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Youth Ambassador Scheme

Become a youth ambassador and make a difference

Join our Youth Ambassador Scheme and become part of a community of like-minded peer leaders throughout the South West.

Working alongside NSSW staff, you’ll discover new opportunities for yourself while building transferable employability skills and your self-confidence. You’ll also ensure that student voices from your school are heard, while informing your peers of useful resources and upcoming events. You’ll also provide support to your in-school coordinator.

With a positive attitude, you’ll make a real difference to others in your school by being a role model and a motivating force.

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Your role

As a committed youth ambassador, you’ll have the option to get involved in a range of activities, such as peer mentoring, marketing, providing feedback, presenting, and more. As a result, you’ll develop the communication, organisation, and leadership skills that will enrich your CV and help with future college, university and job applications.

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What you will get?

As a youth ambassador, you will receive a certificate in recognition of your accomplishments. You’ll also develop your abilities in:

  • Written and oral communication
  • Public speaking
  • Team working
  • Creativity and using initiative
  • Planning and time-management
  • Self-motivation

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Could you see yourself supporting in the following areas of responsibility?

  • Being an aspirational role model
  • Being a promoter of NSSW events and activities
  • Being a presenter
  • Being a community ambassador
  • Being a helper of operations

How about assisting with these tasks?

  • Peer encouragement and gathering feedback
  • Promoting toolkits, online resources and guides
  • Public speaking and assemblies
  • Creating content for communications, such as a newsletter, social media and blogs
  • Updating noticeboards and information zones
  • Printing and organising documents

If becoming a youth ambassador appeals to you, find out how to get involved below.

How can I join?

Your in-school coordinator will decide which year groups will participate in this program for your school. For more information about the opportunities in your school, eligibility, or to make an application, please speak with your NSSW in-school coordinator or contact us directly at nextstepssw@plymouth.ac.uk

If instructed to do so, you may need to fill out one of our application forms which can be found here:

Application for KS4 (secondary)

Application for KS5 (sixth-form/college)

Supporting you

Youth ambassadors will be provided with ongoing support and resources. Your involvement will be recognised by the wearing of a NSSW badge to symbolize that you are a trusted member of our team and are ‘happy to help’.

Each ambassador is given a skills passport so you can map your skills development and job experiences. Each page in the passport is designed to guide you through your different job responsibilities and help you recognise the competencies you are developing in each situation. Use it to review your strengths, concerns and areas of improvement, and as a record for referring to when writing future applications. This log of your soft skills is useful when completing your Skills Map on Careerpilot.

Your in-school coordinator will use the log to comment on your contribution and this will become valuable evidence of your skills and experience.

Download your Youth Ambassador Skills Passport here.

Blog it!

Use Your Voice

We love hearing from our youth ambassadors, so if you have a story to tell or advice to give, then why not become one of our guest bloggers? Writing a blog will give you the chance to use your voice to entertain or help others

If this interests you, get in touch with your NSSW in-school coordinator to discuss your topic. Once completed, they will submit it for you.

Each month there will be different themes and topics that we’d like to cover, but we are open to suggestions if there is something you are really passionate about sharing.

When writing a blog post, consider the following points:

  • Length: Try to keep the word count to around 400-600 words – any longer and your audience may not read it.
  • Title: Headings need to grab the reader’s attention and make them want to click on the post.
  • Audience: Make sure that your writing style and language is appropriate, and that the content is relatable to its intended audience.
  • Tone: You’ll get a lot more interest if the blog remains positive, inspirational, and supportive to the group you are writing for.
  • Paragraphs: Readers find short paragraphs easier to digest. Sub-headings and bullet points can really help too.
  • Extras: Consider adding good quality images, web links, or hashtags. Additions like these can bring your work to life and make it more engaging, but remember to ensure that they’re relevant to the post.
  • Be yourself: Whilst your chosen blog topic might draw in readers, it’s your personality and voice that will keep them reading.

What’s next?

Have a chat with your in-school coordinator and let them know that you’re keen to get involved. Write your post, including your full name and year group, and submit. Then, sit back and keep an eye open for your piece on our social media channels and website #nextstepssw

So what are you waiting for? Go and get creative!

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