New Leadership at First Give

We are sad to say that after 10 years, Louisa Searle is stepping down as our Director.

In 2014 she left teaching to join First Give as its first Programme Manager and part of a two-person founding staff team, to design a programme for young people in secondary schools that would help them connect with charities and feel like they could make a real, tangible different to their communities. Louisa has led the charity since 2017, and has seen it grow from a two person start-up working in a handful of London schools, to a well-respected charity that covers England and Wales. Since those early days, First Give has worked with nearly a quarter of a million young people across England and Wales, who have given over a million pounds of funding to mostly local charities, either through their own efforts or through winning grants from us.

Louisa says, “It has been a joy, every year, to witness the passion of these young people, sparked by the realization that they have the skills, energy and talents to help others – and that they have a responsibility, as we all do, to do so. I’m so proud of what the organisation has achieved and know that it is in a great position to achieve even more in its next 10 years.“

We are delighted to also share that our Board of Trustees has appointed Isaac Jones to be our next Director. Isaac is currently First Give’s Deputy Director, having joined the charity in 2017 as a Programme Manager. 

Isaac says, “The passion and kindness that young people demonstrate through the First Give programme, and the spark of social conscience that participation ignites are what make me and the whole First Give team come to work every day. I am so excited to be taking on the role of Director at this pivotal moment as we look towards our ambitions for the next 10 years. May young people continue to inspire us and our work!“