I’ve been with The Children’s Society for 17 years now and I enjoy working here as much now as I did when I first joined. I feel lucky to work in an amazing retail team who care about making as much money as possible in order to make a difference to the lives of the young people we support. Hope is important. However difficult things get, if there is hope, there is always something to be positive about.
I liaise with major donors to secure income for the charity. I take donors on a journey to show the impact their gifts have on the children and young people we serve. Hope to me, means a state of mind that acts as an enabler to believe better times will come, and if I keep that state of mind, it will permeate into every facet of the work I do. Instilling that hope in a child or a young person is one of the most valuable things anyone can ever hope to achieve.
I support young carers aged 8-19 who have a parent or family member that is using drugs or alcohol. I’m motivated by the young people I work with. They are incredibly brave and resilient, they inspire me everyday and encourage me to try and reach more young people who need support. Working for The Children’s Society empowers me to feel that change can happen for children.
As a young trustee, I aim to support The Children’s Society by bringing a fresh perspective to the youth voice within the organization. I hope to help bridge the gap between the Trustee Board and the young people we serve to ensure decisions reflect the diverse needs of this generation of young people.
To me, hope means the capacity to attach meaning to circumstances that may seem to be tragic. I believe that the ability to find optimism in difficult times is a type of strength that allows you to build resilience to the deep ends of life. This unyielding comes from hope – the reassurance of knowing better times are coming.
Chris has over forty years’ experience working in international finance across commercial and investment banking, emerging markets, private equity investing and international development. His most recent role was as CIO of the UK Government’s development finance institution, CDC (now BII plc). He is now an active philanthropist, focussed on a diverse range of activities from combating human trafficking to early childhood development, micro credit and urban regeneration in the UK. He is also a Fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard, having completed this programme in 2023.
“The Children’s Society provides a crucial voice and platform for children and young people’s interests to be heard, respected and enhanced during what has become an unprecedented period of uncertainty and challenge for too many of them. I believe combating this uncertainty effectively and systemically is more important than ever-it is a major societal challenge. I hope I can play some small part in supporting the organisation and its’ outstanding work in this critical endeavour. I also believe that hope is an essential ingredient in helping to build young people’s confidence and resilience, not just at an individual level but also in encouraging them to believe that uncertainty can in fact create opportunity.”
Diana has worked across private equity and international development, combining both when leading the UK Government’s $7bn development finance institution, CDC (now BII plc) as CEO during a period of transformation between 2011-17. BII invests to grow businesses in some of the most challenging regions of the world to stimulate economic growth and in particular employment. Previously she led the Clinton Foundation’s Health Access Initiative to scale up a global programme to give children equal access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment to that available for adults.
She now is Deputy Chair of the Court of the Bank of England and a member of the Board of MedAccess Guarantee Limited and Brookfield Asset Management. She also advises leaders of Private Equity and Venture Capital firms on important strategic events, such as succession. She was awarded a CBE in June 2017 for services to international development.
Growing up in one of the most disadvantaged communities in the country, I learned early in life how children’s potential is shaped by their environment. We play a crucial role helping build a society for all children – listening deeply to their needs and experiences, working directly with them to improve their situations and campaigning on issues that affect all generations. We nurture and build hope because hope is the difference between giving up and changing your life for the better.
I am energised by the wealth of rich and diverse perspectives around me and inspired by the possibility of what we can achieve together, for and with young people. Colleagues, volunteers, supporters, partners, families and young people from different backgrounds and perspectives working to a common goal – to improve young people’s wellbeing. I am privileged to work for such an ambitious organisation, that holds hope for all children and young people. Hope and aspiration that together we can collaborate and make change. Hope and knowledge that through our shared determination and values we will make these hopes and dreams for young people a reality.
I feel immense pride to work for an organisation that put’s people at the heart, whether that’s our internal teams, our supporters or the children and young people we serve. Hope connects us. We all have times when we need hope in our lives. Our work is about nurturing and giving hope to children and young people especially those who need it the most. When we have hope, we can keep going and find our way. Everyone deserves that.
We work with children who run away, are abused or battling mental health. We look out for young carers, refugees and children groomed into gangs.
We improve young people's wellbeing and mental health. We campaign for better support and offer services for children who need to talk.
The young people we work with shine a light on parts of society that are broken for them. In turn, we help them regain their hope.
SASLA INC
974 E Stuart Dr, Ste D-205
Galax, VA 24333
United States
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