Board
Our Board of Trustees is a lively group of people from a variety of life experiences who share a passion for the empowerment of children and young people. The Board are responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation, for overseeing the legal and practical obligations of being an employer and running the organisation, while also ensuring that the organisation’s charitable aims are met.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee of Inspiring Young Voices, please have a look at our Information Document and our Trustee Application Form. Please return your completed Application Form to: David Alston at chair@inspiringyoungvoices.org.
David Alston
Chair
Born and brought up in the Highlands, David Alston is a freelance historian and author who has been a youth worker in Toxteth (Liverpool), a schoolteacher in Wallsend (Tyneside), an adult education organiser, a museum curator, a local authority councillor, and chair of NHS Highland. For 25 years he has been researching the role of northern Scots in the slave-worked plantations of the Caribbean, especially Guyana. And he built – with friends – the first inflatables (aka Bouncy Castles) in Scotland.
Sarah Fowler
Sarah is the Service Manager for Thriving Families and has been a trustee since July 2017. Inspiring Young Voices (in its previous guise as HCYPF) and Thriving Families have worked in partnership for many years as ‘sister charities’. In her working life Sarah has worked as a Learning Mentor in education, a Project Worker in a youth charity, and management roles in two youth charities, all with a focus on empowering young people to make their own choices and get where they want to be. The team at Thriving Families support families with children who have additional support needs, mainly working with the caring circle around the children and young people. We champion the incredible work of Inspiring Young Voices to raise the public profile of the charity and encourage more amazing children and young people in Highland to get involved. Sarah is also a third sector rep on the Education Committee. Sarah feels being on the Board of such a vibrant and inspiring charity is an absolute honour and is so proud of the achievements of the staff, children and young people who make the charity what it is. Outside of work Sarah enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and son in the beautiful Cairngorms and beyond.
Gillian Newman
Gillian Newman joined the board last year (2024) two years after retiring as Inspiring Young Voices Policy Lead for 7.5 years. Previously, Gillian had been the first participation/consultation post for the charity, which was then called Highland Children’s Forum, again for just over 7 years.
Gillian’s career has included roles of nurse, child minder, play leader, Project Leader of a family centre, part time lecturer for Inverness College, Getting It Right for Every Child Lead for Voluntary Sector and as a self-employed Participation Consultant.
Gillian was actively involved in enabling Highland children and young people with additional support needs to have a say in the development of: Getting It Right for Every Child policy, Transition Policy, Autism Strategy and Self-Directed Support policy, as well as ensuring their voice was heard in service evaluations, service reviews and public sector inspections.
As Policy Lead Gillian represented Inspiring Young Voices or acted as Voluntary Sector Lead on a number of public sector committees.
Gillian raised seven children and is now actively involved in the lives of her 12 grandchildren. She lives with her husband, Dave, in Cromarty.
Sarah Campbell
Sarah is an original member of our Inspire Highland Group and volunteered to join our Board to help bring the voice of young people into the center of our work, ensuring their perspective shapes it directly. Unafraid to speak her mind, Sarah brings a wealth of lived experience, as well as advocating for the voices of young people she comes into contact with. Sarah feels she gains valuable experience for her own personal development as a Board Member and is committed to ensuring that young people’s perspectives are considered at all levels of our organization.
Sarah is still an active member of our Inspire Highland group and also works within our mini-group Eye-Inspire – a group that advocates for improved accessibility for young people with visual impairments.
She is most proud of the work which has included our current project working with local hospitality services to provide accessible menus. Sarah also helped organize a hi-viz t-shirt support for a young member of Inspire Highland, so that they could easily spot their friends while playing in the playground. Sarah also works with SightAction and IYV staff to help highlight their experience as a visually impaired person navigating the Highlands.
Outside of her work with Inspiring Young Voices, Sarah regularly attends a walking group for people with visual impairments in Inverness, and enjoys their trips around Ness Island and further afield! She loves football and visiting her family in the Western Isles.
Miriam Hendry
Update coming soon.
