The OPEN Youth Trust (OPEN) on Bank Plain has appointed nineteen year old Michael Ni’Man to its Board of Trustees.
Michael, who lives in Norwich, is soon to start studying Medicine in London, but he first stepped through the doors of OPEN as a Year 9 pupil at Norwich School. Soon after joining OPEN, Michael quickly became involved in it’s Youth Forum. This Forum aims to give young people a voice, ensuring that the charity meets the current and future needs of young people in Norfolk. He believes that through this Forum, OPEN has given him the confidence and inspiration to follow his dream of becoming a doctor, but also picking up an entrepreneurial flair along the way with business interests in social enterprises, IT and innovation.
Speaking of the appointment OPEN’s Chief Executive, John Gordon-Saker said: “Michael is a remarkable young man brimming with ideas and his pitch to the Board was compelling. It is wholly appropriate that a charity with the objective of making a difference to the lives of young people in Norfolk has a young person on its Board and Michael is the embodiment of our aim of giving people the confidence and life skills to find work or follow their passion. We are already bringing on the young people who come through our programmes as volunteers, interns, apprentices and employees and now one of them is a Trustee. It’s brilliant.”
Speaking of his appointment Michael said: “Throughout my years of engagement with OPEN, I’ve seen first hand the direct impact and change OPEN can have on a young person’s career and outlook. The Youth Forum meets regularly to discuss issues, concerns and ideas, so I look forward to becoming their voice on the Board, making sure that the charity continues to move in the direction that serves young people and delivers activities and programmes, such asYour Life, that are engaging, current and wholly relevant. The governance experience will help me in my career and I look forward to learning from John and the Trustees as experts in different fields. OPEN is a great institution and vanguard of youth in the city and county, no further proof of this than my appointment as a Trustee.”
Photo caption: Michael Ni’Man with OPEN Chief Executive, John Gordon-Saker