{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Kate Marks, Scouts Trustee","standfirst":"Have you thought about standing in the upcoming Trustee elections? One of our brilliant Trustees, Kate Marks, tell us why you should.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EMy work colleague\u2019s suggestion that I should stand to be a Scouts Trustee caught me by surprise. He\u2019s a well-respected senior volunteer in Scouts and I work as a senior leader in the public sector.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d been volunteering with Scouts for a couple of years as a Group Scout Leader, but I was still trying to figure out which badge goes where, and life was quite busy.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe chatted about what I could bring to \u003Ca href=\u0022/about-us/our-people/board-of-trustees/\u0022 title=\u0022Board of Trustees\u0022\u003EScouts\u2019 Trustee Board\u003C/a\u003E from my professional life and volunteering experience.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt sounded interesting, so I raised it with my District Commissioner, expecting that he\u2019d gently tell me to focus on being a Group Scout Leader. But instead, he thought it was a good idea, and encouraged me to go for it.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20866/kate-marks-scouts-board-of-trustees.jpg","width":5000,"height":3333,"altText":"Kate Marks, Scouts Trustee, stands in front of bushes with sunlight behind her. She\u0027s smiling at the camera and she\u0027s wearing a navy Scouts polo shirt with a red, blue and white necker.","caption":"Kate Marks, Scouts Trustee","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EI got in touch with the wonderful Scouts Governance team. I asked, \u2018Most of your current Trustees seem to have been born wearing a woggle. Would someone newer to Scouts be out of place?\u2019 The team reassured me that some Trustees were entirely new to the movement and they said it\u2019d be great for me to apply.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EWhy I wanted to join\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the things that attracted me to being a Trustee was being able to see both sides of the movement (volunteering and behind the scenes), and I felt like I could contribute to both. This has also helped me become even more of a strategic thinker.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI was also keen to see how the Scouts Board of Trustees worked as a \u2018national organisation, delivering locally,\u2019 since I\u2019m a senior leader in a similarly structured government agency. While helping Scouts, I thought being a Trustee might help me in my day job, too.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003EBeing a Trustee\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-things-locally/trustee-boards/starting-your-role-as-a-trustee/trustee-basics/\u0022 title=\u0022Trustee basics\u0022\u003ETrustee roles at Scouts\u003C/a\u003E involve a lot of strategic planning and decision making. We work as a team to set the vision and direction of our movement, making sure we\u2019re staying true to Scouts mission and values.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe also keep an eye on finances to check we\u2019re using our resources effectively and efficiently. We also join specialist committees that support the Trustee Board \u2013 in my case, the Safety Committee.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20867/scouts-board-of-trustees-stood-together.jpg","width":5000,"height":3333,"altText":"The Scouts Board of Trustees stand together in a line, all wearing navy polo shirts and red, white and blue neckers. They\u0027re smiling at the camera and standing in front of a TV screen showing the Scouts logo in white on a purple background.","caption":"Scouts Board of Trustees","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EA rewarding opportunity\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most rewarding parts of being a Trustee is the opportunity to make a real difference to young people\u2019s lives.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEspecially as someone with experience in the youth sector, I understand just how important it is to give young people opportunities to learn, grow, and develop.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThrough Scouts, we can do just that. As a Trustee, I help make sure we\u2019re giving our members the best possible experience.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut, there\u2019s more to being a Trustee than making a difference in the lives of young people. It can also be a personally and professionally enriching experience.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the six months I\u2019ve been a Trustee, it\u2019s been incredibly rewarding to build relationships with other volunteers, people from diverse backgrounds and with different skillsets, both in the UK and internationally.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EThe rewards far outweigh the challenges\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course, as with any role, being a Trustee can have its challenges. You\u2019ll sometimes need to give quite a bit of your time, and be prepared to chat about and deal with tricky issues.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat being said, the rewards far outweigh the challenges. I truly believe that anyone with a passion for making a difference in the world should consider standing for election as a Trustee.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you have questions, like I did, reach out to the existing Trustees or Governance team. They\u2019ll be more than happy to help and share their experiences and insights with you.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBeing a Trustee is so much more than ticking boxes on a CV. It\u2019s a chance to make a real difference in the world, and be part of a community of people who\u2019re passionate about creating positive change.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you have the passion, take the leap and stand for election. You won\u0027t regret it!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Nominate yourself","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you think you\u0027d like to join our fantastic Board of Trustees, visit our nominations page to put your name forward.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":null,"id":null,"url":"http://www.mi-nomination.com/sa2023","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#002f6c","title":"Fancy becoming a Trustee?","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"16 May 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Nominate yourself to join the Board of Trustees","url":"http://www.mi-nomination.com/sa2023","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Trustee basics","url":"/volunteers/running-things-locally/trustee-boards/trustee-basics/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Trustee Information Pack","url":"/volunteers/running-things-locally/trustee-boards/recruiting-new-trustees/trustee-information-pack/","newWindow":false}],"id":50443,"nodeName":"Scouts Trustee elections are just around the corner","title":"Scouts Trustee elections are just around the corner","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/20866/kate-marks-scouts-board-of-trustees.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd27fb6420","caption":"Kate Marks, Scouts Board Of Trustees","type":"jpg","size":2766606,"width":5000,"height":3333,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Scouts Trustee elections are just around the corner","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Thinking about becoming a Scouts Trustee? Kate Marks tells us why you should put yourself forward. ","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDQ0MyJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/may/scouts-trustee-elections-are-just-around-the-corner/"}