Background
The Young Trustees is a group of early career individuals that actively champion emerging and underrepresented voices from within, and beyond, the built environment.
We facilitate an open and inclusive programme that celebrates fresh narratives, unlocks new forms of discourse, reimagines definitions. We hold space for diverse experiences and empower others to become agents of change within the(ir) built environment. We connect people, share resources, and back the conversations that genuinely matter, not just the ones the industry expects.
We’re the Young Trustees, the cheeky side of the Architecture Foundation.
Our origins and our relationship to the Architecture Foundation
The Young Trustees was first formed in 2017 by a group of early-career practitioners who had volunteered on past Architecture Foundation events curating programmes and chairing panels. While this initial iteration did not have an official structure, it laid the groundwork for what came next.
As that first group began to test ideas: creating a Facebook group, drafting newsletters, and imagining a wider Architecture Foundation Young Network, the need for a more defined platform became clear. A re-launch followed, led by Benni Allan and Rhea Martin as co-chairs, alongside an open call to expand the group.
This marked a shift toward what the Young Trustees are today. We began to pursue our own research and activities, harnessing the opportunity and importance of platforming under-represented voices in the built environment. We became a branch of the Architecture Foundation charity operating independently with our own funding campaigns and workstreams.
In 2020, during the pandemic, we worked with the Architecture Foundation on its diversity and inclusion policy. This formalised an arrangement for the Young Trustees co-chairs to sit on the AF’s main board of trustees where they ensure that our dedication to diversity and inclusion resonates through the wider programme and governance.
We’re not prescriptive and we’re shaped by the individuals within our group, every cohort offers something unique and exciting and we enjoy the energy and creativity this brings to the overarching theme of shaping a better built environment.
How we work
We work collectively, dynamically and share authorship. In 2022 the cohort co‑wrote what has since become our manifesto.
Each member drafted a personal statement describing the Young Trustees’ purpose, these texts were then thematically collaged into a single document that captures who we are, what we do and why we do it. The exercise not only crystallised our values but also inspired an Open City Accelerate workshop on crafting collective manifestos.
Today the Young Trustees manifesto remains our touchstone, illustrating our intent, ambitions and celebrating the way we work.