GUEST BLOG
Being a Young Futures Fund Board Member
Louis, Vice Chair of the Young Futures Fund Board
The Young Futures Fund is a group of organisations and people dedicated to helping young people in Buckinghamshire reach their aspirations by funding projects, and is managed by Heart of Bucks. It puts young people right at the centre: Young people and young adults aged from 16 to 30, from different walks of life, make up the Young Futures Fund Board.
As Young Future Fund board members, we help shape the social projects that will improve and support young people’s lives across the county. We do this by reviewing project applications and making decisions on which projects get funding.
My name is Louis and I am one of the Young Futures Fund board members. You can read more about me on the Young Futures Fund website. In this case study, I share more about the Young Futures Fund and my experience with it. If you would like to learn a little more about our board members please visit our webpage.
Our criteria
At the start of the project, we discussed, brainstormed and selected key topics which focused on supporting and empowering young people to help them navigate life and transitional periods. The topics we chose are:
- Improved economic well-being, in particular budgeting and debt management skills.
- New community facilities and spaces for children and/or young people.
- Encouraging and improving education for children and young people, including Early Years
- Improved mental health and well-being – especially around:
- Tackling discrimination and bullying
- Tackling digital safety and/or inclusion
- Vaping awareness
- Self-care and resilience.
- Improved nutrition.
Summary of 2024
Over the course of 2024 we have chosen to direct funding to a total of 17 projects spanning the full range of our criteria above, totalling a sum of £89,378. In addition to the funding for organisations there are also individual grants available for young people to support academic study, commercial business pursuits and career opportunities. Click here to see the bursaries available thanks to the Young Futures Fund partners and Heart of Bucks.
Preparation for Panel Life
As a board we have had practise debate sessions to exchange views on different sample topics, a couple examples from the session include:
- Should the traditional school hours change to shorter days?
- Do you think that we should limit the amount of animal products that can be purchased by an individual/family to reduce contribution to climate change?
The practice sessions fostered a really good dialogue where we started by first stating our position either for or against and why, then after we had to try and think of a counter point to raise – it was a great exercise to foster an open mind and ensure we are thorough in our decisions. We have also had coaching on grant assessments and decision making, and prior to the young futures fund opening we were given the opportunity to sit on a panel and review applications submitted to the Buckinghamshire council.
As a board we have had a session on the IVAR principles for participatory grant making which outlines 8 commitments we all have promised to adhere to. The key takeaways to summarise these are to be efficient with the time we have, communicate clearly and with purpose (both in our meetings and through our criteria) and to accept the limits of reassurance when it comes to project risks.
Panel experiences
At the beginning of our last panel meeting, we welcomed High Wycombe Mayor Nathan Thomas for a Q&A session. It was inspiring to meet a young leader close in age to our board members and learn about his mayoral role and the obstacles he has faced.
After the Q&A, some guest speakers from Bucks public health talk about cigarettes and vaping, this was an interesting session as we learned about the number of chemicals in a cigarette compared to a vape, whilst it is lower than a cigarette there are still harmful substances and due to the relatively short time that vaping has been around the full extent of health impacts are still being researched. What was surprising was the eye watering amount of funds that is spent in Buckinghamshire to tackle smoking related health issues. As a board we are keen to tackle smoking and vaping which is actually part of our funding criteria to raise awareness about the associated risks.
This talk was followed by Heart of Bucks’ Insight manager Richard Sherry briefing us on his latest Buckinghamshire: Uncovered report which at the time was on loneliness and isolation. We were invited to share and comment on the topic, some of the points raised were about how you can be surrounded by people in person or virtually through social media yet the conversation can only be surface level and lack meaningful connection. Another point was on the topic of awareness and how important knowing where to find out about events and the use of leveraging social media.
If you’d like to learn more about the challenges our community faces and what is proposed to tackle them please click here to see the Buckinghamshire: Uncovered reports.
Waddesdon manor trip
As a board we were very lucky to be treated to a day out at one of our partner’s sites in 2024 to learn about the history and heritage of Waddesdon manor. I think what struck us all on arrival was the grandeur of the entrance to the grounds of the French Renaissance-style chateaux, stepping into the manor we quickly learned about Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild’s fascination with sèvres porcelain, art and furniture. After viewing the manor’s collection, we next visited the aviary to see the different birds and learn about the conservational work underway to help improve the numbers of endangered species. I’ve included our group photo by the Aviary. In the photo, Left to Right, Madhulika, Sharleene, Grace (Our Heart of Bucks programme leader), Richard (a supporter of YFF), Tom, Louis, Lauren & Pippa.
The day was wrapped up by a presentation on how the Rothschild foundation structures their grant making process and also about the diverse internship pathways available for young people aged 18 and over at Waddesdon Manor. Some of the pathways include:
- Trainee chef management
- World of wines
- Property management
- Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation
To see the full list of internship pathways offered please visit the Rothschild Foundation Pathways programme page, I would strongly urge anyone who is seeking to earn and learn to take a look as this really does offer a broad experience. If you are under the age of 18 or simply not looking for an internship programme but still enthusiastic to get involved there are also similar opportunities for volunteering roles that can connect you with the local community, build new and transferable skills all in a stunning location, click here to learn more!
I have also included a photo of our board learning about the Rothschild Foundation post tour of the Manor.
Winter social
We have also had a winter social early on at the start of 2025, here we all let our competitive side out in a couple quizzes on Gen Z slang to test our knowledge and also a “jenga” style card game which was a good laugh and great team building activity, we also welcomed our new board member Sasha into the fold!
In our photo…
- Upper row left to right: Louis, Hasan, Lauren, Tiyana, Anya, Sharleene
- Lower row left to right: Tom, Krissie from Buckinghamshire council and Sasha
Bucks Youth Summit 2025
Being part of the Young futures fund has given further opportunities to get involved in the volunteering days through Youth Voice Bucks, our board had a presence in the recent 2025 Bucks Youth Summit which was a great opportunity to gain insight from secondary school students in the following conversational spaces such as The Police space and Life after school space. We also had a stall which gave opportunity for both young people and supporting organisations to engage with our board and give feedback.
If you are looking for how to get involved in the Buckinghamshire youth community there are numerous projects and events, look no further than Youth Voice Bucks.
Challenges
Given that our criteria spans a wide range of social themes when receiving applications it can be tricky to decide where we place our support for funding. Our meetings tend to focus on these “on the fence” projects and whether this project suits the needs of the ward it is based in. I think what has been invaluable to aid our decision making in this challenge is the support from our programme leader Grace to advise on how to streamline our meeting structure which hones in on these sticking points quickly to maximise the use of our time.
Conclusion
I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Young Futures Fund, playing a part in the decision making of social projects and learning from my peers on the board has been a fantastic experience. As a board we have learned from each panel experience about how to structure our meetings to make the best use of time and reflected on our criteria to ensure we can react to new social issues. I really enjoyed the awareness I gained of all these different charity organisations and learning about other projects working to improve the quality of life for young people. I look forward to reading about the new projects for young people in 2025’s panels.
If you are passionate about the community and place that you live I would encourage you to volunteer for a cause. Not only will you learn about the cause, but you will learn more about yourself, the community and build skills. I think participatory funding is a real game changer and if we as a society wish to ensure that our communities are thriving we need to give opportunities to young people to get involved and build decision making skills to be leaders of the future.
Skills development
- Critical thinking
- Public speaking
- Research and evidence based decision making
- Active listening
Qualities cultivated
- Self-confidence & poise under pressure
- Intellectual curiosity & love for learning
- Open-mindedness & empathy for different viewpoints
- Emotional maturity & composure in challenging situations
