My time on the Oxfam Youth Board

Patrick McGlinchey explains what it's like to be on the Oxfam Youth Board.

''What all the Board members seem to have in common is that they are socially conscious people who throw themselves into things - they are all do-ers.'' ''Then at the start of 2005 the Make Poverty History campaign launched and Nelson Mandela made a speech in London which really grabbed my attention.''

At the end of 2004 I knew very little about Oxfam. I knew it had shops on most high streets and I knew it helped people in the developing world. I was aware of its role in the Control Arms campaign but that was about it. I guess my overriding view was that it fought poverty through selling second-hand clothes.

Then at the start of 2005 the Make Poverty History campaign launched and Nelson Mandela made a speech in London which really grabbed my attention. At just around the same time the youth team at Oxfam put out an ad for 12 young people, aged between 16 and 25, to be part of its first ever Youth Board. After filling in an application form, and going to a selection day in Oxford, I was lucky enough to be one of the young people chosen.

Being a member of the Youth Board is a two-year commitment, and during those two years you are asked to attend three Board meetings a year. As a Board member you act as a volunteer consultant to Oxfam on youth issues, and advise the organisation on ways it can remain relevant to young people today.

Right from the start I had high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. One of the first projects given to us was to carry out peer-to-peer research to build up a picture of Oxfam’s image amongst young people. The results were interesting. A good proportion of the young people questioned saw Oxfam as out-of-touch and dated. We presented our results to the youth team who really took on board what we exposed.

The Youth Board members come from all walks of life, from all corners of the country, and from different racial and religious backgrounds. They have different passions, hold different opinions, and have different solutions to problems. But what all the Board members seem to have in common is that they are socially conscious people who throw themselves into things - they are all do-ers.

Being the first Youth Board meant we were unestablished and unproven, but over the last year and a half we’ve changed that. Most departments within Oxfam have been along to our Board meetings at one point or another, and listened to what we’ve had to say.

We’ve ran workshops at the Oxfam Assembly and International World Youth Day, generating discussion among Oxfam staff on how they involve young people in their work. We’ve had the opportunity to attend conferences like the World Youth Congress, and of course we’ve fed into Oxfam’s youth strategy.

David Taylor, 21, who is also a member of the Youth Board, agrees that being a member has been a great experience: “It's great to know that our contributions are helping to shape the Youth Team’s direction. The visits and presentations by so many different people from Oxfam to our Youth Board is an indication of how seriously Oxfam takes us."

Oxfam’s image amongst young people has changed quite a bit in the year and a half I’ve been involved. Oxfam has reaped the benefits from innovative ideas such as the Oxfam Unwrapped catalogue and campaigns like Make Poverty History. With current projects such as Oxjam and campaigns like Stop Climate Chaos, Oxfam’s allure to the under 25s continues to grow. I’d like to think the Youth Board has played a small part in these changes.

Oxfam is a charity with growing charisma among the young but there is still so much more for the Youth Board to achieve - this is just the beginning. The Youth Team will be recruiting soon for six new Youth Board members. If you’re interested in shaping how Oxfam work then sign up to e-Xtra for updates.