Who are Mafikeng scouts? On the surface, we are a scout group based in Sutton made up of scouts and leaders from around the area. But in reality, we are so much more. Like many scout troops, we are dedicated to the growth of young people and the development of a wide variety of skills and talents. We are always looking forward to the next hostel or camp and never object to the odd hike in the Wicklow Mountains every now and then.
We meet every Friday night in St. Mary’s parish hall for a two-hour program that ranges from things like pioneering or building projects, to camp design challenges and even to large scale first-aid scenarios that take us all over the Howth peninsula. Our troop has always been known for our grandiose pioneering projects (we have a very popular aerial runway every Easter in Powerscourt, Wicklow) and these Friday night meetings is where we learn how to piece together our intricate designs.
One of our greatest assets is that our leader team (with the exception of our senior “Hitlist”
team) is relatively young. Our regular leaders are all in their twenties which means they can bring enormous amounts of energy and enthusiasm to our meetings. Another great advantage of the Mafikeng leader team is that every one of us has been through the troop, with many of us starting in beavers and moving all the way through to ventures and, finally becoming leaders. This gives our leaders a huge amount of scouting experience and knowledge that we can draw on in order to teach our scouts and handle any situation that our camps or trips might throw at us.
Perhaps our greatest asset, however, is our location itself. Being located right on Howth hill allows us to plan our weekly programs and training sessions around the natural resources at our disposal. The woods that cover the hill are perfect for games of manhunt or sleeping in natural bivvis. The village and harbor is great for elongated scavenger hunts or our infamous “paperclip game”. And the hill itself is fantastic for planning first-aid training scenarios like our “Operation Blackbird”.
Our biggest event every year is Easter Camp. This is a highlight of the scouting calendar for both scouts and leaders alike. This is a five-day camp that takes place in Powerscourt estate on our own site. This isn’t our only event, however. We always have something in the works whether it’s a camp in Larch Hill or a hostel in Glendalough, leaders are constantly planning the next exciting event.
We may have a lot in common with other scout troops, but we’ve always been more different than we’ve been the same. We always work hard and play harder.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send us an email and we’ll be sure to get back to you.
Mafikeng Scout Troup 