Vacancies

Trustees:

Inter-Cultural Youth Exchange UK (ICYE UK) was set up in 1993 to promote inter-cultural understanding, peace and cooperation. We believe that local community action can have a global reach and positively affect the world we live in. ICYE UK is part of a federation of over 30 countries investing in young people through voluntary placements overseas, including community, social and environmental projects in a range of countries in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. We believe in the importance of reciprocal exchange and host around 50 international volunteers in the UK every year.

We are now seeking to recruit motivated Trustees to join our enthusiastic and diverse Board. As an applicant you would join as an observer to support the Board until officially being elected to office as a Trustee at the AGM in November. As a Trustee, you will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and governance of ICYE UK and will work with a dynamic team who support our volunteers every day.

Roles and responsibilities

We are seeking motivated individuals with experience in the volunteering or charity sector to join our dynamic board. These roles will have flexibility to manage and lead on key projects within the Board, depending on experience, interests and passions.

Trustees will oversee the strategic aims and plans of the charity, define goals, targets and evaluate performance against agreed targets. They will also maintain and promote strong working relationships with the stakeholders of the organisation.

Trustees may serve for up to four terms of two years each and at this time, in support of ICYE UK’s current strategy, we are particularly keen to hear from individuals with experience of fundraising, PR, sponsorship, or HR.

What are we looking for?

As a board, ICYE UK’s shared aims are to act in all of the following capacities:

Advisory: Providing free expert advice/management expertise.
Regulatory: Ensuring probity and managing regulatory and financial risks
Democratic: Contributing to the resolution of various stakeholder interests and accepting responsibility for the direction and strategy of ICYE
Educational: Providing opportunities for debate, learning and sharing of expertise
Participatory: Engage volunteers in the on-going development of the organisation- (as per ICYE mission)
Networking: Being ambassadors, linking to contacts, shaping and influencing others
Involving: Motivating skilled volunteers
Leadership: Steering the organisation in the right direction, with an emphasis on embedded the ICYE vision, mission and values into the ICYE way of doing things
Supportive: Supporting, valuing and rewarding the Office manager and Staff

The ideal Trustee will be able to support in acting out the above capacities in collaboration with the fellow board members. Knowledge and experience of similar responsibilities within an international volunteering charity would be advantageous although opportunities for learning and development will be provided.

You will be committed and driven by ICYE UK’s values and vision and committed to understanding the importance of cultural exchange in education and personal development.

What difference will you make?

Trustees are essential to ensuring that ICYE UK continues to operate, sending and receiving volunteers who make a difference to local NGOs globally year-on-year. As a Trustee, you will lead on a strategic area and use your skills to direct a dynamic team who support our volunteers every year.

What’s in it for you?

Trusteeship is a challenging and brilliant way to volunteer your time and skills to an organisation and to build upon your strengths and expand your skillset. Through being a part of ICYE UK and on a board of trustees, you learn to be strategic, find creative solutions to problems and come to quick decisions. You will volunteer with a dedicated and passionate team from very different backgrounds and personalities, and will contribute a small part to a much bigger whole, supporting the values of listening, cooperation and understanding.

Committed to delivering unique volunteering opportunities for young people all around the world, now more than ever, it is important to build peace and understanding across cultures; through volunteering your time to be part of ICYE’s board, you will help to support this mission.

There will also be opportunities to meet some of the volunteers that ICYE supports, so you can see first-hand the fantastic impact that the organisation has.

A few more details

As an observer, and from November, a member of the ICYE-UK Board of Trustees, you will be expected to attend 75% of board meetings per year that you can attend via Google Meet. There will also be at least one Staff/Trustee away day and an AGM each year, which you will be required to attend in person, but these events are organised to suit Trustee’s availability.

Successful candidates will be co-opted onto the board as an observer for the remainder of the year until the next AGM in November 2024, where you can choose to stand to be elected onto the board.

To apply for this position, please send a letter of motivation and CV to info@icye.org.uk If you would like to find out more, please get in touch!