By Mtha Nazo, SSA Youth Influencer

From being a dedicated Cub, to now being fully invested as a Scout, Mika Hill is 1st Sedgefield’s first Leaping Wolf! We spoke to this inspirational young lad about his journey and his plans for the future.

SSA: Tell us a little bit about your Scouting journey?

Mika: I joined Scouts in 2020. I always saw Scouts in the movies and had heard about what they do. I was interested and thought I should try it out.

Some of the things I enjoyed the most as a Cub were playing many games; my favourite was Ninja! I enjoyed being a Cub because I even learnt how to tie 10 knots which my mom later hung in our living room! Being a Cub was cool.

SSA: To obtain the Leaping Wolf badge, Cubs need to work hard. You decided to serve the community. Tell us more. 

Mika: The Leaping Wolf was hard work but it was fun. For my community service project, I chose Food for Life* which I thoroughly enjoyed doing with my friends.

*Food for Life requires the Cub to establish a vegetable garden. They need to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, nourish them, and harvest the vegetables they grew. They need to document the process.

SSA: So what does it feel like to be the first Cub from 1st Sedgefield to achieve the Leaping Wolf badge?

Mika: I would say it feels amazing! When I was awarded my Leaping Wolf it felt good, like I had more power. I was even in the newspaper! At school, my teachers told me that they were proud of me, and my friends congratulated me.

SSA: How different is it being a Scout from being a Cub?

Mika: Well, we play less games now because we learn more as Scouts. Being a Scout is fun though.

SSA: What do you enjoy most about being a Scout so far? Any favourite adventures?

Mika: I got through camp and it felt like I had achieved something! Camp has to be one of my favourite because we sleep in tents, learn how to start fires, and when camp is over you still want to stay longer. The other time I called my mom to ask if I could stay for one more day because I was having so much fun!

SSA: Looking at the future, what do you look forward to now? Any badges you would like to work towards and why?

Mika: The Traveller badge because you get a pocketknife, and you are trusted with it. The Chess badge because I really like the game.

There is no doubt that Mika is a young confident leader! When speaking to Natalie Hill , Mika’s mom, she said, “I’m so proud of Mika because he obtained the Leaping Wolf badge through hard work. He accomplished this by putting in effort and making time. This was done in between school work and he still managed!”

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