Eve Willis was our guest speaker at our last Young Trustees Community Cafe and this blog follows on from the Q&A started at the event!

The Young Trustees Community Cafe is a space for young people interested in governance to make meaningful networks and learn from one another.

To sign up for our next Community Cafe on Thursday 15th May at 12pm, RSVP here.

My name is Eve Willis, I am 20 years old and I am from Sheffield! I am currently living in Nottingham because I am in my 2nd year of studies at The University of Nottingham.

I have been a trustee since I was 18 years old for Sheffield Futures which is a youth charity who focus on mental health, wellbeing, education and employability of young people.

In 2021 after seeing an advertisement at school, I successfully applied to join Sheffield Futures as a ‘Young Advisor’. Being a Young Advisor is a unique role. I am part of a team of young people aged 16-25 who all share the passion for social justice - we are advocates for the youth voice within our charity and beyond. We input into decision making within the organisation and we also work with external entities to influence the creation of services and spaces for young people.

I am still a Young Advisor for Sheffield Futures, alongside being a trustee. In September 2022 I joined the board of Trustees for the charity. At the time there was one other young person on the board and they acted as my mentee to ensure joining the board was as smooth as possible!

Different people with a collective goal

I really enjoy having the opportunity to interact with a variety of different people, who all come together because we share the same motivations to help the charity we govern. All of the board members, other than myself and Tilly, are working professionals and they are individuals that I wouldn’t otherwise tend to meet on a personal level. It is great to hear about how different professionals can use their insight and experiences to make informed decisions. Our board is a very friendly and collaborative environment so I look forward to seeing the familiar faces and having open and honest conversations about the charity.

A unique opportunity

Being a trustee is an opportunity that isn’t really replicated in any other setting. I am able to gain insight into the organisation that is difficult to grasp from an outside perspective. I am continuously learning about business strategies, leadership roles, employment complexities and how this all interplays to the needs for social change.

I love hearing about and reflecting on the charity’s ideas and direction before they are implemented – I am able to give more informed opinions on what I believe is best because of the overview we are able to get - I can weigh up all factors and consider different perspectives.

As I mentioned, I’m currently a university student. I am studying Law and I thoroughly enjoy both the academic and social aspects of university life. I’m involved in a range of activities that range from Mooting, where we compete in mock-court debate competitions, to playing Korfball, a Dutch mixed-gender sport similar to netball and basketball.

When I'm back in Sheffield outside of term-time, I love reconnecting with school friends and walking my dog in the Peak District!

My long term goal is to be a Barrister and while I am not yet entirely set on the specific area/s I want to practise in, my particular legal interests lie in the areas of law that have the most human connection - Public law, Human rights law, Immigration & Asylum law, Employment law.

The career of a Barrister fundamentally is being a professional advocate and my role being a trustee, specifically a young trustee, is about advocating for young people’s views in our organisation. Trustees have legal responsibilities for management and administration of the charity and we must ensure the organisation is run in an appropriate way according to charity goals. As my legal understanding grows, academically, this applies directly to the role of being a trustee.

Before board meetings we read lots of documents - strategic plans, financial summaries and proposals. These inform us about the organisation and summarise what the board will discuss in the upcoming meeting.

The formal documents can be intimidating initially, especially given a lot of young people will not have seen ‘business’ papers in this way before. Quarterly reports especially can have a lot of information…

You develop a great skill in skim reading and digesting information in order to add to the board discussions in the best way you can.

Other members of the board are always willing and open to explain parts of the papers that you are unsure about or to clarify the meaning of technical jargon. Most importantly, you learn as you go - no one is expecting you to start the role and understand every minute detail. It is important you ask if you are unsure because this is the responsibility you take on, you cannot make informed decisions if you are unsure.

Every organisation has an effect on everyone in a community, whether it is obvious or not. Sheffield Futures, the charity I am a trustee for, is a Youth Charity, and so it is essential that the youth voice is embedded within the charity.

Ultimately it is only young people now that truly know what it is like to be a young person now, so there is no better person to help make decisions. We must give credit to older adults for their life experience and expertise that we can learn from, but in the same way, young people must also be given credit for their lived experiences and expertise about being a young person.

All organisations need to think about how they impact in the future, economically, politically, socially and environmentally. It is always easier to think about the here and now rather than a few years ahead but it is essential to have Young Trustees because they can help spark discussions about things that are going to affect them as adults and the next generation of young people.