Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in the role of Chief Executive of the Youth Endowment Fund. It is a privilege to lead the Board of an organisation created with a clear and demanding ambition: to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence, and to do so in ways that are proven to work.
Too many children grow up living with the fear or reality of violence. For too long, responses have too often been driven by instinct or short-term pressure rather than evidence. From the beginning, YEF set out to change that — to build a national understanding of what truly works to prevent violence and to ensure that this knowledge shapes everyday practice and policy.
In just six years, YEF has been built from an idea into a nationally trusted force for change. We have funded work supporting hundreds of thousands of children. We have launched more high-quality impact evaluations on violence than have ever taken place in England and Wales. We have built the largest repository of evidence on violence in the world and created the highly respected YEF Toolkit, now widely used across practice and government. We have led the largest youth-led peer research project on violence the UK has ever seen and the largest annual survey of teenagers on violence. And we have become the go-to organisation for government on preventing young people’s involvement in violence, advising across Whitehall and supporting real change in policy, inspection and practice.
This progress has been driven by a founding Chief Executive who has led YEF from conception to a strong, influential organisation that is now firmly established on the national stage. With the organisation thriving, he has chosen this moment to hand over the reins to a new leader who can shape the next phase of our work.
This is a moment of genuine opportunity. Over the coming years, YEF will deepen its understanding of what works to prevent violence, close the most important evidence gaps, and accelerate the translation of that evidence into changes in everyday practice and national policy. The next Chief Executive will lead the development of our future strategy and ensure that YEF continues to drive permanent change for young people — not only through influence at the centre of government, but through growing our support for those working directly with vulnerable children in communities across the country.
We are proud of the culture that has been built at YEF: one of high standards and low ego. It is a place where kindness and ambition sit side-by-side; where people are trusted to do excellent work and supported to grow; and where the focus remains firmly on impact for children. You would be supported by a committed, expert and engaged Board that believes strongly in backing the Executive to do a great job through both challenge and support.
If this appointment is successful, YEF will build on our position as the UK’s leading expert organisation on what works to prevent violence. Our influence across government will be deepened. And, most importantly, more children will be safer because the systems around them are working better — in schools, in justice, in health, in local authorities and in the youth sector.
This is a demanding role requiring strategic judgement, strong leadership and an ability to bring together the many organisations that we work with to drive change. But it is also an extraordinary opportunity to lead one of the most ambitious and respected organisations working to protect children in the UK.
If you are motivated by the chance to deliver lasting impact for young people, to work with outstanding colleagues across all sectors, and to lead with both heart and discipline, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Yours sincerely,
Lisa Stone
Chair of the Youth Endowment Fund