#scoutassociation

I’ve often asked myself “why?” in Scouting a lot: Why do I give my time and energy to the association? Why do I worry about what the young people do? Why do I take an interest in the direction of the association? Why should I care? And the answer that I always come back to is that I am as passionate about Scouting today, if not even more so, than when I joined over 13 years ago as a Beaver Scout. This passion is derived from the belief in opportunity for both Young People and Adults. The opportunities I had in Scouts has helped shape what Degree I’m doing and what interests me today. What ambition I have for myself, is repeated ten times over for the Young People and Adults I work with - I want to ensure they get as much out of Scouting as I continue to do so.

As the association has continued to grow and entered in to a new era of relevance, with the advent of Digital, so has the need for increased scrutiny and good governance. But I don’t just want good governance, I want outstanding governance. Those who know me well from when I sat on my County’s Executive, will know that I seek to get to the point; that I want to get the best answers out of people and that I always seek clarity first. For me, being able to go back to a committee and say we’ve done the best we can is quite satisfying, to allow something to roll on with out a solution is not my style. As a District Youth Commissioner, I’ve made it my mission to go beyond my brief and tie up loose ends - not because I had to, but because it was the right thing to do. I’ve ensured that I have engaged with as many people as possible from all ends of the Scouting spectrum, something that is essential to ensuring a sense of unity within the association - something that I hope to bring to the board.

However, all this talk of operating at that level is just one aspect of myself. Where my heart truly lies is at the grassroots, like the vast majority of us involved in Scouting. It’s doing Scouting at this level which gives me the greatest happiness and is an immense privilege in my life. Whenever I’m having ideas and dreams about what could be done on a District and County level, I find my Beavers and Scouts bring me straight back down to earth with the realities of it all. I recognise that there is a feeling amongst some leaders that Gilwell doesn’t listen, doesn’t care and implements projects and changes without noticeable consultation. I also recognise a feeling that there is a disconnect between what HQ says and what the rest of the country does. I find that these feelings of distance between the two key components of our association is down to miscommunication more that anything else. I have found, having operated at both ends of the line (Commisioner and Member) that talking can resolve a lot. If elected I will seek to ensure Gilwell is more open, more transparent and represents all voices of the association through conversation - at the end of the day we’re a broad church.

So, I return to the main question “Why I’m going for Youth Trustee?”. Well, the answer is because I believe I’m the best person to help scrutinise the Association as we enter into a new phase. I have shown I can sit effectively on Executive Committees as a Trustee, I have show I have the capability to deal with a wide range of people and I have shown my understanding of Scouting at a local level. If elected to the board I will ensure that everyone, at all levels of our Associaiton, will be listened to and receive the support to take us into the next era of Scouting in the United Kingdom, and further afield.

I hope that you will consider my name for Youth Trustee,