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  1. About us
  2. Governance
  3. Trustees

Trustees

Providing good governance and leadership

Our Board of Trustees is responsible for setting the charity’s strategy and for maintaining good governance of its operations and finances.  You can find details of all our trustees below.

The full Board meets at least four times a year, and a number of committees and working groups also consider important issues such as finance and audit, fundraising, and HR and remuneration. 

Have you got what it takes?

We’re always on the look-out for passionate and talented people to add their expertise, experience and networks to ours to achieve our vision.

If you’re interested in finding out about opportunities to join the Board as a Trustee or to offer advice or help on an ad-hoc basis, please contact our Chair, Edge Watchorn through our CEO, Tom Franklin.

Get connected to the importance of Citizenship. Have a look at our strategic goals and review our key governance documents available on our website.

Dr Edge Watchorn

Chair

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Dr Edge Watchorn

Edge is Managing Director of Parliament’s Participation Team. She was previously Head of Education and in 2015 delivered Parliament’s first ever dedicated Education Centre with themed learning spaces and award-winning immersive, interactive technology.

More recently, as a Director for the House of Commons she led a people development programme for 2,500 staff focusing on organisational behaviours, management capability and leadership development.

Edge’s passion for democracy education grew out of her academic study where she explored the introduction of citizenship education to the National Curriculum in England and Wales. She pursued this interest from a range of angles through roles at the General Teaching Council and the Citizenship Foundation. She serves as a Magistrate on the North Essex bench and is a Fellow of the RSA and Westminster Abbey Institute.

Edge has been a Trustee since 2011 and Chair since 2019.

Published: 17th September, 2019

Updated: 25th September, 2019

Author: Tom Franklin

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Cécile Durand-Agbo

Treasurer

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Cécile Durand-Agbo, Treasurer

 

Cécile is an experienced financial professional and an ACCA chartered accountant.

After graduating from HEC Paris, France leading business school, in 2002 Cécile joined the corporate investment branch of Société Générale in London, where she worked for the UK Leveraged Finance team.

In 2007 Cécile moved to the European Leveraged Finance team at Fitch Ratings, where she was promoted to Senior Director. She was responsible for assessing the credit risks of leveraged issuers, publishing research on the market and representing Fitch at public and private events.

During that period, she also became a director for Chatsworth Court Freehold Company, the Freehold Company of a building block of some 200 flats.

In 2014 Cécile decided to make a career change and in 2017 she became an ACCA chartered accountant. Cécile is now pursuing a career as a non-executive director. She joined the Board in 2017.

Published: 10th October, 2018

Updated: 25th September, 2019

Author: Tom Franklin

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Jason Arthur

Joint Vice Chair

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Jason Arthur

Jason Arthur, Young Citizens trustee 

Jason Arthur is Director of Strategy and Communications for Step Up To Serve, the charity that coordinates the #iwill campaign. Jason is also co-founder of For Our Future’s Sake, a campaign set up to mobilise and energise young people to engage in the Brexit debate and support a People’s Vote.

Jason was formerly the Cabinet Member for Finance and Health for Haringey Council. As part of the council’s political leadership team, he shaped the borough’s £340m revenue and capital spending was responsible for the council’s public health initiatives. Jason also taught in two secondary schools in London is a trustee of the education charity Teach First.

Jason holds an undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford and a masters degree in Politics, Development and Education from the University of Cambridge. He tweets from @Jason_Arthur.

Jason joined the Board in 2018.

Published: 22nd October, 2018

Updated: 25th September, 2019

Author: Richard John

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Laura Hamm

Joint Vice Chair

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Laura Hamm

Laura is the Founder of Fabled - a digital platform for kids to create and share their own stories.

She spent six years working as Senior Policy Advisor in HM Treasury, No.10 Downing Street, and the Cabinet Office across a range of domestic and international policy areas.

Prior to this Laura worked for President Mary Robinson’s human rights programme at the Aspen Institute in Washington DC on health issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Laura began her career in parliamentary lobbying at Weber Shandwick Public Affairs.

She has been a Trustee at the Citizenship Foundation since 2010. 

Published: 24th October, 2018

Updated: 25th September, 2019

Author: Tom Franklin

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Finn Judge

Trustee

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Finn Judge

Finn has been involved in lots of charity fundraising, including raising regular income for St John Ambulance on a door to door basis, promoting first aid tuition in schools and keeping alumni relations ‘warm’ for his university, the University of York. He was also elected as a sabbatical officer and charity trustee for the York Students’ Union and represented over 200 student groups. 

During his role as a sabbatical officer, he represented over 200 student groups and also founded ‘Activities Access Grants’ for low-income students and led on grant disbursement for clubs and societies. Finn also studied English Literature and Government and Politics at A-Level and received a 1st class honours in BA politics with international relations at the University of York. 

As well as becoming our first young Trustee, Finn will be starting employment with UCL as a trainee fundraiser so will aim to offer strategic guidance to Young Citizens about expanding our fundraising and donations. 

Published: 23rd September, 2019

Updated: 24th September, 2019

Author: Tom Franklin

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James Cathcart

Trustee

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James Cathcart

James Cathcart, Young Citizens trustee

James is the Founder/Director of Young Voices Heard, an initiative established in 2017 to enable greater youth participation in decision-making and democracy. Prior to this he was the Chief Executive of the British Youth Council 2008-2016, which also manages the UK Youth Parliament, working in partnership with national and local government across the UK.

His interest in empowering young people as active citizens has developed from a career spanning youth work, juvenile justice and social work (qualified Social Worker/Probation Officer). This progressed to training, management and international development, working for several national charities including the National Children’s Bureau and the Prince’s Trust.

