Today is the 30th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 30 years ago, I was a young and idealistic teacher, working in a primary school in Lichfield, Staffordshire. I remember reading about the Convention at the time and thinking how surprising it was that no-one had considered…
At yesterday’s gathering of Award participants in Nairobi’s Langata High Security Women’s Prison, the keynote speech was delivered by an exceptional young inmate, who, for the sake of anonymity, I have chosen to call ‘Esther’. She handed me a copy to share with the world, which I feel privileged to do… Officer in Charge, Secretary…
I am so lucky. My job gives me extraordinary views of life. This morning I waved off an exceptional group of young people on their Gold Adventurous Journey / Expedition. Students at the M-pesa Foundation Leadership Academy, they are drawn from what they themselves describe as humble backgrounds. The Academy provides them with a world…
As a Deputy Lieutenant, I have the privilege of presenting citizenship certificates to new UK citizens. Here’s the text of the speech I made at this afternoon’s ceremony… Good afternoon everybody and a very warm welcome to you – to this wonderful County of Oxfordshire. It’s one of England larger counties with an area of…
His name was Christopher. He was in my Y6 class in 1987, back when we called them 4th year juniors. He was attention seeking, usually using poor behaviour to get it, often grubby and his clothes often smelt of stale cigarette smoke from the flat in which he lived at the top of the tower…
In just a few days, the Scouting world will be coming together in West Virginia, USA for the World Scout Jamboree. The word ‘Jamboree’ now firmly belongs to Scouting, I reckon. In many people’s minds, perhaps, it conjurs up sepia toned images of good, hearty fun for young people, stories being told round campfires and…
In just a few weeks’ time, thousands of teenagers will be traveling to West Virginia in the USA to attend the World Scout Jamboree. They’ll be flying in groups of around 36 young people, with each group accompanied by four long-suffering and truly wonderful volunteer adult leaders. If you’re one of those teenagers, or one…
Waiting for the participants at this year’s World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, USA, will be 40,000 new friends that they haven’t yet met. If you’re one of them, reaching beyond your own Troop / Unit for the first time and actually beginning to forge those friendships can feel a bit daunting. What do you…
This is a translation of an interview with me, published in the Czech Scouts’ SCOUT WORLD MAGAZINE · WEDNESDAY, 24 APRIL 2019. The views expressed are entirely my own and not the policy of WOSM, The UK Scout Association, or Junák – the Czech Scout Association An interview with former WOSM Vice-Chair, John May, on…
This summer, 45,000 Scouts from more than 100 countries will converge on West Virginia, USA for the World Scout Jamboree. I was recently asked to provide some suggestions for some UK Scouts for making the most from the experience. (I’ve had the privilege of attending a few Jamborees over the years.) Here’s my starter for…