Big Leaf welcomes a new Chair of Trustees

Following eight years and three full terms as Chair, our co-founder Vicki is stepping down from the board of trustees. Over that time, the organisation has grown from a single summer camp into a community supporting more than 200 displaced young people each year.

So much has changed in that time, but the determination and love on which Big Leaf was built remains foundational to all of our work.

Vicki will remain part of the Big Leaf team, working alongside Kayte, our brilliant staff, volunteers, trustees and the young people who shape everything we do.

She will be succeeded by Sally, who joined the board in January 2025 and has been Vice Chair since October.

​In this Q&A, Vicki and Sally share their thoughts on how Big Leaf has grown and what comes next.

From first summer camp to community

Vicki reflects on her time as Chair.

Q: Looking back over eight years as Chair, what feels most significant?
A: It’s difficult to put the last eight years into words, but I’m proud that we started the organisation from nothing… just the knowledge that there were young people in our community that needed support and an idea about the kind of support we could offer. We took this simple idea and built an organisation that now has a team of seven incredible staff, a knowledgeable and committed board of trustees, and an incredible network of community partners.

Over the last 8 years more than 700 young people have come through our doors… that’s 700 young people who wouldn’t otherwise have had that support, the opportunities to learn, to be welcomed and to have a Big Leaf community around them as they try to find their feet here.

Being part of that both as co-founder, working with the young people and team, and as Chair of trustees working at a governance level has meant wearing multiple hats which hasn’t been easy. But it also gives me a massive sense of pride in everything we have achieved together.

Q: What’s changed and what has stayed the same?
A: We’ve been reflecting on this quite a lot recently, particularly in the context of what feels difficult right now. When Kayte and I first met and ran our first summer camp (in 2017) it wasn’t long after the refugee crisis had started to hit the news and there was widespread compassion and a real drive within communities to help.

Communities saw what was happening and wanted to welcome people who were escaping unimaginable horrors in their own countries. Governments set up safe routes and resettlement schemes.

It felt like a huge wave of compassion and determination sweeping through… which laid the foundations for lots of small community organisations to spring up and work together to welcome people seeking asylum here…

…and in some ways, this has remained the same. The community around us is as brilliant and determined and supportive as ever. But in other respects, it has changed massively, with the closure of resettlement schemes, the removal of safe routes, and the creation of policies that strip away fundamental rights for people seeking asylum in this country.

We’ve seen anti-immigrant sentiments expressed by successive governments and in the media which has sown seeds of hate and division… and it’s been going on for so long now that it has started to take root.

We’re now operating in a space where there’s a lot of hate, there’s a lot of mis- and disinformation, and often a direct targeting of displaced communities and those that support them.

It’s harder for us as a team… and it’s harder for the young people we support to feel safe within their communities.

But we are as determined as ever… and the support from our partners, our funders, our volunteers has remained absolutely intact and it’s this that keeps me hopeful.

Q: What’s been the hardest part of leading from this position?
A: I feel a bit uncomfortable with the word leading in this context because I think it introduces a concept of hierarchy. For me it’s more about collective responsibility and collective action.

I hope that what I have done is create the space and provide support for others to lead - whether that’s the young people, the team or the volunteers. It’s about recognising and trusting the incredible knowledge and experience and passion within our community and giving people the support they need to do their jobs and to lead well.

But to answer the question… one of the hardest things over the last 8 years has been wearing multiple hats and setting boundaries around hours. I think if you’re passionate about something you’re always going to give more time than you have… and this is common in the charity sector. People go above and beyond and we all have to be mindful of burnout and self-care.

But it’s also been really hard to see how the world around us has changed and to know that we’re in a position now where people working in the refugee sector face threats and intimidation because of their work… and as for the constant onslaught of hostile asylum policies and negative language directed at people seeking asylum from both governments and media… well… that’s a whole other piece to be written another day.

It’s a lot to hold. But I have never felt alone in this space and that is something I’m incredibly grateful for.

I hope that our brilliant incoming chair, Sally, also feels that same support… knowing that we are a team and a community, that we all support each other and will always do our absolute best for the young people we work alongside.

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Carrying the work forward

As Sally steps into the role, she reflects on what she wants to carry forward.

Q: What drew you to Big Leaf and what stood out to you about its way of working?
A: Once you see Big Leaf in action, you can’t resist getting involved. I’ve worked in the charity sector for years, but I wanted to be part of an organisation that worked in Surrey where I live, and was thrilled to join Big Leaf as a trustee.
For me, the joy, hope and positivity of Big Leaf’s work is a big thing that sets us apart. Many of our young people have been through and continue to experience really tough times, but if you come to a Big Leaf session you’ll see laughter and friendship alongside practical help and skills development.

Big Leaf believes in the potential of every young person we work with. It runs through every part of our work, whether that’s playing football, making music or through casework. All the programmes are about building pathways for young people to reach that potential, and the support and connections needed along the way.

The young people Big Leaf works with face many challenges and generally don’t have the networks of family and friends to help them along. At Big Leaf, young people are met with the belief that they’ll learn, participate and contribute. Through that belief in them, you see young people building belief in themselves. Big Leaf really listens to what young people are struggling with and their ideas for how things could be better, and that shapes our future work.

Q: What does being Chair mean to you in practice, and how do you see the role of trustees in supporting the team and young people?
A: I’m proud to be part of such a needed and impressive organisation, and honoured to be part of its future. The world we’re working in is changing pretty rapidly, and that means we need to be flexible about how we work while holding on to our core beliefs.

The skills we’ve got in the staff and trustee team are extraordinary. I’m constantly impressed by the commitment everyone brings and their willingness to listen so that Big Leaf’s work reflects the best of us all. Even in the past year it’s been wonderful to see what we’ve achieved behind the scenes, building resilience for the future in our systems and finances.

Our staff team and the young people are the experts in the day to day work. The trustee board supports that by helping make the organisation more resilient, little by little, so it becomes easier and less exhausting to do the work that young people value.

We can’t do that job well if we only experience Big Leaf through trustee meetings. Part of our role is to see and feel what makes Big Leaf special from the perspective of young people and staff. We make better decisions if we bring all those perspectives into the discussion.

I want to be a support to our co-founders Kayte and Vicki and to the staff team, and make sure the trustee board provides the support and challenge that continues to strengthen the organisation for the future. We also have a role as allies, advocates and cheerleaders for Big Leaf and for the young people we support, bringing our different networks and experience to amplify the work.

Q: What excites you about this next chapter, and what would you like the Big Leaf community to know about how you intend to lead?
A: We’ve got some really exciting new work in our care leavers and peer casework projects, which will help us support young people in different ways, and I can’t wait to see how they establish over time.

I’m excited to see the progress of the young people we work with as individuals. It was wonderful to see our Young Leaders graduate last weekend. Speaking about your experiences to a room full of people is scary at the best of times, let alone in a language you’re still learning, so I’m in awe of their achievements and can’t wait to see what they do next.

Some of our young people have faced very difficult and scary experiences in the last few weeks, and I’ve been inspired to see Big Leaf stand strong by their sides and activate a powerful coalition of partners working together to support them. I hope that’s not something to repeat, but it’s a reminder of what we can achieve when we need to, and how much it matters that Big Leaf exists.

I’ll only ever be one part of leading Big Leaf. There is brilliant leadership at all levels from the trustees to staff and to our amazing young people taking on young leader, peer caseworker and ambassador roles. I certainly don't have all the answers, but between us we do. I hope to continue fostering Big Leaf's wonderful culture of basing decisions on the skills and insights we can all bring, as we challenge ourselves to keep improving.