Organisation bolsters youth skills experience at Board level as it heads into its fourth year
Seyi Obakin OBE has been announced as the new Chair of the Board at the Youth Futures Foundation.
Seyi comes into the role with substantial private sector and charity experience, having been CEO of Centrepoint for the last twelve years. He is passionate about ensuring young people have the support they need to engage with education, training, and get into and stay in employment. He was awarded an OBE for services to youth skills, employment, and homelessness in 2016, and has been recognised in the annual Power List as one of the 100 most influential Black people in Great Britain.
“I am delighted to be joining the Youth Futures Foundation as Chair of the Board. I have been watching the impact this organisation has made since its start in 2019, and I am excited to bring my knowledge and experience of enabling young people to have a better future professionally and privately to the role.
Young people are yet to recover from being disproportionately affected by the pandemic and now they have to deal with a cost-of-living crisis of a magnitude most of us have never experienced. Yet, they are also facing difficult employment opportunities, particularly those from ethnic and marginalised backgrounds. As the country tackles the issues we are currently facing, we must ensure that young people, especially the most vulnerable, are not left behind.
The Youth Futures Foundation has a unique opportunity to change the life stories of a multitude of young people who are marginalised, and for whom not much is likely to change without the support that the Foundation and its partners can provide. Delivering real and tangible change for young people will require us to think strategically about what kind of support, structures and engagement deliver long-term positive outcomes.” Seyi Obakin, Chair of Youth Futures Foundation.
“We are really excited to welcome Seyi to the Youth Futures Foundation and are looking forward to seeing the positive impact his vast knowledge and experience will have on our organisation and mission.
The challenges young people are facing currently are immense, but Seyi’s passion and insight, together with our incredible board and staff team, will ensure we are able to deliver on our mission and make a meaningful difference to the lives of young people.
As a young board member, I am eager to work alongside Seyi and the whole board to continue to amplify youth voice within the organisation and ensure that it is at the heart of all our work, as we strive to improve the long-term outcomes for young people.” Jess Evans, Non-Executive Director, Youth Futures Foundation.
Patricia Chale, interim CEO of Youth Futures Foundation said: “Seyi’s appointment as Chair of the Board is welcome and wonderful news for our organisation, our stakeholders and the young people we serve. We have achieved a huge amount since our inception in 2019, and it’s been exciting and energising to bring people together behind our mission from across the youth employment ecosystem.
Looking forward, we’re determined to keep on identifying what works, investing in innovation and great practice, and igniting a movement to drive long-term systemic change. We are relentless in our pursuit of a better future for all young people.”
Youth Future Foundation have made significant achievements since being established in 2019. By the end of 2022, the multi-year programmes, worth 72% (£79m) of the £110m funding, will be running and continue until 2027.
