{"alias":"newsItem","byline":"Alanah Reid, Creative Content Producer","standfirst":"Ayesha will be taking over from Ollie Wood as UK Youth Commissioner in September.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019d like to give a big, warm welcome to our soon-to-be new UK Youth Commissioner, Ayesha Karim.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe\u2019ll be supporting local \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/youth-shaped/youth-commissioners/\u0022\u003EYouth Commissioners\u003C/a\u003E all over the country and making sure we\u2019re meeting our strategic objectives. Most importantly, she\u2019ll be encouraging us to be even more youth shaped, by listening to and representing the voices of young people in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17413/ayesha_karim.jpg","width":3084,"height":4625,"altText":"Ayesha wearing a Scouts polo and necker, standing in front of bushes, smiling at the camera","caption":"Our new UK Youth Commissioner, Ayesha Karim","link":null}]}],"config":null},{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EAyesha\u2019s Scouts journey\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAyesha\u2019s been in Scouts since she was six years old. She\u2019s been involved all the way from \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/beavers/\u0022\u003EBeavers\u003C/a\u003E to \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/explorers/\u0022\u003EExplorers\u003C/a\u003E at 7\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C/sup\u003E Goodmayes, and she\u2019s now an occasional helper. Ayesha was shy as a child, but attributes her growth in confidence to Scouts, as well as her ability to lead and communicate with others.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith her Scout group, Ayesha\u2019s done lots of brilliant work in her community. She\u2019s taken part in sponsored walks, mountain climbs, litter picking, and much more. Ayesha\u2019s proud that Scouts has given her the chance to impact her local community and the people around her.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs well as helping her community, she\u2019s grateful for all the opportunities Scouts has given her. In particular, she\u2019s loved all the interesting outdoor activities she\u2019s done, and the skills she\u2019s learned from them. To name just a few, she\u2019s learned to climb, kayak, and ride horses.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of Ayesha\u2019s favourite Scouts moments was at a Birmingham Jamboree in 2018. Ayesha met Scouts from all over the world, and saw what Scouts looks like in different places. She looks back fondly on all the memories she\u2019s made with lots of wonderful people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EBecoming UK Youth Commissioner\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAyesha felt ready to take her Scouts experience a step further by becoming the next UK Youth Commissioner. She\u2019s passionate about making sure Scouts stays youth shaped, and she\u2019s hoping to encourage even more young people to take an active role in planning programmes.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe\u2019d like to promote all the great work Youth Commissioners are doing across the country, and make sure young people\u2019s voices are being heard.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s important for Ayesha that she keeps promoting Scouts as a welcoming and inclusive environment for everybody, regardless of their backgrounds. Since she\u2019ll be speaking to people across the country, Ayesha\u2019s new role has given her even more room to grow. She\u2019s ready to build her confidence to a new level, become a better leader, and communicate even more strongly with others.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/17414/ayesha_karim_and_carl_hankinson.jpg","width":5184,"height":3456,"altText":"Ayesha and Carl wearing Scouts polo shirts and neckers, standing in front of bushes, smiling at the camera","caption":"Ayesha and UK Chief Commissioner, Carl Hankinson","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003EOutside of Scouts\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen she\u2019s not volunteering at Scouts, Ayesha\u2019s busy studying for her university degree in engineering. In her spare time, she loves doing henna art for weddings and parties, and takes part in various university societies.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"You have the chance to take control of your time in Scouts. If there\u2019s anything you want to do, tell your leaders and take control of your own experience. Make the most of the time and opportunities you get in Scouts, because when I look back at my time in Scouts, I had some of the best years of my life.","attribution":"Ayesha Karim","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"I\u2019m so excited for Ayesha to join us. Her passion for youth shaped scouting truly shines through, and I know she\u2019ll brilliantly represent the voices of young people across the country. Ayesha\u2019s achieved so much in Scouts, as both a member and volunteer, and I\u2019m confident she\u2019ll bring amazing things to her role.","attribution":"Carl Hankinson, UK Chief Commissioner","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"03 May 2022","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Youth Commissioners","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/youth-shaped/youth-commissioners/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Youth Shaped","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/youth-shaped/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Recruiting Youth Commissioners","url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/recruit-more-volunteers/recruiting-youth-leads/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Information for Youth Commissioners","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/youth-shaped/youshape-award/information-for-youth-commissioners/","newWindow":false}],"id":48692,"nodeName":"Welcoming our new UK Youth Commissioner, Ayesha Karim","title":"Welcoming our new UK Youth Commissioner, Ayesha Karim","type":"newsItem","image":{"url":"/media/17414/ayesha_karim_and_carl_hankinson.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd1d2557e0","caption":"Ayesha Karim And Carl Hankinson","type":"jpg","size":1034238,"width":5184,"height":3456,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Welcoming our new UK Youth Commissioner, Ayesha Karim","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Ayesha Karim will be joining us as our new UK Youth Commissioner in September.","browserTitle":"Welcoming our new UK Youth Commissioner, Ayesha Karim","silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY5MiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/may/new-uk-youth-commissioner-ayesha-karim/"}