Ha, that’s very kind of you to say so. I took extra care!

To ensure that young people - and, if you think about it, all trustees - have the conditions they need to really say what they think and feel.

And even then, that there might be better ways to get those voices heard and their desires realised.

And (**this is where the second asterisks come in, because I obviously don't 100% think we need to stop putting young people on boards) if we're serious about doing it well then we need to radically rethink the way boards, and board meetings (and maybe charity governance overall) works.

I talked about how a young trustee without the conditions to express themselves is, at best, a box ticking exercise, a token. And how if we pretend that they were active in decision-making it just becomes misrepresentation.

And maybe even exploitation.

I talked about how without those, young people on boards get shut down/sidelined, and end up either withdrawing or affirming everything the adults say.

(this looks like young people's theatre in which young people pretend to be adults, rather than expressing themselves for who they are now.)

I talked about the essential conditions for human self-determination - the things we really need to feel confident to express ourselves and speak up, and how hard it is to find them in traditional board meetings (especially if you're young).

I was asked to be a bit provocative, so I talked about why we need to stop putting young people on boards.

* Here's where the asterisks come in. By young people I mean teenagers, especially those under 18, not 20-30 year olds, though some of the thinking might be relevant to them too.

Exactly! It’s a first act of collaborative creation that happens before we even meet - with everyone given space to contribute an equal amount (a song)

Here’s a playlist of all the songs that people have nominated in nearly all the courses I’ve run for the last two years.

Feel free to listen, share and spread the happiness.

open.spotify.com/playlist/2Fg...

@mrjamesob.bsky.social @privateeyenews.bsky.social they have now

She agrees with you