{"alias":"newsItem","byline":"","standfirst":"UK Youth Commissioner Ayesha Karim will be joined by her new team of deputies who will lead on four important areas: People, Programme, Perception and Youth Commissioner Engagement.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EEmpowering young people to take the lead and shape their own programmes is an important part of youth shaped Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOur aim\u0027s to support more young people to work together with volunteers to shape, influence, and lead their own adventures in Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe role of the new Deputy UK Commissioners will be to work with lead volunteers, UKHQ staff members and Youth Commissioners to make sure young people are at the forefront of our decision-making.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFollowing a successful national search, joining Ayesha on the UK Youth Commissioner team will be:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EOllie Faragher \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (People)\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EJake Vickery \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (Programme)\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERobert Mason \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (Youth Commissioner Engagement)\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EIzzie Inga \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (Perception)\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAhead of their announcement, we caught up with each of them to ask about their Scouts experience so far, and what they\u2019re most looking forward to in their new roles.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EOllie Faragher - Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (People)\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20476/ollie-faragher.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"Ollie Faragher","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EOllie\u2019s role will be to look and find new ways to embed youth shaped Scouts in local and national governance structures and support the projects relating to the volunteer experience.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat\u0027s your background in Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy scouting journey began aged 16 when I joined the Lancing College Minerva Explorer Unit (a school Explorer Unit) in 2020 as one of the first members. Over the last three years I helped develop the unit into a group of over 50 young people, taking on a senior leadership role in the unit and now helping as an adult leader.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhy did you apply for the UKYC team?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s really important to me that young people of every age are the leaders of shaping their experience in scouts, and so I want to ensure opportunities and events support young people to champion the direction of scouting.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat are you most excited about for your particular role?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs DUKYC for People, it\u2019s probably unsurprising I\u2019m most excited about\u2026 the people! I can\u2019t wait to get out and about and meet as many of the amazing members of the scouting movement as possible and hear everything they have to say about their experience.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat do you do outside Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn my day job, I work in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services as a Support Worker for an inpatient unit. I also volunteer in the youth, safeguarding and freedom to speak up teams within St John Ambulance, as a leader for the DofE, and as a panel member for CORC. In any leftover time, I enjoy scuba diving and climbing for an escape.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EJake Vickery \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (Programme)\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20475/jake-vickery.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"Jake Vickery","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EJake will help more young people achieve their YouShape Award, improve peer leadership and shine a spotlight on brilliant programme examples happening locally.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat is your background in Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI started as a Young Leader at my local Beaver colony (8th Widnes) before becoming a member of Aquila Active Support Unit. When I turned 18 I became District Youth Commissioner of Mersey Weaver and a Section Assistant at 8th Widnes. I\u2019m currently the Nominated Youth Representative for Cheshire.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve got real passion for empowering young people to shape their Scouting experience and modernising the image of scouting. I also have a deep commitment to promoting mental health and wellbeing, and have created the 365 Steps of Wellbeing Challenge in Mersey Weaver, an initiative aimed at enabling and encouraging young people in our Scouting community to be happier, more active and more aware of the importance of mental health and wellbeing.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhy did you apply for the UKYC team?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI feel it\u2019s important to give something back and want to help support and enable more young people from across the UK to gain transferable skills. I\u2019m committed to making youth shaped scouting more accessible, allowing more young people to shape and tailor their scouting journeys.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith my experience as a District Youth Commissioner and founder of the 365 steps of wellbeing challenge, I feel I have the experience and passion to facilitate this. 18-24 years of age can be a very busy and sometimes stressful period, I recognise this and I\u2019m committed to providing support and encouragement to volunteers in youth shaped programmes.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat are you most excited about for your particular role?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m really looking forward to getting to work on providing programme support for all members, to embed youth shaped scouting into culture by expanding and building on work created by our predecessors. I\u2019m also looking forward to driving youth shape scouting fundamentals and ideas through programme transformations such as 14-24 redesign in the form of Young Leaders, Youth Commissioners and young people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat do you do outside Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m currently studying for a MChem in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Leicester University and have been an active member of my faculty\u2019s support network. In my spare time I enjoy baking, art, travelling, attending festivals and meeting up with friends and family.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ERobert Mason \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (Youth Commissioner Engagement)\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20477/robert-mason.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"Robert Mason","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003ERobert will focus on the growing number of Youth Commissioners locally, improving the support they get. He\u2019ll look at how we can improve Youth Commissioner Recruitment, training and inductions.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat is your background in Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI have been in Scouts for 14 years since joining as a Beaver back in 2009. As I progressed through the Sections I found tonnes of opportunity within the movement that allowed me to explore a variety of different passions. I first started taking on roles in the Scout section where I helped out in the younger sections as a Young Leader and found a real passion for helping others. I continued as a Young Leader throughout my time in Explorers and I really enjoyed it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI took on the role of District Youth Commissioner (DYCs) for Rossendale in 2019 at the age of 17 and established one of the first District Youth Teams in the UK and I am very proud of the work we achieved during my time in the role. In 2022, I decided to take on the role as County Youth Commissioner for East Lancashire which opened my eyes to a whole different level to scouting, being able to support the DYCS and give guidance and experience on overcoming challenges is one of the highlights of my role. Being part of various sub-committees and execs within the county has provided me with key skills and experience that helps in all aspects of my life.