Young members
2016 was a dynamic year for the Young Members Board (YMB), with a number of big and exciting objectives developed and delivered.
We also made significant changes at the structural and operational levels, with a view to working more effectively and allowing the board as a whole to do more. To say that everything went exactly to plan would be disingenuous, but that is part of the learning process for the Board and indeed for the Institution.
We've started off 2017 in a much stronger place as a result of those collective lessons and have a clear plan for how we can engage more existing and prospective members in a sustainable manner. Meanwhile, we continue to represent the voice of Young Members in the strategic direction of the Institution and the profession and our involvement in those strategic actions has never been higher. You can read elsewhere in this newsletter for a reflection on our recent strategy weekend and for an update on some of our objectives in 2017.
I know it’s a cliché, but time really does fly. My two year tenure as Chair of the YMB comes to a close in May but as a result of the changes to our Terms of Reference we made last year, for the first time as outgoing Chair I know who will be succeeding me.
As a result, Lydia Amarquaye and I have been working closely to ensure that we get the most out of our collective tenures, and to ensure a degree of continuity in the governance of the Board. This of course also means that we have elections for the executive team coming up in May, with opportunities for you all to nominate and elect Chair-Elect, two Vice Chairs, and our Representative to the Trustee Board. Please look out for further information, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please do get in touch via youngmembers@imeche.org.
While my tenure draws to a close, I'm still keen for as many of you to get involved with the YMB, or the wider Institution, as possible. One way to do this is through volunteering. Obviously I'm slightly biased, but I really do think that volunteering is a great way to get more from your membership, and you don't have to put much in to get a lot more out. You can read elsewhere in this article for more details on how to get involved with the YMB itself, and you can read the volunteering opportunities section on the website for even more ideas.
Another way for you to get involved is to take advantage of the grant schemes that the YMB administer: the James Bates Grant and the Charity Grants.
The James Bates Grant is an award administered by the YMB that can be used to fund up to 50% of the costs of a technical visit and has been used for visits to CERN in Switzerland in previous years. If that sounds like the kind of thing you would like to organise for yourself and your panel or colleagues in 2017, please visit the website for details on how to apply.
Alternatively the YMB Charity Grants are a series of 4 grants of up to £500 each, designed to enable members to pursue charitable causes that are related to engineering. The fund can be used to cover materials, venues and travel costs and has been used for a huge range of activities in the past.
The executive team and I were very pleased to receive so many applications again in 2016, and while we wish we could have funded them all, unfortunately that wasn't possible. Applications for 2017 are now open so if you have any potential ideas in mind, please have a look at the website for more details on how to apply.
As this is my last newsletter as Chair, I'd like to close by saying thank you to everyone I have had the pleasure of working with over my years with the Board; I'm sure our paths will cross again in the future!