There are many benefits to having a broad range of skills and perspectives on your board as we looked at in Issue 20: Developing the Board. Trustees and leaders have to make sure multiple stakeholders including beneficiaries, volunteers, staff and supporters are heard in decision making. Even if every group isn’t represented at the table, their voices and perspectives should be – take the time to listen.
Your charity might work with young people, in which case listening to the voices of young people is particularly important to your mission, and something like a youth advisory board makes immediate sense, or recruiting some younger trustees.
Even if you charity doesn’t work with young people, just as the corporate sector has to nurture younger talent through apprenticeships, work experience, training schemes, working groups, etc – the third sector needs to engage young people in the work of charities.
Issue 24 looks at ways charities can engage and inspire the next generation into voluntary and trustee roles as well as getting involved in activities such as fundraising and campaigning.
What’s in this issue?
Eleanor Urben from Reach Volunteering shares the benefits that younger trustees bring to the board
The purpose of a Youth Advisory Board
Facilitating volunteering & fundraising – a look at some of the ways charities are engaging and facilitating involvement of young people and children
Further reading
Our Bright Future have a great resource on embedding younger trustees, auditing skills on the board, recruiting younger trustees, supporting them in onboarding and as they get involved.
https://www.ourbrightfuture.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Young_Trustees_Advice_Pack.pdf
The Young Trustees Movement has just started a new podcast that gives young trustees an idea of what it’s like in the boardroom, designed to inspire and educate young people of real-life trustee scenarios and responsibilities.
