Diary of a Youth Trustee

Diary of a Youth Trustee - by Rosie Nicholls

Since December 2025, I have been a Youth Trustee Fellow for Age UK Wandsworth.  This is the first time Age UK Wandsworth has run a programme like this, and I’m reflecting on why I decided to become a Youth Trustee, and what I’ve learned so far.

Volunteering has always been an important part of my life. Through different roles and organisations, I’ve learned so many new skills and met friends for life! Volunteering has also shaped my career: I knew I wanted to work in a job that had a positive impact, in some shape or form, on the world, and I currently work in fundraising and partnerships for the health charity, Diabetes UK.

I was drawn to the Youth Trustee role at Age UK Wandsworth as I was curious about what a trustee board actually does. How does a board ensure a charity grows and supports its beneficiaries, while staying ethical, accountable, and true to its mission? All of these questions are about governance, and I wanted to find out more!

Living in Wandsworth, I also wanted to support an organisation at the heart of my local community, and the fact that Age UK Wandsworth were recruiting for Youth Trustees told me that this was an organisation open to new ideas and learning opportunities. I think being a trustee is generally viewed as being for people well-established in their careers, and it’s hard to know where to even begin to find a role or how to apply - and yet a diversity of voices, opinions, and life experiences is essential for strong governance. My experience so far with Age UK Wandsworth has been fantastic, giving me space to ask questions and learn as I go!

I’ve learned a lot in my time so far, including:

The difference between operations and governance: it’s easy to focus on the day-to-day operations of a charity, but the role of a trustee is to govern, guide, and scrutinise, and ensure these operations are contributing to the charity’s overall mission.

The importance of building relationships: by its nature, a board is a group of people coming together to debate and discuss. It’s been great over the past few months to meet fellow board members and build new relationships - including with my brilliant board mentor, Karrie!

That our clients are at the heart of what we do: I recently visited our Day Centre for a great afternoon, meeting clients and staff (and enjoying a delicious lunch!). I was able to see firsthand the amazing work the team at Age UK Wandsworth does, every day, and this is something I am always drawn back to.

The importance of time management: Being a trustee alongside working full time definitely takes some juggling, so I’ve had to learn what workload I can balance - this is definitely an ongoing process!

Say yes to new opportunities (even if it’s daunting!): I’ve done a lot of things in the past few months that were very new to me, from attending board and sub-committee meetings, to taking part in an external growth strategy day, and I’ve learned so much about finances, HR, marketing, and what a trustee’s legal liabilities and responsibilities are.

And that’s just the first 6 months of being a Youth Trustee! If you have the opportunity to do a role like this, I would absolutely encourage anyone to do so. You don’t need to come in as an expert in every single area of charity governance - the board is like a jigsaw, with everyone’s different experiences and skills contributing to its overall strength. Over the next 6 months, I’m looking forward to continuing to be curious, asking questions, and working more closely with the brilliant Age UK Wandsworth team!