Future Proof
Youth Advisory Board
What do young people actually need from Zest as we look to the future?
How can we make a more meaningful impact and better amplify young voices?
What must art and culture look like after everything we’ve lived through?
No one is better placed to help us answer these questions than young people. This group, made up of previous participants from Youthquake and Camp Phoenix, draws on diverse voices from 15 towns across the country.
Future Proof meet remotely as paid consultants every month, tasked with helping us reimagine the Zest of the future—a future for young people just like them. No area of the company is off limits; from policy rewriting to the conception of brand-new work, they work with us to ensure Zest is Future-Proof in years to come.
But this isn’t just about getting young people involved in vision and strategy. Look across Zest, and you’ll find Future Proof members in paid roles on interview panels for new staff and trustees, co-facilitating workshops in the community, and proofing scripts or designs for new work.
Future Proof+
Shadow Board
Zest wants to involve more young people in governance.
How can we genuinely do this without being tokenistic?
How can we ensure that young voices are equal around the top table?
Through Future Proof+, we build upon our Youth Advisory Group and develop the next generation of Trustees. Future Proof members can apply to shadow our Board of Trustees for a year, joining a small cohort for governance training led by our senior team and trustees. Over 12 months, they learn about governance, finance, and leadership and attend Board meetings. They contribute insights without legal responsibility, gaining firsthand experience in decision-making at the highest level.
Through this process, Zest aims to regularly appoint Shadow Board members as full Trustees, ensuring that there are always two young people under 25 on our board, giving young people a vote and a voice at the top table.
Future Proof+ members are listed below and marked with an ⍟.
Updates
Stay tuned for updates as Future Proof help us question, imagine and create Zest’s future:
Future Proof
Ralphie Acton
Elly Adam
Aman Basha
Seb Betts
Sophia Bowe
Izzy Chantler
Darrel Felix
Jessica Gomez-Ejimbe⍟
Katie Grant
Eryn Harper
Kez Harris
Millie Hutchinson ⍟
Laura Lillystone
Lachlan Madin
Gaby Maxwell
Rakeem Murray Martin
Cas Potterton
Lizzie Race
Alishia Roberts
Aija Sandhu ⍟
Ben Shorthouse
Nina Simpson
Billy Thompson
Alan Tarkil
Abi Vause
Jasmyne Wigfield
Young voices aren’t just shaping Zest’s work—they’re leading it. Over the past four years, Zest have reimagined what it means for young people to take the lead. In January 2025, we celebrated two significant milestones: appointing two young trustees to our board and creating a paid leadership role within our youth advisory group, Future Proof. These announcements sparked conversations and questions about how we’ve achieved this. If you’re curious about our approach, this blog is for you.