Claire Reindorp joined Young Women’s Trust as CEO in January 2022. In this blog, she reflects on her highlights from the first 3 months and tells us about her best day so far in the job.
My first 3 months at Young Women’s Trust have sped by! I’ve loved getting to know the talented staff team, the inspiring young women we work with and our many committed partners and supporters.
My best day so far
My best day so far? Meeting our brilliant Advisory Panel. It’s hard to imagine a more diverse group of women from all over the country, bringing a huge range of life experience and expertise to Young Women’s Trust. Last week, I went along to the panel residential in Nottingham and met 25 members of the panel. They shared their vision of what life would be like if young women were not trapped on low incomes. They would be able to do more than “nurture their survival skills” and instead be free to “make choices, take chances” and “be a successful me”. And the solutions they’d like to see? Flexible working, affordable childcare and increases in benefits would be transformative.
Claire at the Advisory Panel meeting
Developing a new strategy
We’re at an exciting time as an organisation as we develop a new 3 year strategy to bring this vision of an equal future to life. Our core purpose – achieving financial justice for young women – has never been more important, as young women come out of a pandemic into the cost of living crisis and face a 22% gap in their annual income compared to young men.
We want to grow our profile and impact. We want to provide practical help in the ‘here and now’, like our Work It Out programme. We must also campaign for the changes needed to close the income gap, enable young women to live free from poverty and fulfil their talents.
We’ve been gathering views from young women, staff, trustees and partners about our strengths as an organisation and about how we can improve and grow. In the coming months, we’ll also be sending out surveys asking for your views. We’d love your input as we develop a strategic plan to bring about real change for young women.
Sign up to get our newsletters for a chance to contribute as we create the new strategy and vision for Young Women’s Trust.
