Members of the venture scouts of St Aloysius College have been travelling this summer as far afield as the southern parts of the US and the northern parts of Europe, specifically Denmark, going on sailing trips and having a go at clay pigeon shooting and archery in Malta.
Venture Scout Gregory Apap Bologna participated in an essay competition organised by the Boy Scouts of America on the theme As A Scout, I Could Convince More Young People From My Community (And Surrounding Communities) To Join Scouting By Organising A Membership Recruitment Plan That Included These Important Steps/Elements.
The Boy Scouts of America chose the top five essays from around the world and the top five essays from the US, making up a 10-member team of international scouts. Together with scouts from Sri Lanka, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Slovakia, Mr Apap Bologna made his way to Philmont in June for a fully-sponsored trek at the Philmont Scout Ranch situated in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico. He shared his scouting experiences and the topics discussed in his essay both with the other scouts present and with leaders who met together for an international scout conference.
In the beginning of July, nine venture scouts travelled to Aalborg, Denmark. The trip was based on an adventure camp, a theme ventures coveted. They slept outdoors in the beautiful countryside and forests Denmark has to offer, with young people from Lithuania, Italy and Denmark. They went mountain biking in the Rold forest, canoeing down the Nibe river, had a try at wood carving, fishing, stone polishing and wool making, went hiking, climbing, tree jumping and swimming. They even found some time to visit the historical merchant city of Aalborg.
The venture scouts cleaned and cooked rainbow trout over an open fire and gave everyone a taste of the Mediterranean flavours during a Maltese night they organised.
In Malta, between both trips, the venture scouts had a go at archery and clay pigeon shooting. At the indoor archery range in Pembroke, George Zammit Montebello emerged as the best archer and got nicknamed the unit¹s Robin Hood, while Luca Gatt hit 17 of 20 clays at the Bidnija Shooting Range.
Malta Yacht Charters invited the Venture Unit for a weekend of sailing and fishing on the classy 50-foot Beneteau Cycades Tia Buena. The unit members had the chance to experience real sailing under the guidance of master yachtsman Michael Gauci.
The college group's summer camp is now approaching and the venture scouts are organising a three-day rafting expedition and a joint crevassing activity with St Julians venture scouts. The unit will also be going on an expedition in Gozo towards the end of September to touch up on their orienteering skills.
The college's venture scouts have also been active in national scouting activities, attending the National Venture Camp held in Żurrieq in June and are looking forward to participating in the National Venture Football Tournament and the competitive Venture Rally, also known as the Reynold¹s Cup, among the units on the island, which the college venture scouts have won for the past four consecutive years. The international commissioner of the Scout Association, David Schembri, has constantly encouraged the unit to participate in international scouting and Group Scout Leader Edward Cassola extended his support in all the unit's activities.
For updated information on the adventures of the college venture scouts visit www.sascouts.org.