Introduction and background

Youth Cymru is a leading national youth work charity with over 80 years’ experience of supporting young people and youth work across Wales.  Focusing primarily on young people aged 11-25, we work collaboratively with our 223 affiliated members and other youth facing organisations to deliver unique, innovative and developmental opportunities, projects and programmes - aiming to better the lives of young people.  As a membership organisation we support and collaborate with professionals, young people and organisations that are based in every local authority area in Wales, in both voluntary and statutory settings. We work in rural and urban areas, primarily in communities where young people face high levels of deprivation, providing vital resources, opportunities and services, supporting the youth sector and enabling young people to develop and grow.

We provide projects and programme through our partnerships with other organisations whilst also working directly with young people. Non-exclusive examples of our current  work programme include; Reach Out, a project aimed at tackling youth loneliness; Creative Minds a project aimed at using creative arts to reduce the stigma of negative mental health in young people and our TransForm Cymru project, working to support trans and non-binary young people. For further information about our work, please visit our website located at www.youthcymru.org.uk

In addition to our work on a national Wales wide basis, we also work closely with other UK and European youth organisations. For example we have a unique relationship in our  5 Nations Partnership, which includes UK Youth, Youth Scotland, Youth Action Northern Ireland and Youth Work Ireland; enabling us to support youth work in Wales providing extended national and European opportunities for young people, youth facing professionals and organisations.

Our work is shaped around national guidance in relation to youth work in Wales. We are guided and directed by the Youth Work Principles and Purposes for Wales, and moving forward, we will be focusing our development and future work aligned with the new Youth Work Strategy for Wales 2019.

Trustee Vacancies

We are seeking interest and applications from people who share our passion for supporting young people and are motivated to provide strategic guidance to an organisation whose ambition and objective is to enable young people in Wales to thrive, develop and reach their potential; enabling them  to contribute positively to their communities and country.

As a leading national youth work charity in Wales we require the highest standards of governance and direction and we are seeking persons to join our board as Trustees, to ensure we comply with our legal obligations and relevant legislation, to safeguard our financial stability, and to make sure we make proper use of our resources. In addition, and equally as important we require Trustees to actively provide strategic vision and direction for our organisation, setting overall policy and defining goals, helping us achieve our objectives and aims for young people and youth work in Wales.

We are looking to refresh, grow our board and diversify our skill set. In this respect we have more than one vacancy and are looking for individuals who are innovative, positive and creative and feel they have something positive to contribute to Youth Cymru’s  future direction, development and growth. We are particularly interested to hear from people with  backgrounds and experience in finance, marketing, fundraising, IT, digital strategic development, project management and youth work; however, equally we would also welcome applicants with other levels and areas of expertise, including those who do not have formal qualifications or work experience. Training and support for the right candidates will be provided.

We aim to reflect the communities we work in. We particularly encourage applications from women, disabled, LGBT+ and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates who are currently underrepresented on Youth Cymru’s board

Time commitment

The Board of Trustees meets on a quarterly basis (for approximately 3 hours) and also holds an Annual General Meeting.  Face to face meetings usually take place at Youth Cymru's offices in Upper Boat, Pontypridd. However, as a national charity covering the whole of Wales, applicants from other parts of the country will be welcomed and it is possible to attend a proportion of meetings digitally, via video conference, if attendance in person is prohibited.  Reasonable out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed.

We also have a Finance and Resources subcommittee that meets quarterly to discuss and have oversight of the finances and resources of the organisation, reporting to the Board at the quarterly meetings.

We also have a number of Young Trustee who sit on our board and are members of our Llais Ifanc young leaders group.

Please apply below, or if you prefer a paper version, please contact recruitment@youthcymru.org.uk or call 01443 827840

More information

To arrange an informal chat to find out more and to receive more  details about the role and how to apply contact Mel at  ceo@youthcymru.org.uk  or call  01443 827840.