Young Ambassadors

Overview

Young Ambassadors England is a growing movement of pupils using sport and play to influence change in their schools and communities. It supports them to build confidence, develop leadership skills and strengthen wellbeing, while creating opportunities for connection, belonging and positive action.

The movement is designed primarily for secondary settings, with adaptable resources that can be tailored to different age groups and school contexts.

Across England, schools are supporting pupils to lead, influence and inspire through the Young Ambassadors movement.

Watch our video to see how schools across England are helping pupils lead, influence and inspire.

How it Works

Young Ambassadors England provides a practical framework for developing leadership and youth voice through sport and physical activity.

Schools can:

Recruit their Young Ambassadors – pupils who demonstrate enthusiasm, empathy and a desire to make a difference, representing a diverse mix of voices, experiences and backgrounds.
Access support and resources – including digital guidance, an introductory teacher webinar and practical tools to help staff guide and support pupils.
Enable Young Ambassadors to take action – supporting young people to listen to their peers, shape ideas and influence change, using physical activity to create a more inclusive and positive school culture.
Reflect and celebrate impact – capturing learning, sharing stories and recognising the difference Young Ambassadors are making.

The approach is flexible so schools can adapt delivery to their setting, timetable and young people.

Impact and Benefits

The 2024/25 academic year was a test-and-learn phase for Young Ambassadors England, delivered in partnership with secondary schools and evaluated by the Youth Sport Trust Research & Insight Team.

Early findings show that pupils taking part experienced clear improvements in wellbeing, confidence and leadership skills.

Key outcomes from the pilot

Following the programme, Young Ambassadors reported they had:

*Please note: the findings below are based on a small pilot sample ahead of national rollout.

Pool Academy’s Story

At Pool Academy in Cornwall, Young Ambassadors created lunchtime activity clubs for pupils who were less active, struggled with friendships or found PE challenging.

Seventeen pupils attended three times a week, including several with SEND.

Read the full case study

I’ve seen students who have been PE refusers join in PE lessons, and those who used to be on their own at lunchtime now have somewhere to go now.

Teacher

Ways to Access

You must login or register for a free Youth Sport Trust account to access these resources. Click here to get started.

Why it Matters

Young people want to be heard – yet many still lack meaningful opportunities to lead and influence. Leadership roles often reach the same few pupils, while those from seldom-heard groups can feel excluded.

Only 51% of young people feel they belong (Good Childhood Report 2022)
Only 28% of parents feel their child has a meaningful voice in school (YST PE and School Report 2025)
53% of young people are not meeting physical activity guidelines (Sport England Active Lives 2024/25)
1 in 7 young people aged 16–24 were NEET in Dec 2024 – the highest in 11 years (ONS 2024)

Young Ambassadors tackles this by equipping pupils with the confidence, support and recognition to lead, consult with peers and drive positive change through sport and physical activity.

Read more about the power of youth voice in sport in our blog here.

Get in touch

Ready to bring Young Ambassadors to your school? Contact Cissy Radford, Development Officer - Leadership.