New research suggests that few young people know about charity trusteeship, and that charities are not doing enough to think creatively about how to attract them to the role.

As a result the vast majority of charities are missing out on the energy, enthusiasm and fresh perspective that young people can bring to charity trustee boards.

It also means that many young people do not have the chance to experience a role that, as one young trustee interviewed pointed out, can lead to a sense of achievement, new friendships and enhanced job applications.

The findings are published today by the Charity Commission in a new report on young people’s attitudes towards and experiences of trusteeship - A Breath of Fresh Air: young people as charity trustees.

The research provides insight into the experiences of young trustees, as well as young volunteers’ attitudes to and awareness of trusteeship.

Young people are hugely under-represented on charity boards in England and Wales. Although 18-24 year olds represent 12% of the total adult population, this age group makes up just a fraction (0.5%) of the trustee population across the two countries.

Out of a total of over 810,000 trustees in England and Wales, only 4,220 are aged under 24.

The report examines the barriers that stand in the way of young people becoming trustees and explores potential solutions to this problem.

Dame Suzi Leather, chair of the Charity Commission, said: “It’s a real shame that young people are currently so under-represented on trustee boards but the findings of our research show that this needn’t be the case.

"Hundreds of thousands of young people give up their time to volunteer, so we know that they are willing and able to get involved but many are unaware of the benefits of trusteeship, both to charities and themselves. We would like to see charities doing more to ensure that their trustee board includes a mix of people of different ages.

"This is advantageous because it means an injection of youth and new ideas and is of great benefit to the young trustees, who develop valuable skills which will be of use in other areas of their lives, not least in what is currently a very difficult job market.”

Terry Ryall, chief executive of v, added: “Volunteering and social action allow young people to really get involved and make a difference in their community; but trusteeship is even more than this, providing a first taste of being responsible for managing an organisation and all of the challenges and opportunities that come with that.

"I’ve found the energy, enthusiasm and insights of young volunteers on v’s Board absolutely invaluable and I’d love to see more charities recruiting young trustees.”

Some key findings of the research:

· The young trustees interviewed for the research were enthusiastic and clear about the benefits they brought to their charity’s board – new energy and ideas and an understanding of new technologies – as well as the benefits that they personally gained from the role – the opportunity to gain experience and develop skills that they would not usually acquire until much further on in their careers.

· In contrast, many of the young volunteers interviewed did not feel that someone of their age would have the relevant experience to be an effective trustee. However, young people who already volunteer are natural candidates for trusteeship, having already demonstrated a commitment to their charity and its cause and the majority of the young trustees interviewed had become trustees as a result of volunteering with the charity.

· It is important for young people to be told what they can bring to the trustee role and why their contribution is valued by charities if they are to be encouraged to apply for trustee positions.

· Young people feel that charities could promote the trustee role more effectively to their age group if they engaged young people to work on promotion materials and explored using social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

The findings of the research have been used to develop the Commission’s new checklist, a practical tool included in the report to help charities identify the questions and issues to consider when thinking about recruiting young people to their board, the best way in which to do this and how they can support young trustees once they are appointed.

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