Background:
Mindfulness Wales/Meddylgarwch Cymru registered as a Charitable Interest Organisation in January 2021 with the charitable purpose of working with partners to embed mindfulness (and compassion) and its values and intentions within Welsh society and at the heart of policy making for the benefit of organisations, communities and individuals to enable them to experience high quality mindfulness provision to enhance their emotional and mental health and develop the skills, techniques and understanding to promote flourishing and alleviate distress.
Becoming a charity provides considerable benefits, including fundraising opportunities. This enables us to develop our vision further and increase benefit to the mindfulness community and the public, private and third sector organisations and individuals that this community serves.
The organisation has grown from the longstanding development of mindfulness in Wales and the collaboration of the mindfulness community including links with the Mindfulness Initiative. A meeting in March 2019 between Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales and Chris Ruane, then MP for Vale of Clwyd, accompanied by key members of the mindfulness community in Wales enabled us to take this further. The group worked with Welsh Government officials to take forward the ideas arising from that meeting which were shared with a much wider audience at a major conference in November 2019, with the First Minister as keynote speaker.
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) status enables us to harness the energy and enthusiasm from that conference and enable us to support and where appropriate initiate the development and implementation of mindfulness to create a fairer, kinder and more compassionate society in Wales.
We have initiated a series of online events aimed at creating a network of people in Wales with and interest in and commitment to extending the use of mindfulness in all sectors in Wales. So far these have included external speakers to inform and inspire, and networking discussions to share and develop the existing good practice growing in Wales.
Mindfulness Wales is currently a developing organisation facilitated by a small group of seven active and engaged Trustees and supported by the wider network.
We are now seeking to extend the Board to the maximum of nine Trustees as set out in our constitution to facilitate the ongoing development of the charity. In particular we are seeking to appoint two additional Trustees with expertise in:
- Communication – developing the network, social media, website, promotion
- Fund raising and grant management
Role specification:
The trustees are the guardians of the charity, ensuring it stays within its remit. This will include:
- Acting as ambassadors for the organisation and representing the organisation in different forums.
- Supporting relevant activities to take forward the purpose of the charity, including for example networking, discussion and working groups, fundraising activities.
- Developing, reviewing and approving the direction of the organisation and relevant strategy and business plans.
Location, remuneration and time commitments:
Most meetings are held electronically with occasional face-to-face meetings and events. Trustees would normally be appointed for three years. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed in line with the expenses policy.
In some exceptional circumstances the CIO will make recompense to a minority of Trustees in recognition of the additional and specific workload they perform.
There will be regular trustee meetings (currently monthly) of about two hours duration. There may be time required to read or prepare papers in advance of meetings. Outside of meetings, trustees may be asked to advise on areas of the charity’s activities in relation to their particular skills. Over and above the trustee meetings, a trustee may volunteer for other activities, such as:
- leading a working party
- participating in a project
- recruitment of staff and volunteers
- representing Mindfulness Wales on various governance arrangements with partner organisations.
Mindfulness Wales intends to work with people of all ages and abilities, including young people and people who may be vulnerable in some way. In line with best Safeguarding practice we require all Trustees, whether or not they are involved directly in this work, to be subject to DBS checks.
Additional information available on request:
- CIO constitution
- Mindfulness Wales Values
- General duties of a Trustee/Board (Jigsaw)
Interested? Next steps:
For a discussion about the role and Mindfulness Wales, contact Liz Williams Chair of Trustees on mindfulnesswalescio@gmail.com to arrange a phone call or Zoom.
Please let us know before the end of September 2021 if you have the skills described above, the capacity and commitment and might be interested in joining the Board of Mindfulness Wales/Meddylgarwch Cymru by emailing to mindfulnesswalescio@gmail.com
Mindfulness Wales/Meddylgarwch Cymru CIO
Person specification for Trustees
| Requirements | Essential | Desirable |
| Experience / Knowledge | Extensive knowledge and experience in one or more of the following:A personal mindfulness awareness and practice.A commitment to extending accessibility to mindfulness across sectors in Wales.The Wales policy context on mindfulness, health and/or wellbeingInformation technologyCommunity developmentFund raising Management/governance in charitable organizations MarketingWorking with Diversity | Understanding of Mindfulness-Based Approaches Experience of being part of a networking or facilitating organisation |
| Skills and attributes | Strong interpersonal skills A team player, able to work towards a shared vision | Experience in a similar role Knowledge and experience of the charitable sector Welsh language skills. |
| Personal qualities and abilities | Commitment to the development of mindfulness-based approaches | Open to innovation and creative approach to challenges |
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