Get young people on board

15 Oct 2012 Voices

In a follow-up blog, Tesse Akpeki says we must encourage the strengths of young people to fill the knowldege gaps on our boards.

In a follow-up blog, Tesse Akpeki says we must encourage the strengths of young people to fill the knowldege gaps on our boards.

There is a distinct lack of diversity on our boards. Contributing to this is the absence of young trustees -  only 0.5 trustees are aged 18-24 and 2 per cent of trustees are under 30 years old.

Filling this gap presents considerable challenges. The first, which I touched upon in my blog last week is the challenge to connect with young people, to finding them in the first place. But equally important is the need to make them feel valued and to create easier pathways for them to become engaged board members who add value to the governance of our organisations.

I told you about two young ladies I met at a fundraiser. A number of you have been asking me whether I have heard from Naomi and Isabelle since the Cancer Research event. I am pleased to say I have heard from both of them. They told me that belief in their abilities and talents makes a difference, and they want to know more about trusteeship and how to become one! I was so touched by their emails and I have quoted what they had to say.

Naomi writes, “We met a few days ago at a fashion show that you attended with your brother, I had an interesting conversation with you. I just want to express my appreciation for your genuine interest in my aspirations and in what I do. It's brilliant that you believe in young people because many do not, we are often belittled and overlooked - so thank you.

"I am open to networking and working with all types of people. Enjoy the show? I sure did - even more so when I met you. Thanks again.”

In a separate email, Isabelle enquires: “You mentioned the work you do? Is it possible to get a little bit more of information about that? I would love to know more about how to get involved.”

Both Naomi and Isabelle are under 24. People of this generation are wired to govern. They operate in a different way, communicate a lot through social media and bring a freshness which can fuel enthusiasm and help boards as they consider redesigning their governance and rewiring the collaborative arrangements.

In order to meet the challenge of diversity and yield the return on investment, the aspirations of young people must be fuelled by the belief in their talents and by tapping into their willingness to contribute. Young trustees are keen and with the right encouragement, nurture and support they will enrich our boards!

With Trustees Week on our doorstep we have a wonderful platform to do something different, get awesome results and provide young people with even more causes to be really enthusiastic about.

For more information about how to involve young people as trustees contact Young Charity Trustees.