NATIONAL YOUTH FORUM WE SPARK. WE SHAPE. WE SCOUT.
13th to 15th of November 2026 Gormanstown Park, Co. Meath
HELLO & WELCOME! Hello! Welcome to Scouting Ireland’s National Youth Forum Information Pack. In Scouting Ireland, we believe in Adults and Youth members working together, and through this, we enable Youth Empowerment in Scouting. There truly is no better way to describe this than the National Youth Representatives, who work tirelessly to represent their fellow youth members every day. The National Youth Forum isn't just a place where National Reps get elected - it's a cornerstone of Scouting Ireland, a place where youth members connect, share ideas and together, help create a better Scouting Ireland. Whether you attend to meet new people and connect with others, present a motion to the forum or run for National Youth Rep, there is something for every youth member at the National Youth Forum. Our outgoing Youth Reps. have been working nonstop to deliver what we believe will be the biggest and best National Youth Forum yet, we’ve to create an environment where delegates will be able to thrive, connect, and help shape the future of Irish scouting. We can’t wait to welcome you to Gormanstown this November, and facilitate passionate discussions, information packed workshops, and create a platform where every youth member can truly share their view for the future. Together this November, lets not just make a Youth Forum, but foundations for the next year of Youth Empowerment in Scouting. We can’t wait to see you soon! Zoe Duke & James Kiernan | Co Chairpersons
@nationalyouthreps.si
TABLE OF CONTENTS About the forum
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What is the forum
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Meet the reps: Scouts
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Meet the reps: Ventures
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Meet the reps: Rovers
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Who can attend
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What is a National Youth Rep
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Pathway to becoming a National Youth Rep
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Am I eligible to be a National Youth Rep?
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Motions
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Speeches
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Elections
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Forum Saturday timetable
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Forum Sunday timetable
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ABOUT THE FORUM The upcoming National Youth Forum will take place November 13th-15th 2026. The event will be held in Gormanstown Park, Co. Meath (K32 NH30). Participants are encouraged to carpool or take public transport to the venue. Delegates can arrive from 7:00pm on Friday 13th. All delegates will be checked in upon arrival. This night will have no programme and serve to allow youth members to socialise and relax. Programme will begin at 9:30am on Saturday 14th. The cost is €50 per person (youth members and scouters) This covers the accommodation, catering for the full weekend and programme. Delegates may be sharing rooms with others of the same gender and section.
WHAT IS THE FORUM? The National Youth Forum (NYF) is Scouting Ireland's annual event where youth members from across the country come together to have their say, shape the future of Scouting, and vote for their youth representatives. Across the weekend, you'll take part in workshops, discussions, and social activities, while making new friends and creating lasting memories. This year's workshops include Your Say in Scouting, We Shape Scouting, Scouting in the Future and Your Youth Empowerment Toolkit. Whether you're passionate about programmes, leadership or the future of Scouting, NYF is your chance to get involved, be heard and have fun! 4
Rory McCarthy
Chairperson 103 Dublin Willington, Mountpelier, Dublin Scout Province
National Events 14 Limerick Murroe Boher, Limerick, Southern Scout Province
Veronika Chamont
Amelia Woods
rd
Secretary 26th Galway Kilcoona, Galway, Western Scout Province
TEEM
MEET THE SCOUT REPS
James Kiernan
Adrika Ashwvath
Sustainability 175th Dublin Castleknock, Ath Cliath 15, North Eastern Scout Province
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Communications 29th Belfast, Carryduff, Down & Connor, Northern Scout Province
Emma Rath
EDI 5 Carlow Town, Carlow, South Eastern Scout Province th
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James Bugler
Chairperson 43rd/70 Cork, Bishopstown, Lee Valley, Southern Scout Province
Secretary 10 Clare, Mountshannon/Scarriff, Clare, Western Scout Province
Fionn Mac Lochlainn
Saoirse Coffey
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Adventure Skills Programme 16th Kildare, Kilcock, Cill Dara, South 103rd Dublin, Willington, Eastern Scout Province Mountpelier, Dublin Scout Province
TEEM
MEET THE VENTURE REPS
Rían Jordan
Ceara Bree
Finn Dempsey
Communications 179 Dublin, Huntstown, Ath Cliath 15, North Eastern Scout Province
General 29 Belfast, Carryduff, Down & Connor, Northern Scout Province
th
th
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Lauren Coughlan
Events/International 2 Westmeath Athlone, Lakelands, North Eastern Scout Province
Secretary/Events 168th Dublin Tymon North, Mountpelier, Dublin Scout Province
Robin Hayes
Jay Holland
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Communications 5 Carlow Town, Carlow, South Eastern Province
TEEM
MEET THE ROVER REPS
Zoe Duke
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EDI 1 /4 /22 /32 Tipperary Clonmel, Tipperary, Southern Scout Province st
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WHO CAN ATTEND NYF? County Youth Reps Each Scout County can send up to 6 County Reps per section (Scouts, Ventures and Rovers). The County Commissioner or CPC will submit the names of their County Reps through the form emailed to them. County Reps will be given lanyards showing their voting rights that they must wear throughout the weekend.
