2020 has been a year… no explanation needed.

But among all the difficulty, my role as an Ambassador with the Young Trustees Movement has been a real ray of light.

This coming January I and 9 others will step down as the first cohort of Ambassadors and pass on the YTM baton, and I’ve naturally been reflecting a lot on the experience. I’ve settled on three parting thoughts:

I’ve enjoyed so many aspects of being an Ambassador, it’s given me the opportunity to speak at digital conferences, sit on Q&A panels and meet with charity CEOs.

Those are some really fun highlights, but above all else my favourite part of the role has been having conversations with wonderful young people all over the East of England who are making such a difference on their trustee boards.

Each one has broadened my knowledge and experience, and consistently reminded me why it’s so important that people like us sit on trustee boards and of the need for the Young Trustees Movement to exist to support us.

This also goes for my fellow ambassadors who, despite having never met in person, I’ve loved working with and getting to know.

The statistics don’t lie - current charity boards aren’t diverse.

By virtue of our experiences and skillsets as under 30s, and any other underrepresented or marginalised aspects of our identities, we’re bringing much needed diversity of perspective to trustee boards across England and Wales.

We need to celebrate that, but there’s still so much more to do to educate other young people about trusteeship and equip them with the tools they need to thrive on boards.

We also need to help give charities and boards the knowledge and skills to cultivate a culture that welcomes diversity of thought and perspective to their boards and one that allows young people to meaningfully contribute.

As an Ambassador I’ve loved having those conversations with charities at every stage of their journey of change, but what surprised me most was the reciprocal nature of those meetings. Because of them I’ve grown a lot as a trustee over the past year, leaving each meeting with new insights, ideas and the fire to keep going.

Our movement is gaining momentum, people are listening and importantly starting to take action.

We’re greater than the sum of our parts and there are many, many ways to be part of that change as part of the Young Trustees Movement but being an Ambassador is a pretty fun one! (Promise I’m not biased…)

As an Ambassador you’ll be an integral player in the movement, leading and creating change in your local area, and helping to shape the wider strategy. It’s a great opportunity to work on a project or cause you’re passionate about, while making a huge difference to the world of trusteeship.

So, if you’re considering applying, go for it! You’ve nothing to lose, but so much to gain.

Start your application!