Two trustees take the reins this month and talk about their Journey with St Christopher’s

Earlier in November we had Trustees’ week – a chance to celebrate and thank those individuals that add enormous value to charities by giving their time and expertise. Each in turn helping to guide decisions and navigate challenges and opportunities within the sector on behalf of the charity they work with.

For this month’s CEO’s blog were are therefore delighted to have a take-over by two such parties: Nigel from our Isle of Man Council – who has been a Trustee with St Christopher’s for a little over a year and Monique, who similarly has been with us 18 months and works with our UK arm. Both explain why they were drawn to the role and what inspires them to work for our cause…

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Monique’s motivations:

I have been a Trustee of St Christopher’s Fellowship for one and a half years now and feel incredibly privileged to be a Trustee and make such a valuable contribution.

I have always wanted to be a Trustee, but it was very important to me that it was for the right organisation. I wanted to ensure I was giving my time to a charity that was ambitious, put people at the heart of what it does and ultimately has a significant impact on those it wishes to support. It was also very important that I could add value in my role as a Trustee. When I saw the role advertised at St Christopher’s Fellowship it felt like a perfect fit. I was working at Barnardo’s at the time and have worked at several children’s charities throughout my career. I am passionate about helping Children and Young People, in particular those who have had a more challenging start to life.

In addition, St Christopher’s were specifically asking for more fundraising expertise on the board and with over 17 years under my belt I felt I could make a significant difference as a Trustee. Advertising specifically for a Trustee with fundraising experience was indicative to me of an organisation that understands well the wider context and pressures that the charity sector faces, valuing fundraising and seeing the need to be forward-thinking, diversifying and broadening their reach.

As Trustees we all bring different areas of expertise to the board, whether it is marketing communications, children’s services, finance or fundraising. I personally learn a lot from my fellow Trustees whether it is growing my understanding of key areas or just from considering a way to view situations differently from your own. Board meetings are always met with mutual respect of everyone’s knowledge and we all come together with the common purpose of putting the interests of St Christopher’s Fellowship and the young people we support at the heart of our work.

In my short time on the board I can already see the impact working closely with Trustees is having on the direction of the charity. In addition to our board meetings I have been part of 2 strategic away days, which have involved Trustees and staff from across the organisation, maximising the expertise available to lead and safeguard the charity to achieve long term growth. I have also worked closely with the Head of Fundraising to review the 5 year fundraising budgets and strategy. In the time I have been on the board I have seen the organisation become more focussed and streamlined and make brave decisions to ensure we ensure the right outcomes for children and young people. I am very proud to be part of this.

Looking forward to the future I am excited about what we can achieve. As St Christopher’s Fellowship starts to grow their fundraising this will open up more networks and relationships alongside funding vital services for children and young people. I am committed to helping St Christopher’s grow in its fundraising alongside ensuring we can maximise our full potential as an organisation so that all children and young people can achieve theirs.

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Nigel remains inspired and involved in the Isle of Man

I had one simple reason in wanting to become a Trustee at St Christopher’s – to give something back. I had the fortune to have had a loving, supportive family that encouraged me in my personal and professional journey. So, when the chance arose to join the Isle of Man council and team, to support children and young people feel safe and cared for and help provide them with the opportunity to flourish, I jumped at it.

St. Christopher’s has the goal to support children and young people to fulfil their potential, develop into independent adults and ultimately have happy and successful lives. I have visited several of our children’s homes, and I was impressed by the way the team members focused on building trusting relationships with the children, with a foundation of mutual respect and understanding. The children each have their own room – which they could decorate as they liked, ate each evening together and planned exciting and memory making trips to look forward to. In each case each home felt like a very genuine and caring environment.

Amongst the key services provided on the island, there are two which I believe are of critical importance for the optimal outcomes for young people locally. These are the work we do with young people and their families on the Edge of Care and our services for those who have already or are on the cusp of leaving care.

The first was initially a pilot which has now taken full flight. It is part of our therapeutic support services – where the multi-skilled wraparound team works with the young person and their caregivers to ensure the emotional and welfare needs are met of all parties. This has the most impact, in my view, when this results in a child staying in their family home where possible and appropriate – and often as a result of repairing relationships that were previously thought broken. We are delighted that this newer service has also been shortlisted for an award for the achievements and differences made to family on the island to date. As a result, St Christopher’s remain extremely proud and hopeful of the service created in partnership with Manx Care.

But what of young people who are about to become care leavers and need support during and post this transition in order to thrive? We know that a large proportion of young people in the UK are still living at home at 20 years old+, but this is a luxury that a care leaver is not afforded. Care leavers have a steep learning curve, having to find accommodation, cook, manage finances and find employment, all on their own. Some are ready for this challenging transition, others less so, that is why at St Christopher’s we already have a number of self-managed properties which are occupied by care leavers, and together with our Aftercare drop-in service – which provides advice and support on any topic (i.e. for gaining employment) when needed most.

The above services are, together with the ongoing running of the residential homes, are fundamental to supporting the futures of young people’s on the Isle of Man and I’m looking forward to working with my fellow Trustees to further the services we offer locally.

My last thought is for the amazing team of people that makes St Christopher’s what it is today and without whom we wouldn’t be as effective as we are. I recall attending last year’s Christmas celebration, where the team and children had an amazing time. I was incredibly impressed by the levels of energy, dedication and passion for the young people that I witnessed.

In my first 12 months as a Trustee, I have become very proud of the work St Christopher’s accomplishes on the island and I hope to contribute to building on that success over the coming years.

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At St Christopher’s we feel extremely grateful to have such loyal and talented Trustees who’s expertise and knowledge add enormous value to the strategic direction and ambitions of our charity. To find out more about our team take a look here, and if you are interested in finding out more about joining the team please get in contact by emailing trustee@stchris.org.uk – we are particularly keen to hear from young adults who may wish to explore a volunteer role of this nature and would love to hear from you!