Less than 3% of charity trustees are under the age of 30, and 1 in 12 trustees are named either John or David - it's time to address the imbalance.

If you've ever wondered what it means to be a young trustee and how to become one, then this session is for you.

Trustee boards should represent the people they serve and young trustees play a vital role in holding organisations accountable by voicing the needs and concerns of the next generation of professionals in the arts. Led by young trustees Stella Toonen, Lauren Smethurst and Bhavini Goyate, and Young Trustees Movement Programme Manager Mita Desai, the panel will discuss what it means to be a young trustee, demystify the responsibilities that come with the role and share practical tips for seeking out opportunities and becoming a young trustee.

This one-hour panel discussion will take place over Zoom and make use of 'breakout rooms' where you will have the opportunity to meet other participants and put your burning questions to a member of the panel.

Stella Toonen is a freelance arts producer for museums and is also working as a PhD researcher with Tate. She is a (young) trustee for Culture24, who help museums to use their digital potential and also run a London-wide museum lates festival called Emerge. Previously Stella has worked for the British Museum, V&A, and Imperial War Museum and produced exhibitions for King's College London's gallery spaces in Somerset House. Across her work, Stella is primarily interested in producing programmes that bring people together and build new audiences for the arts. This led to her currently doing doctoral research into co-creation projects between museums and communities, in collaboration with Tate Modern in London, the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, and Queens Museum in New York. Between 2014 and 2018 Stella was one of the Directors of Young People in the Arts.

Bhavini Goyate joined Clore Leadership in March 2020 as the Programmes Coordinator for Learning and Courses. Since 2014, Bhavini has gained extensive experience in arts administration, working in theatre companies and venues such as the Young Vic Theatre, Paines Plough, tiata fahodzi and the Almeida Theatre. She is on the board of the Independent Theatre Council and on the advisory board for Beyond Face. Bhavini has been a member of the UK Samba and carnival arts community for 15 years, drumming Rio samba nationally at events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, Liverpool’s Brasilica Festival and the Night of Festivals arts outreach programme.

Lauren Smethurst is an aspiring arts manager, currently completing an MA in Arts Management, Policy and Practice at the University of Manchester. Since 2017, Lauren has gained experience in arts administration, co-ordination and marketing in a variety of roles, for companies and events such as The Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme, The Bridgewater Hall, Kendall Calling Festival and Paradise Green at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Lauren is now a Director and (Young) Trustee for local community arts organisation Macclesfield Barnaby Festival, a varied role where she has been able to gain insights in strategic decision-making, fundraising and event management. She is particularly interested in advocating young trusteeships as an interesting way for individuals at the onset of their career to develop crucial arts management skills and understand an organisation from all operational aspects. 

Mita Desai has over 10 years’ experience in the Youth Sector and youth voice advocacy . She has worked for a variety of organisations including Envision, The University of Birmingham, The Challenge Network and Fearless Futures. She also holds a BA in Social Policy, has served as Chair of the British Youth Council, sat on the Advisory Board for Step Up To Serve and has mentored youth debating teams. She is currently a manager for the Young Trustees Movement.