{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Alanah Reid, Creative Content Producer","standfirst":"Are you 18\u201325 years old? Are you interested in travelling to different countries, meeting Scouts from all over the world, and making international friends? If the answer\u0027s \u0027yes\u0027, the UK Rep Pool is the team for you.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EFor 18\u201325-year-olds, the \u003Ca href=\u0022/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/international-scouts-and-events/uk-rep-pool/\u0022 title=\u0022UK Rep Pool\u0022\u003EUK Rep Pool\u003C/a\u003E is a brilliant opportunity to represent Scouts internationally.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhether it\u2019s a government reception at Downing Street, a Council of Europe event hosted in Batumi, Georgia, or the World Scout Conference in Azerbaijan, they share the brilliant experiences and practices we have as Scouts and bring their international learnings back to the UK.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo find out what the team get up to, we asked Luke and Shannon to tell us about their experiences.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Find out more about the UK Rep Pool","body":"\u003Cp class=\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ERecruitment for the UK Rep Pool this year has now closed. Check out the UK Rep Pool webpage for more information in the meantime and keep an eye out for when recruitment starts next year.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":"UK Rep Pool","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/international-scouts-and-events/uk-rep-pool/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Joining the UK Rep Pool","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EHi, Luke and Shannon. Why did you want to join the Rep Pool and how did you hear about it?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELuke: \u003C/strong\u003EI didn\u0027t know the Rep Pool existed until it popped up on Facebook that we were recruiting for new members! I immediately knew I wanted to join the team.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d been on an international trip as an \u003Ca href=\u0022/explorers/\u0022 title=\u0022Explorers\u0022\u003EExplorer Scout\u003C/a\u003E and this ignited a passion in me to get to know Scouts from around the world. There\u2019s something so special about walking into a room or a campsite at the start of event not knowing anyone, and leaving with friends from around the world.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWith 57 million worldwide Scouts, we\u0027re all united by shared values, visions, and beliefs of what our world should be like. When I joined Scouts, made my first Scout Promise, and read the Scout Law, I never truly understood the law that \u0027A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts.\u0027 But I do now!\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShannon:\u003C/strong\u003E I took part in a Derbyshire leadership training course called iMoveIt, which focused on youth shaped leadership and developing your own style as a leader.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter this, my District Lead Volunteer forwarded the sign-up for the UK Rep Pool to me, and recommended it as a good opportunity for me. I rarely say no to anything, so I thought applying was always worthwhile.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe opportunities it offered looked amazing, and I was super excited to experience Scouts internationally. At the time I joined, I\u0027d only been in Scouts for around 8 months.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI was very nervous when I first got accepted onto the team as it was a huge step in a short time, but I\u2019m so grateful to be part of it.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/jawma3e4/luke-uk-rep-pool-member.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"altText":"The image shows UK Rep Pool member Luke wearing his Scout uniform and necker and smiling at the camera. He\u0027s standing inside a chapel with his arms behind his back","caption":"Luke, UK Rep Pool member","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhat do you love about being part of the Rep Pool?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELuke:\u003C/strong\u003E I\u2019ve loved getting to know the team members from across the UK, and then representing Scouts together on an international level.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI work in politics and policy, so being able to combine my professional experience with my Scouts skills to represent an organisation I love is really fulfilling.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOf course, I love the international events! I was fortunate to attend Kandersteg for the first time, a special place for all Scouts \u2013 our permanent mini-Jamboree in the Alps.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShannon:\u003C/strong\u003E The Rep Pool members are just amazing. The event meet ups, such as Reunion and the Thanksgiving event, are great fun.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0027s really interesting learn how our roles in Scouts differ and find out what brought them into the Rep Pool.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe opportunity to travel with Scouts and get to know Scouts from other countries is so fun and really informative. It\u2019s definitely shaped the way I think about UK Scouts in my section.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"The Rep Pool encourages you to go further than you thought you were able to. If someone had told me I\u2019d be getting a 3am bus to the airport to fly to Switzerland for a week on my own, I\u2019d have said they were crazy! But the Rep Pool gave me the skills, confidence, and belief in myself that I was able to do this and I\u2019ll be forever grateful for this support.","attribution":"Luke, UK Rep Pool member","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhat\u2019s been your favourite/the most interesting event you\u2019ve attended?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELuke:\u003C/strong\u003E Another event I attended was a conference in Poland, hosted by World Scouting and UNICEF. It was about how Scouts play a pivotal role in youth humanitarian action.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI left Poland inspired by the work of young people across Europe, but I was also able to share what we\u2019ve been doing in the UK, and I loved the peer learning throughout the event. Scouts from over 30 countries were there, and it was truly amazing to see the work they\u2019d done.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe heard about Chilean Scouts adapting Scouts traditions to make them welcoming for newcomer families, Scouts from the Dominican Republic being first responders after a devastating Tsunami, and Romanian Scouts supporting the mental health of refugees from Ukraine.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe combined humanitarian effort of Scouts around the world inspired me to work to further our humanitarian work in Scouts at home.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShannon:\u003C/strong\u003E I went to The Academy in Germany for 5 days in November 2023, which focused on workshops and toolkits around facilitating change, sustainability, youth lead Scouts and what that all looks like in other National Scout Organisations/Associations.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe host country was so helpful and all the Scouts were kind and easy to talk to.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"Since it was my first international trip with Scouts, everyone being so approachable and easy to talk to made the whole event great. I especially enjoyed the international evening, where each country showcased Scouts in their country and had a selection of food or drink or uniform from their country.","attribution":"Shannon, UK Rep Pool member","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EWhat would you say to someone thinking of joining the UK Rep Pool?\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELuke: \u003C/strong\u003EGo for it! The UK Rep Pool has enabled me to give back to Scouts, learn new skills and grow as a person. There\u0027s no specific set of skills and experiences we\u2019re looking for.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs long as you\u2019re passionate about Scouts, willing to learn and want to make the most of the opportunity, then apply. Take the leap \u2013 you won\u2019t regret it!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u0027re feeling inspired by Luke and Shannon\u0027s adventures, but want to find out more, get in touch with Aaron Marcus (UK Rep Pool Lead). He\u2019s happy to chat to you about the UK Rep Pool and answer any questions you have. Email him on \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022mailto:aaron.marcus@scouts.org.uk\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eaaron.marcus@scouts.org.uk\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Want to find out more?","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":"26 March 2024","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Find out more about the UK Rep Pool","url":"/volunteers/running-your-section/programme-guidance/international-scouts-and-events/uk-rep-pool/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Options for 18\u002B year olds in Scouts","url":"/network/options-for-18plus-year-olds-in-scouting/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":79090,"nodeName":"Here\u2019s why 18\u201325 year olds should join the UK Rep Pool","title":"Here\u2019s why 18\u201325 year olds should join the UK Rep Pool","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/xvsbtnjz/agora.jpeg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1da4f9d334fab90","caption":"UK Rep Pool, Agora","type":"jpeg","size":226452,"width":1600,"height":1200,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Here\u2019s why 18\u201325 year olds should join the UK Rep Pool","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"The UK Rep Pool are looking for new members. If you\u0027d love the chance to represent UK Scouts internationally, sign up today. ","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83OTA5MCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2024/march/why-18-25-year-olds-should-join-the-uk-rep-pool/"}