness”, she says with a big smile.
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So how important are our adult volunteers in the lives of our young members? “It is important for the youth to have positive role models to look up to. Positive role models inspire and encourage them to work hard, as well as to believe in themselves. A positive role model helps one make positive choices.
People in my community see SCOUTS South Africa as a life changing Movement as it has rescued and saved some of the youth from illegal substances. They see the SA Scout Movement as a way to give youth discipline and direction, to be occupied by volunteering in something that focuses on making the world a better place than how they found it.”
So, has Scouting changed who Gontse is today? “I believe I have changed as a person since I joined Scouting. I now have leadership skills, communication skills, and problem solving skills. I am able to organise, teach and conduct meetings as I was the Crew secretary, doing minutes and setting the agenda of meetings being held. I would also like to believe that I brought change in the lives of others.”