Youth Futures Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of two new members to our board, Dame Julia Cleverdon and Laura-Jane Rawlings, who join our Chair Joe Montgomery as non-executive directors of YFF. They bring with them diverse networks and unrivalled insights from their extensive experience working in the youth sector. We are delighted to have them involved in the development of our strategic planning and know that their involvement will help us to achieve our mission of supporting young people furthest from the labour market into meaningful employment.
Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO CBE is a lifetime campaigner who has worked tirelessly to promote opportunities for disadvantaged young people. As Co-founder of the #iwill campaign, Vice Patron of Teach First and Vice President of Business in the Community, she encourages collaboration among senior leaders from business, government, education and the most disadvantaged communities to build a more robust and sustainable civil society.
Commenting on her appointment she said:
“I am honoured to be a Trustee of this exciting endeavour with such a laser focus on helping those young people with the cards most stacked against them into meaningful jobs with potential. I have learnt much from the #iwill fund about youth leadership, matched funding, rigorous learning and impact, and from a lifetime working with employers about connecting the unconnected and sharing innovative practice.
As Deputy Chair of the Fair Education Alliance and Trustee of the Careers and Enterprise Company I know how many partners are working tirelessly to tilt the balance of educational equity and so hope the Youth Futures Fund can transform the opportunity pipeline for those with most to gain.”
Laura-Jane Rawlings is the CEO of Youth Employment UK, the leading voice and expert on youth employment issues in the UK. Laura-Jane is recognised as a leading youth employment expert, providing insight and expertise to many groups such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Employment and Education, Education and Skills Sub Committee, and sits on two ESF National Sub-Committees; Employment, Skills and Social Inclusion and Equality and Diversity. She said:
“I am delighted to be joining the Youth Futures Foundation Board. The organisation has an opportunity to really shift the dial for young people and there could not be a more urgent need for this. I am looking forward to shaping its approach to putting young people at its heart and supporting the incredible organisations doing great work in this area.”
Commenting on their appointments, Joe Montgomery, Chair of YFF, said:
“I’m delighted that two such experienced and respected members of the youth sector have agreed to join me in shaping and guiding the creation of Youth Futures Foundation. I am confident that both Dame Julia and LJ will use their extensive experience and broad networks to help YFF establish itself as a respected and valuable player in the Youth Employment sector and I know they share my burning passion to remove barriers preventing all young people being able to access meaningful employment.”
We welcome them to the team and look forward to working with them over the coming years to create more opportunities for young people.
