Young director on board

UNITED Synergies are Noosa’s not-for-profit organisation working with young people facing a range of issues and, following their AGM last week, are proud to announce Hayden Ford as their first ever Young Director Intern.
United Synergies chairman Ian Montague said the Young Director Internship is about recognising the importance of promoting leadership and participation with young people on boards.
“At a leadership level, for both the not-for-profit sector and for our organisation, we want to provide an opportunity for a young director to participate on our board,” he said.
“The aim is to encourage leadership in young people and to give them an insight as to how boards function, as well as the opportunity to learn new skills from our current board of directors.
“All too often, this opportunity is not given to young people – with the majority of board directors in Australia above the age of 35.”
Mr Montague said the Young Director Internship not only recognised the importance of hearing directly from young people and promoting youth leadership, it also builds the community’s pool of future board members.
After publicly advertising the Young Director Internship, United Synergies will welcome 19-year-old Hayden Ford into the role.
“Following a formal application and interview process, Hayden impressed the board with his passion. He readily gives to his Bundaberg community, having assisted his local Rotary Club and various fund-raising events such as the Red Shield Appeal, Clean up Australia Day, and Relay for Life,” Mr Montague said.
“We look forward to working with Hayden and gaining his insights on the issues affecting youth today.”
Hayden said he was excited to be given such a unique mentoring opportunity with United Synergies.
“United Synergies offers so many important programs and services for young and vulnerable people facing a range of issues. Being a young person myself, I am excited to be given the opportunity to take on the role as Young Director Intern and make a positive contribution to the organisation,” he said.
The United Synergies Young Director Internship is a voluntary role that has no formal ‘voting rights’ that runs for a 12-month calendar year.