He is strong advocate of youth volunteering and mentoring, and currently volunteers for the #iwill youth social action campaign and the Royal Commonwealth Society. He is an Ambassador of the British Citizens Awards.

Born in Northern Ireland, educated at Durham/Southampton universities, but now living in Kent, James likes music, flying, travelling and tweeting @JamesCatChats.

He joined the Board in 2018.

Published: 27th January, 2018

Updated: 29th November, 2018

Author: Richard John

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John Cooper QC

Trustee

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John Cooper QC

Professor John Cooper QC is one of the country’s leading Silks, regularly appearing in high-profile cases before the courts.

He is also an experienced broadcaster and writer. Having written a column for The Times for 10 years, had his plays produced on stage and television and authored a number of legal textbooks, Professor Cooper now writes for a number of National publications, on current affairs, the law and other areas of interest, including his regular column in the popular Dogs Today magazine about his passion for dogs and animal welfare, having been the Chair of an animal welfare charity for 16 years.

Proudly educated at a Comprehensive School in Wolverhampton, John is determined to promote the interests of State School education and equal opportunity for everyone. He has been assisting us for over 10 years with the organisation of our Mock Trials Competition and as a Special Advisor to Lord Bach on the Access to Justice Commission was determined to ensure that the consequent Report recommended better public legal education in schools.

Professor Cooper has advised the Shadow Attorney General and the Home Affairs Select Committee on legal issues and formerly worked as a lawyer at Clifford Chance. He joined the Board in 2017.

Published: 24th February, 2018

Updated: 29th November, 2018

Author: Tom Franklin

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Nick Johnson

Trustee

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Nick Johnson

Nick joined the Board in 2010 and was Treasurer between 2011-2017.

He has been the Executive Director of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) since April 2012. He has a considerable background of leadership and strategic direction in organisations concerned with public policy. Between 2004-07, he was the Director of Policy and Public Sector for the Commission for Racial Equality. He subsequently started his own consultancy working across public policy and research and worked, amongst others, with Chatham House, the Barrow Cadbury Trust, the Institute of Community Cohesion and the Local Government Association.

Nick is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and a member of the Ethnicity Advisory Group for the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study. He is also a Research Fellow at the Smith Institute and a School Governor.

Nick has advised government centrally, locally and internationally and has written extensively on citizenship, social capital, extremism, immigration and other related areas of policy and practice.

Published: 26th February, 2018

Updated: 29th November, 2018

Author: Tom Franklin

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Victoria Speed

Trustee

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Victoria Speed

Victoria is a qualified employment lawyer working in the Pro Bono Centre at BBP Law School since 2006, for the last 8 years as Director of Pro Bono & Corporate Social Responsibility. She has managed the growth of the Pro Bono Centre in this time and oversees a number of projects aimed at improving access to justice, including clinics and phone lines, and improving understanding of legal issues, through a student volunteering project, Streetlaw.

Victoria previously worked as a solicitor at Simmons & Simmons and at Russell-Cooke Solicitors and this background in practice has been most useful when building pro bono projects reliant on volunteer professionals.

Victoria has been on the National Pro Bono Week Committee and the Attorney General’s Pro Bono Committee for a number of years. In the course of her career Victoria has often worked alongside Young Citizens and feels strongly that the charity’s mission and values closely match her own

Published: 25th September, 2018

Updated: 29th November, 2018

Author: Richard John

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Matt Lambert

Trustee

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Matt Lambert

Matt is Business Development Director of leading digital marketing agency, TMW.

With 10 years’ experience in marketing – working for some of the biggest names in the business including M&C Saatchi and the Engine Group – Matt has risen through agency ranks at a remarkable pace, being promoted to the management board at M&C Saatchi as Head of Business Development at just 28.

In that time, Matt has secured over £25m of new client revenue and has been involved in a number of high-profile behaviour change campaigns, including Public Health England’s Change4Life programme and Start Today, the sustainable living initiative run by Business in the Community.

Matt joined the board in 2018. His interest in citizenship education was sparked when he took part in the Bar Mock Trials Competition at school and he is looking forward to giving something back to the charity which inspired him and the young people it serves.

Published: 25th September, 2018

Updated: 29th November, 2018

Author: Richard John

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Jacquie Ayre

Trustee

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Jacquie Ayre

Jacquie has more than 30 years’ experience as a secondary school teacher and Faculty lead for Citizenship and PSHE in the North West of England. She has taught an extensive range of subjects including Citizenship and PSHE, Geography, History, RE and Sociology.

In addition, within school Jacquie worked as a Professional Mentor in charge of teacher training, which involved liaising with North West universities and supporting their PGCE courses.

This experience was extended further whilst on Secondment at Edge Hill University where she supported the PGCE course and acted as an MTL Tutor (Masters in Teaching and Learning).

Jacquie has gained significant experience of delivering Citizenship education across a large secondary school. She has worked with many North West charities as well as Young Citizens, running drop down days, social action projects and mock elections.

Jacquie has recently taken on a role with the Liverpool World Centre working on projects around the Sustainable Development Goals.

Published: 25th September, 2018

Updated: 29th November, 2018

Author: Richard John

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I’ve just got my money back via a ‘Small Claims Court’. Would young people know they can do that?

Our CEO tells of his own recent experience of using the law to protect his rights, and explains why basic legal understanding is vitally important for all young people, if they're to be confident young citizens. Read more

Published: 12th March, 2018

Updated: 18th September, 2018

Author: Tom Franklin

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Contact us

Young Citizens
37 Heneage Street, London E1 5LJ.

Phone +44 (0)20 7566 4141
Email [email protected]

Registered charity no. 801360