East Lancashire Scouts are once again putting young people at the centre of its leadership team, appointing a new Youth Commissioner to champion the voices of young people across East Lancashire and on its board of trustees.
The Youth Commissioner will sit on Charity’s top leadership team, working alongside and, in partnership with, the County Commissioner, the Chairman and other volunteers to ensure that decisions made at the top of the organisation are fully reflective of its younger members.
The three-year appointment follows The Scouts’ recent announcement that it had seen growth boom at the hugest rate in the last 80 years. Scouting in East Lancashire has a vision of where the movement should be in 2025. One of the key strands of this plan is to ensure that the Movement is shaped by young people in partnership with adults and the Youth Commissioner will play an important role in bringing this to life.
Robert Mason, a 19 year-old from Weir in the Rossendale Valley, has been appointed as the new East Lancashire Scouts Youth Commissioner, the third in the organisation’s 100 year plus history.
Robert is a long-time member of The Scout Association, having been involved in the movement since the age of six. Having attended a ceremony at Windsor Castle alongside Scout Ambassadors Warwick Davis and astronaut Tim Peake, he was recently awarded The Queen’s Scout award, the highest award available in Scouting. Robert joined over 600 adult volunteers across East Lancashire and the Duchess of Cambridge when he became a volunteer at the 42nd Rossendale Scout Group at the age of 18.
Robert will work with the rest of the East Lancashire Scouts senior leadership team over the next three years to ensure that Scouting:
- Remains youth-focused, connecting young members at the grassroots with decisions made at a County level and raising the profile of its youth-led initiatives. These initiatives will include a County Youth Council, which will allow young people to have their say about all things Scout-related and to be heard by the County leadership team
- Opens up life changing opportunities to all local communities across East Lancashire
- Retains its youth members, making it easier for those going to college, university or into the world of work to stay connected with Scouting, even if they are not actively volunteering as leaders.
Commenting on his appointment as Youth Commissioner, Robert Mason said:
“I think Scouting can be summed up in one word: Opportunity. Scouting provides over 3,000 young people across the East Lancashire with the opportunity for everyday adventure, and even if they don’t know it yet, it will change their lives forever. It certainly changed mine, giving me confidence I never knew I had. Over the next three years I look forward to giving more young Scouts, from a wider range of backgrounds, the opportunity to be heard and, ultimately, to experience Scouting to the fullest. It is such an honour to have been appointed as County Youth Commissioner and I can’t wait to start working with the rest of the leadership team.”
County Commissioner, Mark Harrison, added:
“Having a Movement that is shaped by young people in partnership with adults is at the heart of what Scouting is all about, and I am delighted to welcome Robert onto the County leadership team today. He is incredibly passionate about Scouting and brings unique qualities and experience to the team that will ensure that the decisions made at a County level remain relevant to our members. I look forward to working with him as we begin a new and exciting chapter in our history and continue working to ensure that young people are fully equipped with skills for life”
Chief Scout, Bear Grylls, said:
“I’m so proud to welcome Robert Mason onto the East Lancashire leadership team. He brings amazing enthusiasm, rich experience and positive energy to our work in changing young people’s lives in all communities across East Lancashire. We’re 100% committed to making sure everything we do is shaped by young people – and Robert is there to lead and steer that.”
