{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Dr Ann Limb, Chair of the Board of Trustees","standfirst":"We caught up with Dr Ann Limb CBE DL. Ann chairs the Scouts\u2019 Board of Trustees, which shapes our key policies and rules. She\u2019s the first woman to hold the role.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/12902/ann-limb-international-womens-day.jpg","width":500,"height":333,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAnn\u2019s experiences\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI may no longer be a full-time senior or chief executive (which I was for many years) but in the non-executive roles I hold now, I still encounter some of the same challenges \u2013 shall we say \u2013 as I did when I was the lone, female chief executive of a college when I was 34, some 30 years ago.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere still remains, sadly, a lot of bias in the way appointing panels operate, in the way that organisations and committees are run, and in the way boards of charities are organised. I still experience an unnerving degree of patronising language and behaviour on a day-to-day basis both towards women and, in my case, towards gay women.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENot here at Scouts, I hasten to add. It\u2019s got one of the strongest, values-led cultures I\u2019ve known in all my years in the sector, with a real commitment to improving diversity and inclusion.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECalling out discrimination \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe theme of International Women\u2019s Day this year is \u2018choose to challenge.\u2019 Sadly, there are still huge issues of discrimination in the workplace, and that needs to be called out.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s still a need for women to have to fight to make their voices heard. This is despite all the important equality initiatives undertaken by organisations and despite the fact that things are changing \u2013 and have changed \u2013 for women and non-binary people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI want to see more women in leadership positions \u2013 whether that\u2019s as volunteers like me, or as young people who are considering their options for future careers. But it can be a lonely place to be. You\u2019re uniquely accountable in a leadership role, which goes hand in hand with lots of pressures (and praise too!).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECreating better cultures \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe need to create cultures of openness and transparency which reflect our values. At Scouts, we have a purpose we can get behind \u2013 to help more young people to gain key life skills; to speak up, step up and find their place in the world, regardless of their background.\u00A0 That\u2019s a really good starting point. But, like so many other organisations, there\u2019s still a way to go.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts is the largest mixed youth organisation in the UK, and we encourage young people from all backgrounds to join in. It\u2019s really important that we don\u2019t shy away from issues that impact people with different genders in our society. (If you\u2019re a volunteer leader in Scouts, \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/inclusion-and-diversity/including-everyone/girls-and-women-in-scouts/\u0022\u003Eyou can find some helpful programme resources here\u003C/a\u003E on our website to start having these conversations with your young people.)\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m very proud of the work we\u2019re doing to welcome everyone into our movement. And, with the pandemic changing the lives of our young people, it\u2019s more important than ever for us to foster a sense of self and a welcoming, positive and inclusive environment.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo celebrate International Women\u2019s Day, we also caught up with Scout Ambassadors Ellie Simmonds and Saray Khumalo. You can \u003Ca href=\u0022/news/2021/march/an-interview-with-ellie-simmonds/\u0022 title=\u0022An interview with Ellie Simmonds\u0022\u003Eread Ellie\u2019s interview\u003C/a\u003E, and \u003Ca href=\u0022/news/2021/march/an-interview-with-saray-khumalo/\u0022 title=\u0022An interview with Saray Khumalo\u0022\u003ESaray\u2019s interview\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"07 March 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48647,"nodeName":"Why we should choose to challenge on International Women\u2019s Day","title":"Why we should choose to challenge on International Women\u2019s Day","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/12902/ann-limb-international-womens-day.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd16dbffb0","caption":"Ann Limb International Women\u0027s Day","type":"jpg","size":29483,"width":500,"height":333,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Why we should choose to challenge on International Women\u2019s Day","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"We spoke to Scouts\u0027 Chair of the Board, Dr Ann Limb, on why we should choose to challenge on International Women\u0027s Day","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY0NyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/march/why-we-should-choose-to-challenge-on-international-women-s-day/"}