4 members of Scouting Ireland attended the 2025 Overture Diversity Network meeting, which was held in Bucharest this year. An open call was put out to the membership, and all those who applied were interviewed for the event. The team included a member of both the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Team, along with Scouting Ireland's Neurodiverse Team.
Participants were present from 17 countries (Ireland had 3 Scouting/Guiding associations present), including, for the first time, the USA. The Network was set up to share best practice and projects that encourage Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Members of the network continue to communicate throughout the year and share information and resources.
This year, topics ranged from good mental health – the long-term health benefits from membership of a Scouting/Guiding organisation – to bringing Scouting to underrepresented communities and areas where no Scouting is available.
The Overture Network is now a yearly official WOSM/WAGGGS event.
We want to thank the Romanian Scout Association for hosting this year's event.
Our EDI Team and others within the Programme Department are open to applications for new members who might want to join us. Membership can be for a single project, event, or topic – we are happy to accommodate volunteers' daily lives.
As the EDI Team is now under the Sustainability and Social Justice umbrella, you can apply through that open call and indicate which team you wish to join.
You can contact the EDI Team via: equality@scouts.ie
And the Neurodiverse Team via: nd@scouts.ie
