Looking at the news, I think it could safely be said that 2017 has been a troubled year globally. Trump. Terrorist attacks. The global refugee crisis. Plans (or lack of them) for Brexit. The growth of violent extremism. The threat of the use of nuclear weapons. Yet, my Facebook feed throughout the year has been…
A humbling experience, meeting young people at Wiltja Anangu Secondary College in Adelaide, South Australia, many of whom are Award participants. The Wiltja Secondary College is an initiative of the Anangu (Pitkantjatjara word for “people”) whose country is the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands in the far north-west of South Australia. In the 1970s, a group of…
“Ah, but I was so much older then I’m younger than that now” – Bob Dylan It now looks as though the result of the UK’s election could have been down to young people turning out in their droves to vote. Talk of a 72% turnout for 18 to 24-year-olds has been doing the…
UK Scouting is celebrating YouShape month at the moment. Youth Shaped Scouting takes place all year round – indeed it’s at the very heart of what Scouting is about. Baden-Powell was fond of saying “Ask the boy”, to remind adults of the importance of what educationalists might call the “subsidiarity principle”. (If he…
Wayne Bulpitt completes his term as the UK Scout Association’s Chief Commissioner in September. Tonight, a large group of his friends and colleagues gathered at Baden-Powell House for a dinner to celebrate his contribution to the Movement. I was asked to make a short valedictory speech in honour of my friend. Here’s what…
“There is more in you than you think” Over the last 60 years the Award has inspired millions of young people to transform their lives. In 2014 more than 1.1 million young people around the world took part in the Award, in 141 countries and territories, equipping them with skills for life. To celebrate this…
Last week, I listened to four young people tell their Award stories at a lunch held in Johannesberg, to celebrate 60 years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Over the coming days, with their permission, I will hand over my blog to each of them in turn. Today, Shane tells his story… Good…
Over the past few years I’ve been getting increasingly concerned about some of the language that folks in the voluntary sector are using. In particular, there has been a creeping reliance on the terminology of the workplace. In the organisation in which I volunteer, it’s commonplace now to talk about ‘line managers’, ‘targets’ and ‘key…
A presentation I made to voluntary youth leaders in Oxfordshire today… Click here to access the PowerPoint slides and associated notes.