Observers Each Scout Group may send 4 youth members per section to the forum. Group Observers can participate in the entire forum, speak in discussions and partake in activities throughout the weekend; however, they do not have voting rights in motions or the election of the National Youth Reps. As the event is being held indoors and space is limited, priority will be given to county representatives wishing to attend.
Scouters Ventures and Scouts attending the event must be accompanied by a Scouter to ensure compliance with Scouting Ireland safeguarding requirements. Scouters should liaise with their County Commissioner, Provincial Commissioner, or PYPR to ensure appropriate supervision ratios are in place. A light programme will be available for accompanying Scouters throughout the weekend; however, a full schedule of activities will not be provided. Please note that, to ensure speakers feel comfortable and to encourage meaningful youth participation, Scouters will not be permitted in rooms while youth programme sessions are taking place.
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WHAT IS A NATIONAL YOUTH REP A National Youth Representative (NYR) in Scouting Ireland is a youth member who acts as the voice of their peers at a national level within the organisation. A key part of the National Youth Rep role is enabling youth empowerment within Scouting Ireland. They play a vital role in ensuring that the ideas, opinions, and concerns of young people across the island of Ireland are heard, valued, and included in decision‑making processes that directly affect them. Scouting Ireland is a youth‑led organisation, and National Youth Reps help uphold this principle by actively contributing to discussions that shape national programmes, events, and policies. Their role helps ensure that Scouting remains relevant, engaging, and reflective of what young people need and want from the movement. National Youth Reps represent different sections of Scouting Ireland, including Scouts, Venture Scouts, and Rover Scouts. In this capacity, they attend national‑level meetings as representatives of youth members, where they share ideas, raise concerns, and provide feedback on behalf of their peers. By doing so, they help ensure that youth perspectives are included alongside adult leadership at a national stage. Their work contributes to building confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of ownership among young members. Overall, a National Youth Representative is essential to maintaining Scouting Ireland’s commitment to being youth‑led. Through representation, advocacy, and collaboration, they help ensure that young people are not just participants in Scouting, but active contributors to its direction and future.
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PATHWAY TO BECOMING A NATIONAL YOUTH REP 01
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County Youth Rep
To be eligible to run for the position of National Youth Representative, individuals must first be elected as a County Youth Representative. Candidates must also meet the age requirements for their respective section. County Commissioners have received a form via email to submit the names of all elected County Youth Representatives. Completed forms must be returned by the 1st of November 2026.
Sign Up & CV
All candidates wishing to run for National Youth Rep must complete the Nomination Form. The Nomination Form has been emailed to all County Commissioners. Candidates are also required to submit their Scout CV and a statement of support from a member of their County Management Team to programme@scouts.ie. All documents must be submitted by 9pm on the 6th of November 2026
Election Day
Candidates for National Youth Rep who have completed the required sign-up steps will give a speech to the National Youth Forum on the day of elections (Sunday). On the day, all County Reps in attendance will vote for who they believe should become the new National Youth Rep team for their respective sections.
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AM I ELIGIBLE TO RUN FOR NATIONAL YOUTH REP? Scouts
Must be an elected County Representative Must attend the National Youth Forum Must be a registered member of the Scout Section for full duration of the post Candidates must have been born on or after 2 December 2011 and on or before 1 November 2014. Must not currently hold a National Youth Representative role in any section Must have the capacity and commitment to fulfil the responsibilities of the role Must demonstrate a passion for Scouting and youth empowerment
Ventures
Must be an elected County Representative Must attend the National Youth Forum Must be a registered member of the Venture Scout Section for full duration of the post Candidates must have been born on or after 2 December 2009 and on or before 1 November 2011. Must not currently hold a National Youth Representative role in any section Must have the capacity and commitment to fulfil the responsibilities of the role Must demonstrate a passion for Scouting and youth empowerment
Rovers
Must be an elected County Representative Must attend the National Youth Forum Must be a registered member of the Rover Scout Section for full duration of the post Candidates must have been born on or after 2 December 2001 and on or before 1 November 2008. Must not currently hold a National Youth Representative role in any section Must have the capacity and commitment to fulfil the responsibilities of the role Must demonstrate a passion for Scouting and youth empowerment Rover Representatives can run twice during their time in the section, provided those terms are not in consecutive years.
