I was honoured to receive the Bronze Wolf from the World Scouting today. The citation made me blush. CITATION FOR THE AWARD OF THE BRONZE WOLF CANDIDATE: John May Country: United Kingdom John May has dedicated his life to serving youth worldwide, not solely in Scouting but by creating opportunities for young people and mentoring…
On Monday evening, the President of the United States of America visited the National Jamboree of the country’s Boy Scouts. In making the visit, he was by no means the first one to do so and he won’t be the last. The President of the United States of America has been the “honorary president” of…
To the headteacher of East London Science School… Dear David On this warm and sunny Friday afternoon, I thought you might appreciate this short note as you get ready for the weekend. I have just shared a tube carriage with a party of your pupils who are on the way to the V&A…
“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…
It has the makings of an iconic and historic photograph. Lucie, a young Scout from the Czech Republic, squares up to a demonstrator at a march organized by the far-right. The spirit of youth; an unspoken commitment to peace; hope for the future. It’s perfect. Except for one thing. Enshrined within the constitution of…
Dear UK politicians, There’s a Year 7 assembly story I remember very well from my time as a middle school headteacher… It involves a frog, a saucepan of water and some heat. The frog is happy in its water, even though the temperature is getting hotter. It doesn’t complain and it doesn’t jump out of…
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…
This summer, our friends at the Fédération du Scoutisme-Français organised Roverway, a gathering of 5000 young Europeans, focused on European citizenship, commitment and living together. This event was aligned with the aim of Scouting and Guiding: educating active and committed citizens, who have a positive impact on their communities and on the world. This short film explores…
I’ve been asked by a number of people if I could share the words of the address that HRH The Earl of Wessex gave at last week’s diamond anniversary celebration of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Westminster Abbey. I can do better than that. Here is a recording of the speech itself.
This morning, I was privileged to join more than 2,000 people at an extraordinary service of thanksgiving, held at a Westminster Abbey, to celebrate 60 years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. We were joined by HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex. In…