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhy did you apply for the UKYC team?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeing part of the team not only allows me to further develop my skills but also gives me a platform to follow my passion and help inspire our young people. Having the opportunity to represent our young people on a national scale is incredible, from being a Youth Commissioner collecting the views of young people locally to acting on the views of our young people nationally is one of the main reasons I applied for the role. This progression throughout the Youth Commissioner roles has been incredible and the UK Youth Commissioner team was the next step in achieving my dream.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat are you most excited about for your particular role?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI am really excited that I get the opportunity to speak to some of our fantastic Youth Commissioners from all over the UK. As Deputy UK Youth Commissioner for Youth Commissioner Engagement I will be looking at how we support our Youth Commissioners through being the key contact for them in their role. Having this opportunity to share ideas across the UK and act on the views and thoughts of our young people is a very exciting part of the role.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat do you do outside Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOutside of Scouts, I am a 3rd year Philosophy, Politics and Economics student at Lancaster University and am looking to complete a Masters in Politics and Philosophy next year. Alongside my studies I am captain for one of the Universities pool teams and a member of the Society Executive Committee, pool has taken me across the UK to compete and is a brilliant hobby to have.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EIzzie Inga \u2013 Deputy UK Youth Commissioner (Perception)\u003C/h3\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20474/izzie-inga.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"Izzie Inga","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EIn her role, Izzie will put young people at the heart of our internal and external communications. She\u2019ll support young people to engage in media and public affairs opportunities, our social media channels and other projects to help improve our perception.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat is your background in Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI started my journey as a Beaver at 1st Chesham Bois scout group at the age of 6, before moving up through all the Sections and becoming a Young Leader for my old Beaver Colony at the age of 14. I was selected the 24th World Scout Jamboree in 2019 as a participant in Unit 50 Bucks, where I was the Unit\u2019s Head of Welfare. Just after turning 19, I was appointed County Youth Commissioner in Buckinghamshire, and have been in the role for two years.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m also a part of the 18-25 National Role Pool. Since living in Leeds for the past year and a half, I have been involved in a number of activities and events with Central Yorkshire Scouts, and I\u2019m looking forward to getting involved with Scouting in Bristol when I move there next year. I was also selected to volunteer for Operation Feather, working the night shifts for the Lying-in-State last September.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhy did you apply for the UKYC team?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter such a positive and life-changing experience throughout my own journey, I feel it\u2019s only right to give back to adult volunteers, and support the development of Scouting over coming years so every young person has the opportunity to have as many, if not more amazing experiences as she has with Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m committed to making Youth Shaped Scouting the normal, as well as improving on the already extremely positive perception of Scouts outside the movement. With my experience as County Youth Commissioner, and my involvement with Leeds Student Radio, and other media channels, I have the facilities to not only support young people with responsibilities in Scouts, but to support the development of youth shaped Scouting nationwide from a number of perspectives.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat are you most excited about for your particular role?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m really excited to work with the Perception team supporting the national and international Scouting events taking place this year. I\u2019m also looking forward to the Youth Advocacy work with the Policy team, and the development and youth insight I can give to the Young Spokesperson training. I\u2019m also really excited to embark on a Youth Commissioner directed social media and communication strategy across a number of platforms to support youth shaped Scouting nationally, as well as other Youth Commissioners on a local level.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhat do you do outside Scouts?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOutside of Scouting, I studied Fine Art at the University of Leeds, but have changed direction and now I\u2019m about to start a Paramedic Science degree at the University of West England in Bristol. I\u2019m a very creative person, who plays the flute and enjoys tattooing and travelling.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019ve been an active member of Leeds Student Radio, a multi-award winning station, where I\u2019m Head of Design. I have my own specialist music show, feature on a number of other talk shows, and have a podcast with my best friends called \u2018Miffed Off\u2019.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat next?\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOver the next few years, young people and volunteers across the country will hear from the UK Youth Commissioner team on a number of different issues and projects as we truly support young people to take the lead and shape their own Scouts experiences.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"04 April 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Youth Commissioner online meetings","url":"/events/youth-lead-online-meeting/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Recruiting Youth Commissioners","url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/recruit-more-volunteers/recruiting-youth-leads/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Youth forums","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/youth-shaped/youth-forums/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"YouShape Award","url":null,"newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Youth Commissioners","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/youth-shaped/youth-leads/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Youth Shaped Scouting","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/information-for-volunteers/youth-shaped/","newWindow":false}],"id":50768,"nodeName":"New Deputy UK Youth Commissioners","title":"Introducing our four new Deputy UK Youth Commissioners","type":"newsItem","image":{"url":"/media/20477/robert-mason.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd2777b530","caption":"Robert Mason","type":"jpg","size":182536,"width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"Robert Mason"},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Introducing our four new Deputy UK Youth Commissioners","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"A new team of Deputy UK Youth Commissioners will lead on four important areas: People, Programme, Perception, Youth Commissioner Engagement","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDc2OCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/april/new-deputy-uk-youth-commissioners/"}