International Women’s Day 2026 is an opportunity to recognise the women who lead, inspire and shape the future every single day, often without fanfare. Across Merseyside, women are stepping forward, taking on responsibility and helping our movement grow stronger and more inclusive.
This year, we are proud to highlight Nikki, our County Programme Delivery Team Leader and a valued member of the County Leadership Team.
A Leadership Journey That Started with Encouragement
Leadership rarely begins with a big announcement. More often, it starts with a quiet moment. A conversation after a meeting. A few words of encouragement. Sometimes it is simply someone saying, “You’d be good at this.”
Those small nudges matter. They build confidence. They open doors that might otherwise have stayed closed.
For Nikki, stepping into a county leadership role meant moving beyond her comfort zone, particularly when it came to public speaking. Leading a team, addressing volunteers and coordinating large events pushed her in ways she did not expect. Yet those challenges have become some of the most rewarding parts of the role.
As Team Lead Volunteer for Programme Delivery, she works with a dedicated team to deliver events and opportunities across every section, from Squirrels and Beavers to Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Network. It is a role that carries responsibility, but also the privilege of seeing young people thrive.
Creating Experiences That Build Confidence
One of the highlights of Nikki’s role is leading large-scale events for our youngest members, including Wingding. Months of planning come together over the course of a busy weekend filled with energy, laughter and new experiences.
Seeing young people arrive full of excitement, try something unfamiliar and leave with greater confidence makes every challenge worthwhile. These events do more than fill a calendar. They create memories and build resilience. They remind us why Scouting matters.
Across Merseyside, women are leading sections, coordinating county events, shaping programme delivery and mentoring new volunteers. They are role models not only for girls within our movement, but for everyone. They show that leadership has many styles. It can be bold and energetic. It can be calm and steady. It can be practical, creative or quietly determined. There is no single way to lead well.
What Leadership Really Means
On International Women’s Day, Nikki has reflected on what it means to serve in a senior leadership role in Scouting as a woman.
Leadership is not about titles, It is about responsibility. It is about being the steady voice in the room when decisions matter. It is about shaping environments where young people feel safe enough to try, to fail, to lead and to grow.
For many women, the path to senior leadership has not always been clearly marked. They stepped forward anyway. They raised their hands when they were not entirely sure they were ready. They learned in public. They carried both confidence and doubt, and kept going.
In doing so, they model the very values Scouting teaches: bravery, preparedness and kindness. They show girls what leadership looks like. They show boys that leadership is not defined by gender. They demonstrate that strength and empathy are not opposites, but partners.
Representation matters. In boardrooms, around campfires, in planning meetings and at large events, when young people see women making strategic decisions and guiding complex initiatives, it reshapes what they believe is possible for themselves.
Leading as a Neurodivergent Woman
For Nikki, leadership also carries another layer. She serves as a senior leader while being neurodivergent.
For a long time, leadership felt like something she had to fit into. There was a sense that she needed to communicate a certain way, think a certain way, lead a certain way. Over time, she has come to understand that the qualities that once made her feel different are the same qualities that strengthen her leadership.
Being neurodivergent means noticing what others might miss. It means seeing patterns, risks and opportunities early. It means caring deeply about fairness and clarity, asking questions that challenge assumptions and staying persistent when something truly matters.
In Scouting, where we aim to shape young people who are confident, capable and kind, those traits are not weaknesses. They are strengths.
Leadership is not about standing at the front with all the answers. It is about creating space. It is about ensuring every young person and every volunteer feels seen, heard and valued. It is about building environments where difference is understood and respected.
As a woman in leadership, visibility brings responsibility. When girls and young women see someone who leads differently, thinks differently and communicates differently, it broadens their sense of what is possible. When volunteers see that there is more than one way to lead effectively, it gives them permission to bring their whole selves too.
Lifting Others as We Climb
True leadership is not measured by how high we rise, but by how many we bring with us.
Across Scouting, women are mentoring new volunteers, encouraging emerging leaders and creating space at the table rather than guarding it. They advocate for inclusion, protect our values and push for progress while respecting tradition.
On this International Women’s Day, we celebrate the girls and women of Merseyside Scouts. We celebrate the courage to say yes to new challenges. We celebrate those who step up, those who encourage others and those who quietly make a difference every week.
To every woman serving in Scouting leadership: your voice matters. Your presence matters. Your leadership matters.
And to the girls watching, wondering whether they belong at the head of the table one day: you absolutely do.
Together, we continue building a community where everyone has the confidence to lead and the support to thrive.
