Read the Youth Board Constitution here:
Youth Board Constitution (WORD)
Youth Board Constitution (PDF)
Meet the Members of our Board:
Jon Dean
I currently study the issues surrounding youth volunteering for a phd in sociology at the university of Kent. After undergraduate study at university I went to volunteer fulltime for CSV in Liverpool as a youth volunteering coordinator, running events for charities and local organisations, and BBC Merseyside. This is where I got interested in young volunteers, what makes them tick, and what volunteering can do to change the lives of those who do it. I am an advisor to the youth volunteering charity V, the Institute for volunteering research, and have worked for Sandwell Council, encouraging more volunteers to get involved with local services.
Jon became involved in Cathedral Camps in 2008 when he attended the ReFresh training programme.
Based in Canterbury he is looking into running ReFresh days in the city to enhance the work of the annual Camps held at the Cathedral.
Hannah Foxon
My involvement with CC: I attended a Cathedral Camp as a volunteer in 2008. The following year I became a leader and led camps in Southampton and Brecon. And in 2009 I undertook the REFRESH training. In 2010 I led a camp in Edinburgh.
I think that the youth board can inject some of the energy into Cathedral Camps that has made it so popular over the past 25 years. Sadly, young people are less inclined to volunteer and will see Cathedral Camps as boring or pointless. We need to help to prove our credentials and become an attractive option to more young people
Harriet Jones
I led my first cathedral camp in August 2009 in Truro and have taken part in the REFRESH training.
I believe that the actions and impact of the youth board will increase the popularity of cathedral camps, and make them more attractive for young people to volunteer. The board, through their own experiences and suggestions from others, can hopefully increase the number of volunteers, especially from the UK. As we are young people ourselves, we can work together to achieve this aim by using our own experiences of camps and refresh days, and recommending how to bring more volunteers in by what we would like ourselves.
I hope that through the youth board we can attract more volunteers, and for more people to have fun in more camps in the years to come.
Becky Taplin (Chair)
I first heard about Refresh when I was a full-time volunteer with CSV and saw it as an opportunity to continue to be involved after my placement had finished. I have run one-day projects at Bradford Cathedral and Manchester Cathedral.
I took on the role of Chair when the Board was first coming together and believe that there can be a very positive impact on the direction of Cathedral Camps and Refresh through the input of the board members. The volunteers on the ground have valuable experience that can be used to help us continually improve the delivery of the Cathedral Camps experience.
I think Refresh has a huge potential to grow, in terms of the number of projects being delivered. The training can help new leaders step forward and begin to create new projects within their communities. The next steps are to look at how these opportunities link in with the bigger picture, whether that be in terms of employability or this idea of ‘the big society’, I think we need to show people that getting involved is beneficial for them.
Julia Thompson
Firstly, my background: I am a CC leader and have been involved since 2004 – I’ve just done my 12th camp! Also, I come across CC via work, as am a Verger at Canterbury. So far Refresh involvement has only been via training, but Jon and I are in the process of trying to set up a Canterbury Refresh day (hopefully developing into a series!).
The Board's role: We are here to listen to suggestions from leaders and volunteers and produce proposals to present to the trustees. Encourage other leaders (as an active role model!) to play a more active role throughout the year in publicising CC/Refresh e.g. talks at schools etc. We are also available to provide support new/current leaders.
The Future: The continued success and development of CC/Refresh! I hope to see Refresh develop a mixture of one-offs and series of events (e.g. venues/groups having an annual Refresh day). Also, Refresh is an option for venues with insufficient work/resources for week-long projects, in the hope of bringing them in/back to CC in the future.
Olly Wright
I led my first Cathedral Campin 2010 having already been a camper on two previous camps. I attended the first set of Refresh training weekends and have led one or two Refresh days in London.
In the future I see the board acting to create a network for leaders of Refresh projects and to some extent Cathedral Camps. This network should allow leaders to communicate with one another about new one-day projects. Refresh has the potential to expand into longer one-day projects, two or three day projects and projects that span over weeks and months. The board should discuss these possibilities.
At the moment, you receive a certificate to say that you have taken part in a CC but I think more British youths would be interested if there were different awards (such as a V certificate) that they could take away with them. If this was the case then we could advertise to schools as an aid into getting into college or university. University students are always up for doing something and many universities have active volunteering newsletters/societies, which could sell the opportunity to their readers/members.