Smallwood Trust to launch 2022/23 Board Shadowing programme
Following the success of our inaugural Board Shadowing programme, Smallwood are delighted to be accepting applications for the 2022/23 programme.
The programme aims to open doors for women working at the grassroots community level and help to demystify the roles of trustees and boards, especially within grant-making and funding organisations.
The Board Shadowing programme is part of our commitment to explore new ways to help bring diversity, equity and inclusion into all of the Smallwood Trust’s work and, by involving women with lived experience in our Board’s discussions and decision-making, to better achieve our goal of ending gendered poverty.
As a national funder, we aim to open up space on our Board to give valuable insights for women with lived experience, into what being a Board member/trustee entails and to help give participants new skills, exposure and know-how in a safe environment.
The 2022/23 programme will run from October 2022 to September 2023 and we are looking to select 3-4 individuals with lived experience of gendered poverty who have an interest in the work of the Smallwood Trust, and who would like to use the opportunity to further their own personal and/or professional development.
Dr Ambreen Shah, Board member of the Trust, said: “Smallwood awards grants to support women who are living in poverty, suffer mental ill health, are in abusive relationships, are digitally excluded or all of the above (and this list is far from exhaustive).
“I think if you have personally been affected by these issues you will bring a perspective to decision making that others, who have not, just cannot; but I am also aware that the opportunity, confidence and headspace to be a trustee can be really limited.
“The first year of the programme has demonstrated that by opening doors and exposing what goes on round the Board table and making these seemingly ‘not for me’ spaces more accessible, we can change the lack of current diversity in the governance space”
The programme will be open for applications from w/c 29th August 2022 and the deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 18th September 2022.
Further information on how to apply will be provided on our website once the programme has launched.
