Taking young leaders involvement to new heights!

Written by Lawrence Stanton, National Young Leaders Representative

Dear All,

It gives me pleasure to announce that Manco recently ratified the Young Leaders Involvement Policy. This policy replaces the Youth Involvement Policy (revised in 2014) with immediate effect.

The development of the Young Leaders Involvement Policy took time as it involved comprehensive research, consultation, revision and a call for member input which was concluded earlier this year.

Except for a few small clauses, the Young Leaders Involvement Policy (YLIP) is completely new from the Youth Involvement Policy. It consists of 6 concise sections covering a variety of topics. Key among which are:

  • A clear set of principles concerning Young Leaders’ Involvement.
  • The establishment of the Regional and National Youth Forum.
  • A clear directive for the Regional and National Young Leaders Representatives, with regards to the policy.
  • A set of actions aimed towards youth empowerment.

The YLIP was drafted with a strong focus on the practical realities of Scouting in South Africa. In essence, it is a guide to healthy succession planning for SSA as an organisation. SSA needs to retain and develop its young members more effectively in order to enable better and sustainable growth and a retention of skills. In alignment with our core values and methodology — the Patrol System and Learning by Doing — we require all of our leadership teams to prioritise involving young people within the team itself in order to convey knowledge. This is done with clear and practical benefits in mind — unlike a purely ideological approach — so that young leaders can be empowered to carry our Scout Groups and our Movement forward for many years to come.

Understandably, there are many questions to answer and many misnomers to dispel. Therefore, there will be an opportunity to discuss the YLIP and other related matters at an upcoming online Campfire Chat. Details for this discussion will be announced soon. If you have an urgent or specific query, please do feel free to email it to lawrence.stanton@scouts.org.za.

Thank you to all those who helped in the development and review of this policy, and a special thank you to Andrew Tanner who spent many hours on this policy’s development during his time as Chief Commissioner.

Yours in Scouting,

Lawrence Stanton
National Young Leaders Representative