Locally, The Scout Association of Malta aims to have one national event per section. National events aim to unite all of our islands’ groups together and teach them new customs, tips, and tricks that eventually help both members and leaders alike in their scouting lives. Apart from integrating customs, each year the planning team highlight the promotion of a particular Mastery Badge. The goal is to promote mastery badges Nationwide, whilst inspiring the troop that no mountain is too high to climb.
The organising team had been planning the Troop Trail for quite some time and noted that the main difficulty was choosing an optimal date for all of Malta’s groups. Through a great deal of planning, the trail incorporated a team system, personal progression, adult support, and arguably the most prevalent in the Buskett-Dingli route, nature. Overall, the activity was well-balanced, challenging the participants but not so much to tire them out excessively.
The National Troop Trail was held on the 22nd of March 2025, starting at 8:30 am till 2:00 pm. To start, the activity started with an ice-breaking game, aiming to introduce the troop to one another, moreover, the members were encouraged to walk the 11km route not with their own scouts group but with members of different groups. After the trail, I had the opportunity to interview a handful of troop and leaders about how they felt about the activity.
Following these interviews one could say that the activity was an astounding success! The organising team expressed their satisfaction with the turnout, with hundreds of scouts from all across Malta and Gozo in attendance. The Chief Commissioner expressed his satisfaction that the hard work of the organising committee paid off once again! As there is no greater tell of a well-organised event than the laughter of members arriving at the destination point!
As another successful national event comes to a close, a great thank you goes out to the organising committee for the Troop Trail, as well as to all the leaders and troop who attended the event. We hope to see you all at the next National event! Till next time!