The Scotty’s Council

Here's everything you need to know about our Scotty's Council and how you can get involved.

Scotty’s Council: What is it?

Scotty’s Council provide a voice for Bereaved Forces Children, Young People and Young Adults.

The council is made up of members aged 12-25 years. Sometimes they meet as a large group, sometimes they might meet by age group or if they are working on a certain project, they might meet in smaller sub groups.

The council do have lots of fun but it is a serious role too and at times can be emotional. They are constantly looking at what bereaved military children need so that means having lots of very open conversations about bereavement and the challenges. It often means the council members discuss their own lived experiences and hear the experiences of their peers, which can be hard.

The council have the responsibility of representing all bereaved military children and young people so may be asked to speak in public, to media, or in front of influential people because it is so important that the world hears from our young people directly and not just the Scotty Team.

Criteria To Join:

  • Be the right age. To join the council, you need to be 12 years or above. If you are under 12, don’t worry, your time will come. 
  • Have a willingness to give up your time. To help lead Scotty’s, it means sharing your opinions, experiences, ideas, and volunteering (when you can) to help with projects.
  • Have a genuine respect for your peers. As a council member you will be representing all our members, so it is important that you can listen to others with compassion and respect confidentiality. You need to have a strong desire to use your position on the council for the good of all. With great power comes great responsibility!
  • Be able to tell your story. Being on the council means telling your story and listening to the stories of others. This can be emotional at times. Before joining the council, Scotty’s will chat to you about this more, as we need to be sure that being on the council and the work that it entails, will not be harmful to you. If we have concerns, we will talk to you about them and try to work out a plan to help you develop so that you can join the council when you are ready.

Council Comms

WhatsApp: We have one main group chat. This is where most of the communication happens. It is also where we share meeting agendas and post meeting notes and actions so if you miss any, you can easily catch up. 

WhatsApp Sub Groups: Sometimes, if only certain members are working on a particular project we will create smaller sub group chats.

WhatsApp the team: The easiest and quickest way to contact the team if you have any council related enquires, is to WhatsApp Nikki or Rachel.

Monthly Update Email: Every month the team pull together a report for the Trustees to provide them with all the latest at Scotty’s. We also send our council a smaller version of this report, so you are always kept up to date with the latest info.

‘All Hands On Deck’ Online Meetings: At least twice a year we hold online meetings where we invite all council members. We understand everyone has busy lives so we share the notes from the meetings afterwards, in the WhatsApp group, in case anyone can’t join.

In Person Meetings: Twice a year, we hold in person meetings. Again, notes after the meetings are shared for those who can’t attend. Scotty’s can help with travel expenses and accommodation for these trips.

How to join:

Please be aware, this process can take up to 6 months.

Scotty’s Council Document: If you have read through this document and are still keen to join the council, then you need to complete the application form next.

Application Form: Complete the Scotty’s Council Application form by clicking here.

Video Call: Once we receive the application, we will get in touch to arrange for a video call. If you are under 18, we will also arrange a separate call with your parent or carer. This is so we can talk to you in more detail about what is involved.

Review: The Scotty Team will meet and discuss your application. At Scotty’s, we have a duty of care to our members so we will discuss if we think this is the right time for you, personally, to join the council. If we feel it’s not right for you at the moment, we will discuss this with you and work out a plan. Remember you can join the council up until the age of 25 years old.

Welcome Sheet: If it is agreed that you are ready to join the council, you will be emailed the welcome Info Sheet.

WhatsApp: You will be added to the council WhatsApp group. If you are under 18 years old, your parent and carer will also be added.