Re: Youth Leaders (on Boards)

[Bui Petersen]

Harrison, Having been on (and worked with) many boards, I couldn't agree with you more. However, many organizations are required to have boards in order to legally administer money and to receive grants and to be able to issue tax receipts. Money, is unfortunately required for most activities. And then there is the issue of limited liability, i.e. if something goes wrong, no individual will be held liable. Then there is also the issue that any entity doing "good" works (for the betterment of the community/world etc.) is expected to be incorporated with a board of directors in order to get support from others. So while many organization are legally required to have boards, I also think many make the mistake of thinking that all the work has to happen at the board level. It might be far more effective to limit the board's role to only take care of the fiduciary duties (approve budgets etc.) and let other people take care of the rest. I have suggested this with some boards I've been on only to experience huge resistance. My 2 cents. Bui On 11/10/2010 5:45 PM, Harrison Owen wrote: Lisa – I love your thoughts Long or short. And doubtless those thoughts will be very contributory to all those concerned with Boards. But if there were no Boards…if we could get beyond Boards… What then? Ah yes, I know. Pollyannaish, Impractical, Dreamer. Guilty as charged. But I am not sure it is all that impractical. Considering the massive investment of time, energy and money in the business of boards, their elimination could yield some very positive and practical results – massive amounts of time, energy, and money available for other good causes. And could you really go Boardless? Well that is exactly what we have done for the past 25 years. And I would suggest that our efforts (collectively) have been very practical, pragmatic and contributory. We also have a lot of fun – which is a strict No/No on every board I have ever heard of. Having fun on a Board produces a level of cognitive dissonance I can’t quite deal with.   Do I really think there would be a massive surge to Boardlessness? Hardly – given the current level of investment (psychological, professional and monetarily) in Boards. However as long as there are no useful alternatives there can be no surge at all. Taking a different tack – some folks have suggested becoming an Open Space Organization. I have a little difficulty with the concept if only because I think we already are open space organizations. We just don’t know it and/or are doing it badly. But that is a different issue to be left aside for the moment. Point is – if we had an Open Space Organization, what would the Board look like? I don’t think it would look like anything. It wouldn’t exist. Can you imagine having a Board for the ongoing Open Space Enterprise?   Harrison        Harrison Owen 7808 River Falls Dr. Potomac, MD 20854 USA Phone 301-365-2093 www.openspaceworld.com www.ho-image.com (Personal Website) To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html   From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Lisa Heft Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 3:07 PM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: Youth Leaders (on Boards)   Hello dear colleagues -   So here are my 2 cents / pesos / rubles to add, from my experience on - and serving as facilitator-consultant to - youth and youth-serving organizational Boards, where young people have been involved at many levels.  I am no expert - this is just what I have experienced and observed.  Just a few things I wish to share to keep in mind when thinking of including young people on a Board of Directors   The intention, as I understand it, is to *not* simply place young people on Boards (and other committees or volunteer or staff positions) in a way that tokenizes them.    (For those of you for whom English is not a home language - to tokenize someone means placing them in a symbolic role because of their characteristic - often meant as a negative term because the whole person is not being valued - they are just being used as an image)   And to me, it is important for the strength of an organization to always seek Board members who have the skills the Board needs - rather than just great people or public figures or charismatic people.   To me, diversity is crucial - differences in culture and experience enrich the inquiry, the product, the organization, the group thinking... But to me it would be tokenizing - and often I see it is unfair to the individual - to seek and place a young person on a Board (or a panel or a committee) if they are simply young (or female, or a former client or whatever) - if they do not also have the skills or resources (financial, participatory, knowledge) to strengthen the Board.   There are amazing young people who are also incredible at things that Boards need, if you wish that.   And I have seen young people (and other community members) on Boards placed there and then not listened to, or given training in vocabulary, policy or other concepts crucial to their roles, or listened to with less emphasis than the business people or the adult people. And that is not diversity. It is not inclusion.  And it wears on the individual and they wonder why the heck they were chosen, if not for their full selves.   Remember also that most Boards have a fiduciary (fiscal) responsibility - if something goes wrong with the organization financially, Board members' own personal finances can be at risk. Some Boards have Board insurance, some do not.   Also many Boards have a requirement that Board Members donate or raise a certain amount for fund-raising. Or buy lunch at the place the Board meets.  Does the young person (or other community member) in mind have the financial ability to do these things?   I have seen it play out as a class issue - a cultural assumption on the part of very well-meaning, very nice fellow Board members.  Someone's financial level, or how much they understand a Board's existing vocabulary, or assumptions about understanding of budgeting concepts - have in my observation often put the young person (or other community member) at the disadvantage for engaging equally in the conversations, decisions and other work of the Board.   Consider also the value of Advisory Boards - consisting totally of an organization's client or community members. A very valuable thing. So if the client or youth voice is important in the work of the organization (and I hope it is) there are many different possibilities for inclusion.   And consider also that when we say 'young person' we may be in our heads thinking of different ages - 12? 19? 26? 30? - so the inclusion of 'young people' on Boards may be very different depending on our definition for that organization's specific purposes and interests.   So all I am saying is - if you feel you can truly support the young people you wish to have join your Board (so they can be equal, not a 'mascot' to the Board, not exhausted by trying to keep up with the others who speak and afford things at a totally different level), and if you can truly truly select a young person who has knowledge, skills and abilities that your Board needs, if you can always be learning about what that diverse individual may need in order to truly be an equal player, then - if it fits their personality and their own learning / professional / growth goals - being on a Board may enrich both the young person and the work of the organization. Sure, Board meetings can be exceedingly boring for most folks. But for some folks it is like participating in student government - they love it.   I have seen Boards who thoughtfully include the unique and skilled individual young person - and provide them with ongoing support to equalize class and financial differences - benefit from working with their younger partners. I have also seen really well-intentioned inclusion of young people waste the time and good nature of the young person.    That's more than 2 cents ... thanks for your patience in reading my longish thoughts...   Lisa   Lisa Heft Consultant, Facilitator, Educator Opening Space lisah...@openingspace.net   Ask me about the Open Space Learning Workshops - December 15-17, 2010 - San Francisco and in 2011 -- and the Power of Pre-Work in 2011       * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist