Camp CEO 2026
Camp CEO was held in rural Perthshire from the 6th of August to the 9th of August 2026. It consisted of a range of workshops and networking opportunities, where the participants were put into project groups and on the final day they presented to a panel. I spoke to Kathryn Burton unit leader at 1st Monifieth Guides, Georgia, leader in training at 20th B Dundee Brownies and Ailey, Livia and Charlotte from Riverside Rangers to learn more about their experience at Camp CEO.
When learning about why they wanted to attend Camp CEO I learnt that Livia was interested in studying business but some of our other Riverside Rangers didn’t know exactly what they wanted to do after school, so this event allowed them the opportunity to be inspired and learn of the opportunities available. Kathryn wanted to get involved in more county level events as a leader. Georgia was encouraged to attend by her leaders but then when she looked into Camp CEO, she realised that the opportunities to talk to professionals about their journeys and their careers, would help her to think about the opportunities that are available to her.
When asked about the skills they learnt at Camp CEO, Charlotte, Ailey and Livia talked a lot about confidence and the advice they were given such as you didn’t need to be the loudest in the room but can still say what you want and that if life doesn’t go your way that it’s okay and that goals can change. Georgia said that more than just gaining new skills it really helped her develop the ability to communicate, network and connect with others. These are skills she has always been not totally confident about but being able to go to Camp CEO really pushed her out of her comfort zone to work on them, since she went not knowing anyone there.
When asking them about their favourite experience at Camp CEO Ailey, Livia and Charlotte said that the neurodivergent talk with a CEO who was diagnosed later in life, was really interesting. On her first day she struggled, wore a full business suit and realised that workplace wasn’t working for her, so she changed her workplace to suit herself and her colleagues to make it more comfortable for everyone. Kathryn loved the campfire. Georgia said that she enjoyed all the talks given to her by the women who attended and told their stories about how they overcame their hardships and continued on despite all the pushbacks they were faced with was very inspiring for her. It showed Georgia that no matter what life throws your way you can still do everything and anything you set your mind to.
When asked if any piece of advice they received at Camp CEO has stayed with them Livia, Charlotte and Ailey said that they were told to say yes to all opportunities even if it seemed daunting at the time. They talked about not letting fears get in the way and to always ask for support as problems can always be fixed. Kathryn said that in one of the sessions, the leader running the session spoke about identifying your individual values (around 3 primary ones) and using those to frame what you want to do in life. This was something that had never been suggested to her before, and something she had never taken any time to think about and found this advice very useful. Georgia said she learnt that as long as she sets her mind to something she can do anything and nothing is impossible for her to achieve even if life throws curveballs at her, she needs to keep getting back up and try again because in the end she can achieve anything she wants.
When asked if Camp CEO changed the way they view finding or deciding their future career Livia, Charlotte and Ailey explained that they were able to get advice from lots of people even other leaders about their career experiences and that lots of them had changed careers multiple times. Ailey said that in her group, one of the older girls explained that despite having an offer at university, she deferred her offer to take a gap year. This allowed Ailey to see this as a possibility and allowed her the opportunity to ask the girl questions about her decision.
When asking if they would recommend this event to others, Charlotte, Livia and Ailey said yes because that they were able to make friends for life and have even kept in touch with some of them. They also said that they learnt more about the opportunities that are available outside of school and learnt that it’s okay to not know your exact career plan. The girls also liked the camp because it was well organised, they had plenty of breaks to socialise or have some quiet time. Kathryn said that Camp CEO is definitely an event for girls looking to push themselves outside of their comfort zones and learn new things. She explained that as a leader it was good to watch the girls learn and grow over the weekend and she would recommend that girls apply for the next Camp CEO. Georgia said she would absolutely recommend this experience to others, she explained that it’s a great way to not only meet new people and make friends from other units but also a great opportunity to hear directly from successful women in their fields and ask them about their work, their journey and get advice from people who have life experience.
Camp CEO shows that events like these are crucial in developing confidence in young girls and allowing them to explore the opportunities that are available to them. I would like to say a huge thank you to Charlotte, Livia, Ailey, Georgia and Kathryn for sharing their feedback with me.
