As a teacher, a Troop Scouter and a Wood Badge holder, Sphiwe Sylvia Mahlalela understands the transformative power Scouting can have in the life of a child. For nearly a decade she has been inspiring young Scouts in Mbombela to live the values of the Scout Promise and Law, while giving them adventure, skills and friends.

“In 2006, I was substituting at Likhweti Primary School when I was asked to accompany learners to a Scout rally at the Nelspruit rugby field. That was the day I fell in love with the Scout Movement. I saw children doing things with order, without complaining or running around. I was so happy to see the discipline, and I knew right then that Scouting was a good thing for young people. The next year, I was appointed as a Grade 2 teacher at Nelsville Combined School. I asked about Scouts, but no one really knew about it or was trained. The principal had a pamphlet he had received at an information session and gave it to me. I grabbed the opportunity to run it as an extra-mural activity and shortly thereafter I was trained as a Troop Scouter,” explains Sphiwe.

“I have been working with children for years. I have seen how children need to be given something good to do after school that can build their skills and discipline. When learners get to higher grades, they start noticing the opposite sex and get into trouble or pregnant when they don’t have good activities or role models to follow. Most of our children are from a township, and when they get to 15 or 16, often girls get pregnant. Since we have been running the Scouts, we have not experienced any teen pregnancies in our Group. As Scouts, they are held accountable against the Scout Promise. When we go to District events, I always remind them that your fellow Scouts are your peers, your brothers and sisters, not your boyfriend or girlfriend.

I run the Scout Group every Friday. When we start, we not only say the Promise and Law, but we talk about what it means for them in their daily lives too. Our values and our Promise set us apart from others. I can see a huge difference between Scouts and non-Scouts. Some children are wild and naughty, but the Scouts are disciplined. Not only in Scouting but also in school. Our former principal used to be the technology teacher and he would tell me how it was only our Scouts that built the projects. They are not afraid to take on difficult tasks and complete them. That made me very proud of them. Today, if a Scout has not done their homework or acted out in class the teachers would let me know, and I would hold them accountable against their Scout Promise. The Scouts then change their behaviours as they love being in Scouting. In fact, it is the Scouts who recruit new Scouts for the Troop. They speak at the school assembly and tell others how they benefit from being in Scouting and that is how we get new members every year.

My favourite activity in Scouting is camping! I love being outdoors and camping with the Scouts is so much fun. We do the Scout skills, pioneering, and backwoods cooking. At camp the Scouts learn to take care of themselves, be independent and stand on their own feet. At morning inspection, the tent must be clean, they must be clean, and their clean and dirty clothes must be packed away separately. Later in the day they must cook their own meals and clean up after themselves. This teaches them how to do it at home too. At camp they have fun and also learn that whatever comes your way, you have the skills to solve the problem without getting angry or walking away. They are Scouts and they can do it, while smiling and whistling.”

When Sphiwe joined Scouting in 2007 she also fell in love with the training offered to Adult Leaders. Two years after she was invested and a few weeks after she had surgery, she stepped into a Scout Wood Badge training ready to learn. “It was tough, but I wanted to grab the opportunity that was afforded to us at that time. This training taught me patience, work hard, and how to keep pushing. While we were hiking, I could feel the pain because of the operation, but I pushed through till the end. Our hike was from 9.30am till 6.30pm, and it was in the Barberton mountains. I remember we were dropped at the bottom of the mountain and needed to hike to our campsite. Along the journey, there was a river we had to cross, and there was a spot with lots of black mambas. At that spot there were two guides that taught us about snakes, how to behave around them and how to treat the bites. Black mambas—that was an adventure! I remember being in the middle of nowhere, climbing up the steep mountain paths and then arriving at our campsite on top. We built a shelter with the materials there and spent the evening under the stars. We were so tired, but it felt great! We did it, we conquered the mountain! I also did a service project where we cleaned up a taxi rank and the streets along the school towards a local wetland,” recounts Sphiwe excitedly.

When not teaching or inspiring her Scouts, Sphiwe can be found at the Mpumalanga Scout centre training fellow volunteers as a member of the Mpumalanga training team. “Since I am a Wood Badge holder and have experience, I want to pass on the knowledge to other Scouters. I enjoy training in the fundamentals of Scouting, communication, and the Promise and Law. It is very important that the leaders can practice what we train them and know how to lead by example so they can train the Scouts.”

When asked about the legacy she is leaving in her community through Scouting, she pauses and says:” I volunteer because I want to change the lives of young people. Through the discipline Scouting teaches, the children do better at school, they finish school, and they go study or get work. If they get a job they can provide for their families. The legacy I’m leaving is being part of moulding people’s lives. Preparing them to be confident, disciplined, and good citizens.”

Photos supplied by Sphiwe