We are so thrilled to introduce our new trustee, Jonathan Boateng. We caught up with Jonathan to get to know a bit more about his role at Magic Breakfast…
Jonathan is a partner within EY’s Wealth and Asset Management assurance practice, having joined the firm as a graduate in 2014. He is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusiveness and also acts as a mentor with various foundations and networks. Jonathan lives in London and has a particular love for football, both playing and coaching.
How did you get introduced to Magic Breakfast? What drew you to the cause?
It was a matter of fortune really! I attended a networking event ran by EPOC (Empowering People of Colour) where they talked us all through how to get onto boards, the responsibilities you would have and how to be an effective board member. I was not looking for a role at the time but thought it would be interesting to listen in. Following that, I was on the mailing list for EPOC with roles and saw that Magic Breakfast were looking for a new trustee. The cause of the charity really caught my attention as someone who came from an economically-disadvantaged background. Despite being very busy at work, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a great way for me to give back to society and so I applied for the role and here I am!
What’s your favourite part about being a trustee for Magic Breakfast?
The mission statement for Magic Breakfast is so unique yet so important. To be a trustee, helping to support the charity to make a huge impact on children’s lives really resonates with me and my purpose. The Board and management have such a wide range of experience and so much enthusiasm, so my favourite moments are when we get together to discuss ideas and bounce off each other, knowing that everyone is aligned in making a difference in ending child morning hunger for good. I joined the Board as the kids were starting to break up for the summer holiday so I also can’t wait to eventually visit some of our partner schools and see the impact we are having.
What challenges do you think organisations in this sector face?
Naturally when you explain what Magic Breakfast stands for, a lot of people either do not realise how much of an issue child morning hunger is, or they already believe that the government should be leading on doing something about this already, which can impact the amount of donations and support. We are also living in a time where the cost of living has gone up and people are feeling the pinch, and organisations are focusing on cost control, resulting in a lack of extra cash for charitable donations. This impacts the amount of schools that we can deliver breakfasts to. So it’s important that we continue to campaign using evidence-based research to educate and remind people as to why this is so important and why everyone’s help is needed.
What are you most looking forward to achieving whilst a trustee for Magic Breakfast?
With a new government that has shown initial commitment to school breakfast provision in its manifesto, there is great opportunity to make some real progress in ending child morning hunger in the next five years. But there is still a long way to go, including understanding the final contents of the Children’s Wellbeing Bill and how the government plans to implement the promises within its manifesto. So the future is still very much unknown but there is so much hard work behind the scenes at Magic Breakfast, which I believe means that we can have a really meaningful impact on children and young people’s lived experiences.
Finally, we have to ask…what’s your favourite breakfast?
When I last answered this, I very much split the crowd but I am going to stick to my guns, I really don’t think you can wrong with a bowl of Weetabix (with warm milk of course)!
