Volunteering Opportunity: Trustee with Youth Talk

Are you a legal professional passionate about making a real difference?

Youth Talk are currently looking for a Trustee with legal expertise to help steer our growing charity through its next exciting chapter.

By volunteering with our committed Board, you’ll help shape the future of a service that is truly life-changing for young people across St Albans and District. If you’re ready to put your skills to powerful use, are passionate about giving back and want to be part of something really special and inspiring then please apply.

Opportunity Type: Long-term Commitment

District: St Albans

Location: Indoor

Time of day: To Be Discussed

Practical Considerations: Time Commitment:

• Board meetings are held usually 6 times a year in St
Albans, usually on a weekday
evening. (Time commitment 2 hours per meeting plus
preparation, for each Board
meeting every two months).
•The charity’s AGM also normally takes place on an evening
in the week.
• Additional meetings may be arranged on an ad-hoc basis
to discuss specific current issues.

Board meetings will usually be face to face when possible,
but some other meetings may take
place online. Trustees must be able to attend most
meetings and be able to respond to relevant
email correspondence in a timely manner. In addition to attending the regular meetings, Board members are expected to contribute to
the charity’s work in other ways, for example, acting as ‘
lead Trustee’ for a particular area of
work, or giving more detailed input into a particular project.
Trustees are also expected to act as Champions and
Ambassadors for the charity, attending and contributing to occasional public or private events, for example, supporter/fundraising events, Board away days, and occasions to raise the organisation’s public profile.

Youth Talk is fully committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality and diversity in our workforce and employment practices, in the work we undertake, and in the
provision of all our services. We therefore expect all of Youth Talk staff and Trustees to be willing and able to make a positive contribution to promoting and implementing our Equality and Diversity policy.

Requirements: Relevant qualification or training

Suitable for: 18 – 25 year olds, Aged 26 and over, University students, Older People, People with a visual impairment, People with restricted mobility

Suitable for volunteers interested in: Trusteeship & Governance

Does this opportunity provide wheelchair access?: No

Full Description:
Youth Talk is constituted as a charitable company limited by guarantee. Trustees have the
same responsibilities and liabilities as a Board of Directors of any Limited Company.
Trustees work in partnership with the Chief Executive who is responsible for the operational
management and delivery of the charity’s strategy and plan.

Main responsibilities of Trustees are:

• Setting and maintaining vision, mission and values.

• Ensuring that Youth Talk complies at all times with its
governing document, charity law,
company law and any other relevant legislation or
regulations.
• Ensuring that Youth Talk pursues its objects as defined
in its governing document.
• Ensuring secure financial stability, maintaining proper
financial control and ensuring
that Youth Talk applies its resources exclusively in the
pursuit of its objectives.
• Strategy - providing strategic leadership for the
organisation by taking part in
formulating and regularly reviewing its strategic aims,
setting overall policy, and
evaluating performance.
• Ensuring accountability.
• Supporting the operational management of the
organisation.
• Overseeing and monitoring the implementation of
internal policies, including those
relating to safeguarding, equality and diversity, health
and safety, and grievance and
disciplinary matters.
• Ensuring that risk assessments for all aspects of the
business are carried out.
• Safeguarding the good name and values of Youth Talk.
• Maintaining effective Board performance and ensuring
the effective and efficient
administration of the charity, including funding,
insurance and premises.
• Bringing specific professional skills needed by the
Board, and applying these to the
effective running and development of the charity.
• Promoting Youth Talk and acting in its best interests,
always declaring any other vested
interests or circumstances that could conflict with of the
work and services of the
charity.
• Bringing impartiality and objectivity to decision-making
• Representing the organisation at functions and
meetings, and acting as a spokesperson


Person Specification


Our trustees are expected to have:
• a commitment to the vision, mission and values of
Youth Talk
• willingness to devote the time and effort needed to fulfil
the role
• integrity
• strategic vision
• good, independent judgement
• an ability to think creatively
• an ability to work effectively as part of a team
contributing an independent
perspective
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• an understanding and acceptance of the legal duties,
responsibilities and liabilities
of trusteeship
• an ability to take and support decisions for the good of
Youth Talk.
• Impartiality, fairness and the ability to respect
confidences.