{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Chief Scout, Bear Grylls OBE","standfirst":"On 23 April 2023, Chief Scout, Bear Grylls OBE, gave a motivating keynote address at St George\u2019s Chapel, Windsor. He celebrated our award holders, including the first ever King\u2019s Scouts, the recipients of the highest accolade for Scouts in the UK. Here are the words Bear shared with them on the day.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EBeing a part of this Scout celebration here at Windsor is always special. But it\u2019s special because of YOU.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAll of you here \u2013 you\u2019re our bravest, our brightest and our best. You\u2019re the dreamers, the doers and the change makers. And you\u2019re the reason I\u2019m so proud to be your Chief Scout.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo be here today, whether you\u2019re a Queen\u2019s Scout, a King\u2019s Scout, a gallantry award winner or a volunteer hero, takes effort and hard work. It takes something extraordinary and often a moment of huge courage. And courage is in our DNA as Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut courage isn\u2019t just about the past and what we\u2019ve done. Courage is also about the future, and how we choose to live our lives.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20829/bear-giving-keynote-address-at-windsor-2023.jpg","width":6016,"height":4016,"altText":"Chief Scout Bear Grylls is standing in a chapel holding a microphone as he gives a speech. Stood behind him are a row of Scouts in uniforms and neckers.","caption":"Bear giving the keynote address in St George\u2019s Chapel, Windsor.","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWhen I first joined Cubs, I was the shyest kid in the room. I just wanted to vanish. In fact, I still do sometimes \u2013 like about two minutes ago!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut the bravest thing we can sometimes do in life is to consciously choose to tackle the difficult, to fully embrace the challenges of life, head on. To be a sticker, a stander upper, and a never give upper!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause the truth about this King\u2019s Scout Parade, and this whole day, is that it isn\u2019t the end of your journey \u2013 it\u2019s really the beginning.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe world needs leaders like you like never before. There\u2019re conflict and hardships almost everywhere we look. There\u2019s disunity and often fear. Yet, there\u2019s also such HUGE potential for good.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen I went to Ukraine to meet with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine a few months ago, I saw a man coping with the biggest challenges and obstacles you can imagine. Yet his face was bright. Full of hope.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause challenges unite us \u2013 and they IG-nite us. They bring out the best in us. We are designed for challenge. And Scouts embodies that.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20830/bear-grylls-shakes-the-hand-of-a-scout-at-windsor-castle.jpg","width":3936,"height":2624,"altText":"Bear Grylls is wearing a necker and standing on grass. He\u0027s bending over to shake the hand of a Scout in uniform who\u0027s in a wheelchair. Behind them are rows of other Scouts also in uniforms and neckers.","caption":"Bear Grylls shaking a Scout\u0027s hand at Windsor Castle.","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThe world needs Scouts like you, more than ever, to show a kinder way in how we live, and a more dynamic and inspiring way to tackle life. To embody with that Scouts purpose and resilience. Just look how far we\u2019ve all come already.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAll across the world, Scouts is giving memories and skills that can, and often do, last a lifetime. Since 2009, when I first stood as Chief Scout in this chapel, the Scout movement in the UK alone had helped more than two million young people experience friendship and adventure.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve opened more groups in the country\u2019s most challenging areas than ever before, changing young lives and their opportunities. We\u2019ve listened, we\u2019ve adapted, and we\u2019ve grown. There\u2019s a reason we\u2019re called a movement and not an organisation. We move with the times.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut, together, we can still do so much more.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI gave each of you a scroll at the beginning of this address. What\u2019s inside represents YOU. I\u2019m going to ask you to stand up one at a time and open it.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20828/bear-grylls-and-scouts-holding-signs-at-windsor.jpg","width":4016,"height":2681,"altText":"Bear Grylls is standing in front of a row of Scouts in uniform inside St George\u0027s Chapel. Each Scout and Bear is holding a piece of paper with a letter on, spelling out the word \u0027POTENTIAL.\u0027","caption":"Bear Grylls gave each young person a sign with a letter on to spell out the word \u2018Potential.\u2019","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EBecause, when I look around this chapel, this is what I see. This is what Scouts does best. We realise potential. We equip, we prepare, we encourage, then we watch as young people soar. Potential. This church is electric with it.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EScouts has given all of you the fuel, the skills, the opportunities. But, YOU must now be the ones that run and USE it.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, go out there and change the world for the better. Change your community for the better. Change your life for the better. You can do that!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause one thing I know for sure, and I\u2019ve learned this first hand over 14 of the most incredible years as Chief Scout, is that Scouts can do anything!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"11 May 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Windsor Day of Celebration and Achievement","url":"/national-events/windsor/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Chief Scout","url":"/about-us/our-people/chief-scout/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":50447,"nodeName":"Bear honours Queen\u2019s and King\u2019s Scouts at Windsor","title":"Bear honours Queen\u2019s and King\u2019s Scouts at Windsor","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/20828/bear-grylls-and-scouts-holding-signs-at-windsor.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd27d9d260","caption":"Bear Grylls And Scouts Holding Signs At Windsor","type":"jpg","size":5610336,"width":4016,"height":2681,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Bear honours Queen\u2019s and King\u2019s Scouts at Windsor","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Read Bear\u2019s inspiring address from our Day of Celebration and Achievement at Windsor in April.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQ0NyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/may/bear-honours-queen-s-and-king-s-scouts-at-windsor/"}