NEW Youth Trustee of the Jack Petchey Foundation appointed!

We are delighted to announce that we have appointed our second Youth Trustee, Riana Morrison-Kirnon!

JPF works hard to ensure that young people’s voices are represented at all levels of the Jack Petchey Foundation, including on our Board of Trustees. Our Board oversees all of the Foundation’s work. It is responsible for ensuring that we deliver Sir Jack’s vision, doing the best we possibly can for young people across London and Essex.

In January 2021, we appointed our first-ever Youth Trustee, Lewis Hooper, who was an Alumnus of our first-ever Achiever Network cohort and a founding member of our Youth Consultation Panel. Over the last two years, Lewis worked hard to highlight young people’s opinions, voices and ideas in his role as Youth Trustee at the Foundation and he has represented the Foundation at many events. As a result of his outstanding contribution to the Board, Lewis was appointed as a regular Trustee when he finished his two-year term as a youth trustee in 2022. We are delighted that he will remain on the Board.

Our newly appointed Youth Trustee, Riana, has been involved with the Foundation for over ten years! She is an alumnus of the third cohort of the Jack Petchey Achiever Network and a founding member of the Youth Consultation Panel.

Riana first became involved with the Jack Petchey Foundation by winning a Jack Petchey Achievement Award at 13 for participating in dance at her school. She was then put forward for the Achiever Network programme, which helped improve her confidence and taught her valuable communication skills. After completing the programme, Riana saw opportunities to improve how the Achievement Award programme ran in her school so that more young people could benefit from its opportunities. She helped her teacher coordinate the programme and get the school more involved in the wide range of opportunities JPF offers, including our Step Into Dance Programme. which Riana enjoyed so much.

When asked what she felt was the most important aspect of the Jack Petchey Foundation’s work, Riana said: “Giving young people a platform from which they can personally develop and affect change in society.”

Riana has worked with JPF as a mentor on the Achiever Network, has spoken to journalists and at key events representing the Foundation, has sat on interview panels, and worked to establish the Youth Consultation Panel for the past three years. She is also a Step into Dance Ambassador.

Riana said: “I am delighted and honoured to take the position of Youth Trustee for the Foundation. It is a privilege to be a part of JPF’s continuing development after having benefited so greatly from JPF’s opportunities and support myself. After 10 years of invaluable experiences with the Foundation, I am ready to give back to JPF so that many more young can have the opportunity to thrive, like I did.”

Gemma Juma, CEO of the Jack Petchey Foundation said: “Riana has already contributed so much to JPF, for which we are immensely grateful. I have no doubt that she will be a real asset as a Trustee and will make invaluable contributions to the Board’s rich discussions and sound decisions, based on her skills, experience and expertise. Myself and her fellow Trustees are looking forward to working with her over the next two years.”