Step up to Serve has created a bursary fund to support young people to join its board. Leon Ward says this is a positive step towards diversifying governance.
In my experience one of the biggest barriers to participation for young trustees is the cost of volunteering. Most young people are in the junior ranks of a workforce, or if still studying often filling their time working in sectors that are not flexible.
If you work at TopShop or Tesco it is unlikely that you can just leave early to make it to a board meeting, or that you can simply rearrange your hours.
I remember having to repeatedly explain what a trustee was to my employers when I became one at 18. You are likely to be in a different position to your trustee peers, just as I was. They are often at the top of their relevant industries and have flexible working arrangements; more often than not, they are their own boss.
I often receive requests to help source potential candidates for trustee positions and this week I was asked to promote the young trustee position at Step up to Serve, headed by Charlotte Hill, to my social media following.
Normally, trustees do not ‘represent’ a constituency, they are there to offer their expertise and insight, however Step up to Serve has made it part of the role that the younger trustee (18-25) must be ‘willing and able to seek and represent the view of other young people aged 10-20’. So this is a unique position and I was willing to help. I was also impressed at the steps the organisation has taken to enable participation.
As is expected, normal expenses will be paid, but the board have gone a step further and allocated a bursary fund for young trustees who need to give up days from work to attend meetings. They are allowed to claim up to £70 per day; which is also particularly useful for young people who live outside of London and spend much of the day travelling. I suspect this had been spearheaded by chief executive Charlotte Hill who held the same position at UK Youth and I’m sure was told firsthand by young people who would struggle to make the time commitment for trusteeship.
As a sector we so often applaud ourselves at how inclusive we are, but actually, as I said to the CAF Inquiry last year on Growing Giving, there are many barriers that prevent participation at governance levels. Let’s not forget that trusteeship is a voluntary role, irrespective of those who protect trustees as an ‘elite group’ of volunteers. We should strive to diversify our boards, not for diversity's sake but to ensure that the board is fit for purpose with the skills, insights and experiences needed to face modern charity challenges.
