Young Ambassadors

Overview

Young Ambassadors England equips pupils with the skills and confidence to act as influencers, using sport and play to improve wellbeing, build friendships and foster understanding.

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

While it can be adapted as needed, our testing and evidence indicate that Years 8 and 9 are the most suitable age range for Young Ambassadors. 

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 mix of voices, experiences and backgrounds.
  • Access resources – digital guidance, an introductory teacher webinar and practical templates to help staff guide and support pupils (coming soon).
  • Support Young Ambassadors to take action – young people design and deliver social action projects that use physical activity to make a positive difference to school culture.
  • Reflect and celebrate – capture impact, share stories and recognise the difference Young Ambassadors are making.

The approach is fully flexible so schools can adapt it 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:

Improved Wellbeing

90% felt more connected to others

75% felt happier

Improved Physical Literacy

75% felt an increased enjoyment of sport and physical activity

70% felt more confident to take part

Improved Leadership Skills

80% felt more courageous

80% felt they had improved their problem-solving

60% felt more resilient

60% felt a greater sense of empathy

*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
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.

Get in touch

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

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