BY JACK WELCH

FOR most young people, the stress of exams or the piles of homework each evening are not much of an incentive to take on additional roles outside of that too.

This month, ballot papers with have arrived for all members of the Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust to select their brand new governors for the county and I am delighted to be one of those standing.

Members for the trust can be as young as 11 years old and it is completely free to sign up.

By standing for these kinds of positions, more of us at a young age can influence these vital services in our communities, shaping the strategic direction of the trust and creating awareness on tackling the stigma around areas such as mental health.

It is only a tragedy that the young are not encouraged more to be in positions of authority, like charity trustees and school governors, when the experience itself can be very enriching when the support is available.

Initiatives like ‘Young Charity Trustees’ have been great starts in expanding the diversity of people on boards and voices being heard, with their studies showing that only 0.5 per cent of the trustee population in England and Wales are under 24.

While the responsibility of the role is not suited to everyone, there are many services which provide support and activities for young people, but decisions that are not influenced by the users themselves.

Diversity itself must be a crucial factor for a mixed representation of views.