SCOUTS South Africa’s young adult development programme – Rovers– is growing in the North West Scout Region under the leadership of Rover RTC Ofentse Molefe. When not in court representing his clients, he is leading the way for youth development and growth in the North West.

“Before I joined Scouting, I was just a young boy who didn’t do many extra mural activities. My focus was mainly on school work and spending time with a few friends. I was shy and more of an introvert who was – in most cases – unable to express himself and his views. Joining Scouting has contributed a lot to my growth as a person.

I joined the 1st Batswana Scout Group in 2006, when I was in Grade 7 in Batswana Commercial Secondary School. Our Troop Scouter back then was the current North West Regional Commissioner Pablo Mogotsi. I joined because some of my classmates were Scouts, and subsequently developed a greater interest. An interest that still subsists today. I still believe that I made the right choice by joining the SA Scout Movement then, despite the misconceptions that I used to hear about Scouting in our communities which made me very skeptical about joining. I saw my neighbours passing wearing the Scout uniform and attending camps and Troop meetings. After joining, I realised that I had wasted a lot of time by not joining earlier. The misconceptions were just that, ‘MISCONCEPTIONS’”, explains Ofentse.

“When I joined, our Scout Group was fairly new. So shortly afterwards new Patrols were established and fortunately I became the Heron Patrol Leader. We had three Patrols at the time. As a Patrol Leader, I learned responsibility at a very young age. I had to be in charge of a group of boys and lead and teach them at the same time. In fact, I was a Patrol Leader for almost all of my Scouting journey! I have made a lot of friends, it has boosted my self-esteem, my confidence, and it has helped me with my personal and interpersonal skills. Today, the leadership skills that I built as a Patrol Leader still continue to influence my leadership style. I am able to work with people, have learned to be responsible, and most importantly it has helped me grow into being a leader”, he continues.

“Some of my best memories are from our 2nd camp and 3rd Troop camp in Barberspan Bird Sanctuary in 2006. During the camp we met a guy who happened to know our Troop Scouter Pablo. He was so happy to have seen Scouts that he came back with his boat and took us for a trip on the dam. Not only did he take us around the dam, but he allowed us to take turns in steering the boat. This was the best adventure! We could not stop talking about it. For most of us this was the first time to actually be on a boat, and equally experiencing steering the boat itself.
My biggest Scouting challenging was trying to complete my Springbok Award. It was quite an experience. Having to redo projects and planning, eventually resulted in me not being able to complete the award itself. But what is of importance is that failure to obtain the award was not the end of the road for me or my fellow Scouting friends. It made us draw more inspiration and gave us the drive and the hunger to succeed in our Scouting careers. We told ourselves that we needed to work harder and achieve more in Scouting. Like Scout Law number 8 says, we smiled and whistled and carried on with the baton.”

As a young adult and Varsity student Ofentse has many options to choose from, yet he opted to start a Rover Crew. “In truth, failure to get the Springbok Award is what kept me and my friends in Scouting. I was more determined than ever to get the BP Award! That meant joining Rovering. After starting as a student at NWU Mafikeng Campus in 2012, I immediately opened a Rover Crew with my two friends. I believe our Rover Crew was the first University Rover Crew at that time! The Rover programme has always been relevant to young adults or youth, and especially young people who have just completed school. It focuses on the development of your personality, encourages you to have a career, and life skills. One gets to learn a lot of things that are of value to our lives, especially when doing the Personal Bar. You learn how to interact with Scouts, the community and also further your abilities in leadership. So as a young adult who had just got out of school, the Rover programme pushed me to do something with my life. It showed me how to manage my finances, and how to seek employment confidently.”

Now, as the RTC Rovers Ofentse plans on giving young people the same opportunities for growth as he had. “My personal plans to grow Scouting as an RTC and also as an Adult Volunteer is to step things up! I want to ensure more adults and Rovers are trained, and equally encourage them to continue training. I also want to recruit young adults as Rovers and Adult Volunteers”, he says confidently. “Also, in my capacity as SGL, it is most important that we continue to recruit young people and kids into the SA Scout Movement and provide them with a relevant and attractive Scout programme. I believe if the kids have a good Scouting foundation, then they are most likely to stay and grow into Scouting much as I did myself.”

We are seeing more youth stepping into leadership roles. So, how important is it for young leaders to step up and lead in Scouting? “Young people relate easily to youth. They are going through mostly similar life crisis and problems, and younger Scouts are able to relate, share and be open to young adult volunteers. Personally, it makes me feel great to be seen as someone changing the lives of young people and being a positive role model. Although sometimes I feel like it’s maybe not enough and that I could be doing more. But then I am reminded that as a young person, if you can make a difference in the life of 3 to 5 people, that in itself is life changing. The best thing about being an adult volunteer is seeing the kids and Scouts turn into a better version of themselves, succeeding and becoming better individuals in life through SCOUTS SA’s values and lessons.

My dream for the North West Region is to see it grow, to have more vibrant Scout Groups, to produce more Leaping Wolf Cubs, Springbok Scouts, and BP Award-winning Rovers. Equally, to see Mafikeng grow, as it holds a huge Scouting heritage and history. I would like to make a call to all the young people out there, young adults and the leadership in Scouting, to keep up the BP spirit! Let us help Scouting grow by recruiting and developing young people.”