Scout Sasha Barrett Ferris – Belfast County Youth Commissioner

In fact Sasha could practically be considered a regular at Royal events. In addition to the Coronation, she also attended the Platinum Jubilee last summer and the Service of Reflection in St Anne’s Cathedral following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth through her involvement with both the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme and Scouting.

Sasha had been in Guiding since the age of 4 but when she was 17 moved to Scouts as an Explorer and is now a leader at 7th Belfast Scouts in Dundonald.

She’s had the opportunity, through both Guiding and Scouting, to travel to the World Scout Jamborees in Norway and the United States, having been selected, through a rigorous assessment process, to represent Northern Ireland.

Post-Covid she was asked to join the Northern Ireland core Scouting Team and in June 2022 was appointed at Belfast County Youth Commissioner for Scouting.

However, despite this, it’s clear from chatting to her that Sasha’s heart lies with working and leading the young people in her section.

“I’m working with ten year old Cubs and we are seeing that they have a deficit post-Covid. Not just in terms of their Scouting skills, but also socially. We’re catching them up on all fronts and I’m seeing such a change as the months go on.

Scouts is giving them that change to develop and flourish - it’s not all about learning to tie knots and put up tents, there’s lots of other skills being learned and tested.”

Scouting engages and supports young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society and Sasha exhibits a strong spirit of volunteering and an interest in social issues.

“I started volunteering with the RSPB when I was 10, in guiding and also volunteered with various sporting activities for example with the Mencap Disability Scheme, summer camps in under privileged areas and with Guiding and then Scouting”.

In 2020, while in Year 13 at school (Lower Sixth), Sasha was recognised for her volunteering work volunteering and making a positive impact on the local community when she was selected from hundreds of youth volunteers across Ireland to be honoured at the 2020 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards Ceremony (pictured below).  

Earlier this month (May 2023), Sasha was one of around 150 Scouts from across the UK and the Commonwealth who played a part in events to mark the Coronation of King Charles in London, helping to guide and marshal the influx of visitors who had come to the city.

“I was based in Green Park which was one of the main overflow areas from the Mall and where there was a large screens erected so people could watch everything. We had training on the Thursday and Friday and on Saturday we were bussed from our accommodation (camping of course!) at Gilwell Park, the home of Scouting, in Essex for a 5am start on Saturday morning, the day of the Coronation.”

After the Coronation ceremony, a few of the Scouts, including Sasha, were also asked to help at the Coronation Concert the following evening in Windsor.

“Scouting has given me such fabulous opportunities to travel and meet people I wouldn’t otherwise but mostly I love to see the impact the Scouting movement can have on young people. Our tagline is ‘Skills for Life’ and as clichéd as it sounds, it’s true.”

Attending the Coronation meant Sasha had to postpone one of her second year university exams – she’s studying Food Science at QUB – until later in the summer.

Next year she’ll embark upon her third year placement. Rather than follow the rest of her classmates to a lab and, in keeping with her strong spirit of community involvement, she’s going to work for Footprints, a Women’s Centre in Dunmurry, working with people experiencing food poverty.

However first this free spirit plans a summer exploring the Wild Atlantic Way in her camper van, her ‘house on wheels’.

Sasha is also a talented artist and often sells her pieces to raise money for charity. She started SBF Creations in January 2021 - you'll find her on Instagram @sbfcreations.

Congratulations on your achievements Sasha, you’re a terrific ambassador for both Sullivan and Scouting and we look forward to seeing what comes next.