Two fantastic young trustees have been appointed to join our board. Their recruitment is part of our commitment to ensure the insights and lived experiences of young people inform decision-making at the highest level of our organisation.
We are delighted that one of young trustees is a former Nottingham student from our programme. Sally Cartwright went to Ellis Guilford School where she worked with coach Daljit. Sally joined ThinkForward in 2016 and instantly embraced the benefits of the coaching relationship and the opportunities the programme provided.
Sally is now 18 and a care assistant in a residential home. In the summer she was one of our Coronavirus Community Heroes, in recognition of her incredible resilience and frontline work during the pandemic. Her ambition is to work in the NHS.
Sally said: ‘By being a young trustee on the ThinkForward board I aspire to bring more opportunity and equality to all young people. ThinkForward helped me by developing my self-assurance, resilience and drive. My mission is to help ThinkForward grow and be accessible to more young people. I feel one of this generations’ biggest challenges is overcoming mental health issues so young people can become who they dream to be.’
Our second young trustee is Dan Easterbrook. Dan is from Dorset and works for the Civil Service. He was inspired to join the board due to his own experiences as a person with Cerebral Palsy Hemiplegia. Dan set up a digital community for people with Cerebral Palsy Hemiplegia, where nearly 400 people can support each other to tackle and share solutions to the barriers, challenges, and problems they face. Dan is also an ambassador for the Young Trustees Movement.
Dan, who is 22, said: ‘I would not be where I am today without coaching and mentorship, which enabled me to overcome the obstacles and labels I have been subject to as a disabled person. I cannot wait to use my experience having overcome those barriers to support, amplify and champion incredible young people as a trustee for ThinkForward.’
Our chair Charlie Green welcomed the two new trustees to the board: ‘Sally and Dan are both incredibly impressive individuals and I am delighted they are joining ThinkForward’s board. Their appointments form part of ThinkForward’s pledge to support young people to develop their voice and influence. As we start to implement a new five-year strategy, they will play a significant role in our governance and they are uniquely placed to support the board to better understand the challenges young people face today.’