Reigate College is, and will continue to be, a stand-out experience of my life. The connections and experience I had at College are deeply important to me: I met one of my closest friends there and I’m forever grateful for that, especially as friendship and community were deeply impacted by Covid, which significantly affected my university experience.
I didn’t have the best time in secondary school. I was always seen as ‘a bit weird’ and being openly neurodivergent didn’t really help that. Because I found the social aspect of school so hard, I was worried this would continue into College, but I was very wrong: I managed to find my place and enjoy the full experience of my education, for which I am hugely grateful. I am always surprised how often I use the information I learned in my adult life and career, especially from Economics and Politics.
I would always recommend Reigate College to young people I know – it was so valuable to be treated as the young adults that you are and the teachers were some of the best I’ve had. Receiving a bursary and free school meals meant that despite College being a bit far away from home, I wasn’t negatively impacted and could access my education as well as anyone else. I took on leadership roles such as Women’s Officer for the Students’ Union and volunteered as a Student Mentor. I also enjoyed the Debate Club and Aspire Programme, as these were always interesting.
Moving on to university, I had a good first term at Bath but in my mind, the lasting legacy of my university experience was remote learning during Covid with the majority of my degree completed while living at home. Although it had its benefits, as someone who is neurodivergent, it was also deeply isolating and left me feeling like I had lost out on something. That’s something I am still working through.
When I graduated, I didn’t have a particular plan and started working in retail because my student loan and bursary came to an end and I didn’t have the money to travel or properly focus on job searches. Luckily, earlier in the year, a Reigate friend had mentioned a paid training scheme called the 2027 Programme which gets working class people into the grant-giving sector. Traditionally the profession attracts white, middle-class people, which is a significant problem given the power and privilege that comes with working in this field.
While working on my third-year dissertation, I applied to the Programme but knew that competition was high so I wasn’t that optimistic about my success. But in the August after graduating, I was matched with an organisation and felt a tremendous sense of relief. However, the day before I was due to start, I had a major setback when the job offer was withdrawn with no explanation to me or the programme managers. This was quite devastating and I felt like I’d failed in some way. I’d also handed in my notice, so suddenly felt directionless and jobless. Fortunately, these feelings didn’t last long as I was re-matched with Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. This was a brilliant opportunity that meant I could start building my career – something the women in my family haven’t really had the privilege of.
As a Grants Coordinator for Battersea’s Asia, Africa and UK grant funding, I worked alongside the most amazing strategic thinkers. My work travels took me to Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Wales and Northern Ireland. It was such a fantastic learning experience, developing my leadership skills and how to be a fair and equitable grant funder.
As one of a cohort of 20 people from around the country on the 2027 programme, I benefited from professional development sessions, peer learning and mentoring. It was also a space to be honest and open and to discuss difficulties navigating the workplace: this was important, especially for those of us who didn’t necessarily have social capital and industry knowledge within our families. Whether it was learning how to format an email or deal with constructive criticism, it was an invaluable space, and I will keep the connections I made with me for the rest of my career.
After 18 months at Battersea, I knew it was time to take the next step and use the plethora of skills and experience I’d gained to make an impact somewhere new. So now I’m a Grants Programmes Officer at Maudsley Charity, which is both an NHS and community funder specialising in mental health. It’s great because we have oversight on how all sorts of organisations are affected by policy, politics and social issues.
Currently, I mainly work on the NHS strand, which means I’m supporting South London and Maudsley NHS Trust – one of the biggest mental health trusts in the UK. My role means I’m working to help the communities and people who need support and funding the most, access this. It’s really exciting because it’s a step up in responsibility and I get to manage a small scheme of grants myself. For example, Change Makers grants where Trust staff can apply for up to £2,000 for projects as diverse as staff support, patient support and lived experience.
One of my highlights so far has been my work on lived experience and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), including assessing how grant schemes could perpetuate systemic inequalities; writing a blog about my experience as a working-class, neurodivergent woman; and ensuring that EDI is embedded into the backbone of our work.
The third sector is more important now than ever: communities and services are stretched thin, and I think the world feels more tenuous and scary than ever. Often, in the charity sector, I think you can absorb some of that and feel a bit hopeless, but I always say pessimism and a belief that nothing will ever change only ever serves the oppressor – everything has the ability to change, and that can be for the better.
Of course, plans for the future can be a bit nerve-wracking – what if I have high hopes and goals, but they are dashed and I’m left with nothing? But despite an ever-present anxiety about the future, I am hoping to stay in Grant Making and Philanthropy, as I see it as a great way of being able to right some wrongs and tackle inequalities. I’d love to get to the place where I could coach and mentor, as the informal mentors and coaches I’ve had have been invaluable, both personally and professionally. I’d also love to work more on systems change and develop my skills and knowledge around that.
My advice to College students is to take part, contribute and speak up in class – those skills will only get you further and will make everything in the world of being a young adult a little easier. The only thing certain in this life is uncertainty (excuse the cliché) and you don’t need to have everything sorted and planned out.
But I would also say it’s important to keep learning. If you stop, you can stagnate and that’s when life and work might start to bring you down. When you’re learning, you are growing and developing, and you can never be limited.
Madeleine Trubee
Reigate College: 2017-2019
Higher education: BSc Politics and International Relations, University of Bath
Currently: Grants Programmes Officer, Maudsley Charity
