Making a difference and changing lives as a Trustee at VAL

I have been part of Voluntary Action Leicestershire as a trustee for more than 8 years. This has been an excellent opportunity for me to support and shape VAL that aligns with my personal values and community goals – to make difference in the community and helping people to change their life for the better.

Being a trustee of Voluntary Action Leicestershire for me :

1.  Making a difference: Serving / Being a trustee of Voluntary Action Leicestershire feels like a chance to make a tangible difference. For me it is about helping an organisation that’s doing important work—supporting local communities, promoting social change, or providing essential services—achieving its goals more effectively.  I feel so proud to be part of this mission and it is incredibly fulfilling.

2. Commitment to Integrity and Accountability: Being a trustee of Voluntary Action Leicestershire means a strong commitment to integrity, making sure resources are used responsibly and decisions are made ethically. It’s an honour and a responsibility to be a steward of public trust, knowing that people rely on trustees to ensure the organisation is doing its best work in the most transparent and accountable way.

3. Learning and Growth: Being a trustee of Voluntary Action Leicestershire also means so much learning and growing personally and professionally. It involves gaining insights into governance, non-profit management, and community needs. Lot of opportunity to learn from others, getting a deep understanding of different aspects of community work, enhance you experience and develop new skills.

4. Building Community and Connection: Being a trustee of Voluntary Action Leicestershire also means to develop and strengthen community connections, bringing together people from various backgrounds with a shared passion and mission. It’s a unique role that builds meaningful relationships, from fellow trustees and staff to volunteers and community members who all share a common vision – to make difference in the community.

5. Giving Back: Being a trustee of Voluntary Action Leicestershire is one of the most impactful ways to give back. The role provides so many opportunities to leverage personal skills, time, energy and knowledge for a greater cause –to change people life for the better

In essence, I see being a trustee as a role of service, responsibility, and shared purpose—a chance to contribute meaningfully to VAL’s mission and, by extension, to society. It’s about providing guidance while embracing continuous learning, making a difference while being part of something impactful and meaningful.

Ajay Aggarwal

I have done a PhD from University of Delhi, India. My research was to study the Resettlement process of Tibetan refugees in India. It was also an attempt to understand the role of faith/religion, faith based identity and aspirations and expectation of a minority group in new socio-economic-political and legal framework. Also, I tried to explore the challenges faced by different community groups in India for social integration and community cohesion. I came to UK in 2006 and since then trying to understand the process of my own resettlement. It has been very good experience for me and enabled me to understand the aspirations and expectation of people like me who have come to UK from different socio-economic background. They are from different cultural background, have different faith, language, political belief and sometime part of disadvantaged groups including women and people with disabilities. Also trying to understand what are the challenges to promote greater interaction between different faith communities and why people from different background are living parallel life, what are the structural inequalities within our social/political/economic framework and what are the other challenges of community cohesion at various levels due to global village. I have been associated and worked with voluntary sector/charities for more than 20 years. I have been the founder member and Secretary of Faiths Forum for East Midlands. I have been associated with Leicester City of Sanctuary since last 5 years, and it has inspired me to develop knowledge of community work and to understand different perceptions and backgrounds.