The English Folk Dance and Song Society now has three board members under the age of 30 – and two aged under 23.
Charity boards should reflect the community as a whole. So, earlier in 2020, we put out a call for people aged between 18 and 30 years to join the Board of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. We were delighted with the response, and three new faces have now joined the board.
This is not a separate ‘youth board’ – the three young people are full members of the board, which meets regularly to plan for the organisation’s future.
Eleanor Telfer is 28 and hails from Gloucestershire. She recently finished her Master’s Degree in ethnology and folklore, with a focus on ethnomusicology. Eleanor is a volunteer with Glostrad, an organisation that promotes and preserves the traditional songs, dance and culture of the county, and was an organiser of the annual British Forum of Ethnomusicology conference while she was studying at the University of Aberdeen. Eleanor is a musician herself and is keen to promote and preserve traditions but also see development and experimentations of the ‘traditional’ to keep the traditions alive.
Martin Parker is from Leeds and is 21 years old. He is currently studying mathematics at the University of Oxford. Martin was a member of the first and second cohort of the National Youth Folk Ensemble and has played in a number of other bands including with fellow Ensemble alumni. Martin also organises folk events, and is developing his teaching skills; last summer he organised ceilidh dances and folk sessions in Germany and was an assistant tutor at Folkworks summer school. Martin wants to help raise the profile of folk music, dance and research.
Robyn Chicot, 22 years old, is from Lancashire and currently studying sciences at the University of Sheffield. She started dancing (display and social) and playing folk in her teens. When not studying, works with two Sheffield folk organisations – Sound Post and Folk Factory – as well as playing with ceilidh bands. Robyn wants to see greater opportunities for young people to engage with high quality folk dance and music activities across the country. Robyn also wants to see people from all backgrounds to be given the opportunity to engage with folk art.
