The Young Leaders Network is a platform for young leaders aged 18-26 to be informed, share experiences, build skills and grow as leaders.

The network was launched in 2022 by the Young Leaders Group. This group is made up of young leaders from across the UK who are passionate about championing the views of young leaders and helping to develop and improve the support structure for those starting out in leadership roles within the BB.

The Network continues to be coordinated by the Young Leaders Group, ensuring that the work of the Network remains relevant to the needs of 18–26-year-old leaders as it evolves.

The Young Leaders Network has three main aims. These are:

To inform & support young leaders

• Using social media & termly emails to put relevant information into the hands of young leaders.
• A dedicated Young Leaders Facebook Group to share opportunities, encourage discussion and allow young leaders from across the country a chance to network and share.

To provide opportunities to young leaders

• Build skills appropriate for your role via training, gatherings and leadership opportunities.
• Share experiences and learn from others through gatherings, online forums, informal conversations, profiles and more.
• Leadership opportunities promoted and/or made available through the network, to help you to put your leadership skills into action and learn by doing.
• To Develop as young leaders, helping you to feel confident, empowered and valued as a young leader in The Boys’ Brigade

To amplify the voice of young leaders

• Raising the profile of Young Leaders and their experiences of their role(s), helping others to see the opportunities available to them and the value that young leaders give to the BB.
• Promoting decision making roles available on committees and groups within The Boys’ Brigade, including the under-26 positions on the Brigade executive and regional committees.
• Empowering young leaders to become ‘Comms Champions’ for the organisation and ambassadors for the work of the Brigade.

There are a number of ways for young leaders to get involved and start benefiting from the Network. Please note these opportunities are only available to registered BB leaders aged 18-26.

Young Leader’s Spotlight Week

The Young Leader’s ‘Spotlight’ Week runs from the 13^th – 19^th May 2024 and is being organised by the Young Leaders Network. The ambition of the week is to shine the spotlight on young leaders, celebrating successes across the country, and providing opportunities for young leaders to continue to step up into their role as a leader in The Boys’ Brigade.

We’re encouraging Young Leaders to pick up one of our two programmes, written by a group of young leaders, and deliver this in your own Companies.

To find out more about our Spotlight week & how to get involved, please check out our blog post

Join our Team at Satellites Festival

Satellites is a Christian youth festival which takes place between the 2nd to 6th August at Bath & West Showground. We are planning to get involved this year, by both encouraging BB groups to attend as well as hosting our own venue at the event.

The 5-day event, attended by over 2,000 young people aged 12+, is focussed around helping young people to explore their faith and provides a range of activities including worship, workshops, sports, games, creative spaces and more.

We are looking to form a team to assist us in running a venue for all those attending. The venue will be based around offering a range of activities for young people to enjoy during the afternoon, including inflatables (bungee run, gladiator duel, etc) and some team-based challenges. If you would be interested in being part of this team, you would get a FREE ticket to the event which includes all food and refreshments as well as accommodation (camping). We may also be able to support reasonable travel costs to and from the event. As well as supporting the BB venue (4-5 hours each day), you would have plenty of time to join in other parts of the programme, as well as time to relax.

You can find out more about Satellites at www.youthscape.co.uk/satellites/. If you are interested, please get in touch with Chris Norman at chris.norman@boys-brigade.org.uk

Young Leaders Facebook Group

Want to be the first to hear about opportunities specifically aimed at Young Leaders? Then make sure to join our Facebook Group.

We have a dedicated Facebook group for young leaders, providing you with a space to be informed and better equipped in your roles as leaders in the BB. The group is used to share new opportunities that are available for you, as well as sharing news on what young leaders have been getting up to across the UK.

If you are on Facebook and are not currently signed up, then head to our Young Leaders Facebook Group and click ‘Join’.