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MOTIONS TThe aim of the National Youth Forum is to serve as a platform for Youth Empowerment, feedback and to hear what youth members want to see from Scouting Ireland. A motion is a proposal given by a County Youth Reps team to the National Youth Forum, presented by a member of said County Youth Reps on behalf of their Scout County. All motions for the National Youth Forum must be completed & submitted by 9pm Sunday 8th of November 2026 to programme@scouts.ie. All motions submitted will be reviewed by a team of our Nation Youth Reps. The aim of motions is to gather feedback and ideas from Scouts, Ventures and Rovers from across the country, and for those ideas to be approved by the National Youth Forum. No idea is too big or too small and all proposals are welcome. To ensure the success of these motions, the wording of some may need to be changed by request of the National Youth Rep, Motion Team. A motion writing workshop will take place online on the 21st of September and 19th of October hosted by our National Youth Reps, details will be posted via the @nationalyouthreps.si Instagram Each motion proposer will be given 3 minutes to present their motion, questions will be asked from the National Youth Forum to the proposer. Each delegate who presents a question will be given one minute to express their views or concerns. Motions will be voted by a show of hands and tallied by members of the National Youth Reps team. In the case of limited time during questions, the Chairpersons of the forum may end the question session to proceed with voting. The Chairpersons may also reject a question to the proposer, if they deem it to be inappropriate, derogatory or irrelevant to the motion. Motions are not required to be Scouting specific topics but should be relevant to Scouting Ireland and could cover areas such as Sustainability, Wellbeing, EDI and more. 12
SPEECHES As part of your campaign to run for National Youth Rep, you will be given a three-minute time slot to make a speech. Due to the tight schedule, this will be a strict time limit, and candidates will have their speeches cut off after three minutes. This speech is your chance to show the National Youth Forum who you are, what you do and why you want to be a National Youth Rep. You should also include the areas of scouting which you want to focus on and how you will represent the views of the National Youth Forum. Your speech should contain your experience in scouting, however experience outside scouting is just as valuable. Whether it be a debate club or model UN, relevant experience to being a representative should be included. To prepare all participants for these speeches, there will be two online speech writing workshops prior to the forum, hosted by our very own National Youth Reps! These will take place on the 28th of September, and 11th of October hosted by our National Youth Reps, details will be posted via the @nationalyouthreps.si Instagram If a delegate is thinking of running for National Youth Rep, we would highly recommend they attend this online workshop, as it will be of great benefit to them. All delegates and observers are also encouraged to attend.
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ELECTIONS The election of the new National Youth Rep team will take place on the Sunday of the National Youth Forum. Each Section (Scouts, Ventures and Rovers) will hold their own elections, facilitated by the outgoing National Youth Reps of their respective sections. Only eligible members of the relevant section may participate in the voting of National Youth Reps. If a noneligible member is found to be attempting to vote, they will be asked to leave the forum. A total of nine reps will be elected per section. In each section, one rep will be elected per province, as well as three general reps from around the country. 4. No more than two (2) representatives may be elected from the same Province, unless applying this limit would prevent all nine representative positions from being filled. Elections will take place by proportional representation by single transferable vote. This means that all candidates must be ranked by voters from highest to lowest order of preference on a ballot paper. This means that the representatives from each scout province with the highest number of votes will be elected. The three general reps will also be elected by PR-STV, with all candidates running for National Youth Rep listed on a ballot paper. The three candidates with the highest number of votes who have not already been elected will be elected to the role of National Youth Rep. 14
SATURDAY 8:30
BREAKFAST
9:30
WELCOME & CONNECT
10:30 WORKSHOP 1 11:30 WORKSHOP 2 12:30 WORKSHOP 3 13:30 LUNCH 14:30 WORKSHOP 4 15:30 STALLS 16:30 CAPTURE THE FLAG 17:30 DINNER 19:00 MODEL UNITED NATIONS 20:30 CAMPFIRE & FREE TIME 23:30 LIGHTS OUT
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SUNDAY 8:30
BREAKFAST
9:30
OPENING OF THE FORUM
10:00 MOTIONS 11:30 SOCIAL BREAK 12:00 SPEECHES 13:00 ELECTIONS 13:20 LUNCH (VOTES COUNTED) 14:20 ELECTION RESULTS 15:00 CLOSE OF THE FORUM NEWLY ELECTED REPS SHOULD STAY TILL 15:30 FOR A INTRODUCTIVE MEETING
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See you soon! Contact us at PROGRAMME@scouts.ie with any questions!