Reflections on a year as a Young Trustee for Mortal Fools

Mark laughing at a recent Mortal Fools Company Development Day. Photo Credit: Von Fox

Did you know that fewer than 3% of Trustees are under 30? This means that organisations are missing out on a wealth of experience and innovative ideas and young people are missing out on opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge they need to be the leaders of tomorrow. Clearly something needs to change!

We’ve always felt that it’s important for young people’s voices to be represented in the decisions our charity makes and supporting and encouraging young people to join our Board of Trustees is just one way we can ensure that.

To celebrate this Trustee Week we’re sharing an interview with Mark Gate, a Young Trustee for Mortal Fools!

Mark had previously been a member of our Youth Theatre and then our Ensemble Young Company for many years. He’s a talented performer and theatre maker who has developed a strong interest in supporting young people and championing the importance of the creative industries. He is now studying theatre at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and planning to pursue a career in the creative sector.

Mark joined our board of Trustees in Summer 2023, alongside his friend and fellow youth theatre veteran Maisie Saunders. It’s been fantastic to have their insights as young adults who bring their lived experience of participating in Mortal Fools projects. They have a really clear understanding of the benefits of creativity for young people as well as being able to speak about the interests and challenges of themselves and their peers.

So without further ado, we’ll get into the interview!

From left to right Maisie Saunders, Mark Gate and Practitioner Mack Sproates talking and smiling outside at a filming day wearing Mortal Fools T shirts. Photo Credit: Von Fox

My first question is, when did you become a trustee?

I became a trustee in July 2023, on my 18th birthday. I'd been an observer whilst I was 17 for a year, learning a bit about what it’s like and whether I wanted to be a part of it. The week before my eighteenth they interviewed me, and then on my eighteenth, they accepted me because they were like, you’re an adult now.

What made you want to be a Trustee for Mortal Fools?

I grew up in the company and so I felt the benefits of what these Trustees did, and so I thought well, now that I'm leaving, I would love to continue and help other people who were in my position, see if I can bring some of my own experiences and use that to help the charity move forward. And I also think it's just a really cool thing to do when you're a Uni student because you feel like you’ve got a responsibility at a professional standard.

How much did you know about what being a Trustee is before you got involved? And was there anything that surprised you?

I'd heard of trustees for a charity, but I didn't know what they were. All I knew was that they were the bosses of everything, and like everything has to get past them. Which is really cool.

So that's why I found it really helpful before I became a Trustee, especially since I was so young, observing for a year, where we got to literally go into these meetings, sit in and just see what these people were talking about. There was no pressure to answer or to contribute. And it was really interesting because that's where I learned we're discussing like everything, we're discussing the finances, we're discussing the policies, the safeguarding, course we're discussing how the company is going to run and the future plans, how we can improve it.
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I didn't feel like I was the only person in the room who was like, I have no idea what's going on, I don't understand that spreadsheet! Because even though they had years and decades of experience loads of them were still learning just as much as I was.

Mark singing surrounded by people dancing as part of an Ensemble Young Company performance of FLUX. Photo Credit: Von Fox

​What benefits do you think young people bring to Boards?

Coming out recently of being involved as a participant in the charity and then being a Trustee, I can bring in all of my experiences and all of what I felt worked and what didn't, and then we can discuss.

What I love is the different ages and that variety of ages on the Board and I think that's so important because you have people with loads of experience and can say well we know this works and this doesn't, but then you've also got these people who've got completely different types of experiences, like being a young person in today's time. And finding that balance and working together, I think is the most powerful, effective and efficient way of doing things.

What have you learnt from being a Trustee?

What I found the most interesting was the business side which I'd never explored before and looking at budgets and the maths and the risks and like how companies try and balance their artistic output, along with trying to make it accessible. And money, finances, all that sort of stuff - I found that part probably the most interesting. And that's the part where I learned the most. And I'm still learning.
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I think it'll prepare me as a creative in the future wanting to maybe make my own work or something like that. I now have these foundations and a clear understanding of ok, this is this is what I want, but also here are the logistics and I think it teaches you logistics so well.

Mark and Maisie giving a presentation as part of an advocacy event. Photo Credit: Von Fox

Is there anything you’ve found particularly challenging?

I think that at first, the challenging thing is making yourself feel like you are actually worthy enough to be there. Luckily, I ended up becoming a Young Trustee with one of my closest friends who also had very similar experiences to me.

The challenging thing is thinking well I've not had any professional work in any of these industries. And look, I'm in a room with all of these different people with all these different backgrounds who have so much great experience and are adding so much to the conversation. And I think the most challenging thing is actually when you're sitting there and you want to say something but you don't say it, the challenging thing is actually stepping out and believing that actually, everyone around the table wants your opinion just as much as you want theirs.

But I think now I’m at a comfortable process where I'm like do you know what? I’m as much part of the team as these other people even though I’m younger. We’re all just as beneficial as anyone else.

What's helped you to overcome that?
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I think obviously as you attend more meetings you do eventually get more comfortable and so there's a natural process to it. But what I really love about Mortal Fools is they have their main board meetings, but they also have sub-group board meetings, which split you off into like little teams which specialise in your specialism, and I think having those little subgroups actually has made me a lot more confident in the meetings because there's less of you, and you also get to talk about what you're passionate about and you feel like you can contribute way more. And I think that is what has helped me the most.

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7 young people, including Mark giving a round of applause at the end of a performance of FLUX. Photo Credit: Von Fox

How do you think being a trustee can help a young person in their career?

It gives you such a good insight into what the professional space is going to be like which I would have no idea if I hadn't been a Young Trustee and so I know when I'm leaving Uni and going actually into the industry I feel a lot more confident now because I know a lot more about things I wouldn’t have thought about like funding bids, budgeting, risks, different policies, that would have never crossed my mind. And obviously I knew they existed, but it just wouldn't have occurred to me. And so I think that's one of the most helpful things is that it prepares you for your future career. It prepares you for all the stuff that you should know but you’ve never been taught, for some bizarre reason.

What advice would you give a young person interested in becoming a Trustee?

Believe that your opinions are good enough because at the end of the day if a charity is having Young Trustees they want to hear young people’s opinions. The best thing to do is be passionate about your experiences and about the company.

It’s choosing a charity that you know has similar goals as you and also one that could help you in your future career. So Mortal Fools is an arts organisation, I want to go into the arts, it makes perfect sense.
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I think another bit of advice is if you are unsure, be an observer because honestly, I was completely unsure at first, but then I was observing for pretty much a year because I wasn't 18 yet and it was so helpful because it established I do want to do this and I like what I’m seeing. 

Mark giving a presentation in a cinema. Photo Credit: Von Fox

Thanks Mark!

If you’re interested in becoming a Trustee we are always interested in hearing from young adults (and people of all ages) who are passionate about youth theatre, creative arts, and supporting young people in Northumberland and the North East.

Click here to find out more about becoming a Mortal Fools Trustee

And if you work for an organisation that would like to learn more about recruiting and enabling young trustees we recommend checking out the Young Trustee Movement, who have lots of resources and events on the topic.

Click here to check out the Young Trustee Movement website