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Young Ambassador Programme (Wales)

The Young Ambassador (YA) programme was born in 2006 to bring the ‘Singapore Promise’ to life, a commitment made in 2005 by Seb Coe to ensure the London 2012 Games had a lasting legacy on young people around the world.
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Description

The YA programme aimed to see young people driving opportunity, engagement and change for other young people using the Olympic and Paralympic movement as a positive catalyst to do so. It was introduced in Wales in 2009 as part of the National School Games, held in Cardiff. In Wales today the Young Ambassadors programme is funded and heavily supported by Sport Wales and is a key element of their contribution to developing young people as leaders in sport.

It is estimated that there have been over 20,000 Young Ambassadors in Wales since 2009, and as part of the 2019/20 Wales Leadership Interventions report it was identified that there are over 3,000 currently active YAs across the 22 Local Authorities.

The Young Ambassador Journey

While we recognise that there will be differences across Wales to meet local need, this is guidance on what a typical Young Ambassador journey could look like to help with your planning:
  • Bronze Young Ambassadors at least two young people per academic year in Years 5 and 6 in primary school
  • Bronze+ Young Ambassadors transition from primary school to Years 7 and 8 in secondary school
  • Silver Young Ambassadors at least two young people per academic year, starting at Year 9 in secondary school
  • Gold Young Ambassadors Years 10, 11, 12, 13 or college age and have a county or regional remit (numbers depend on local requirements)
  • Platinum Young Ambassadors Years 10+ with at least one year's YA experience in school, college, university or volunteering in the community

The role of a Young Ambassador in Wales

At the heart of the Young Ambassador programme is the principle that their views, and those of other young people, are heard, valued and influence decision making and that they are engaged in driving change. The Young Ambassador programme aims to empower and inspire young people to become leaders through sport and to help enable sport in Wales to thrive.

In this context a Young Ambassador has two key roles:
  • to promote sport and motivate and inspire other young people to get involved in sport in a wide range of settings within their local communities, including schools, clubs and community organisations
  • to influence six key aspects of school sport:
    • extra-curricular sport provision
    • links to community sport opportunities
    • opportunities for competition
    • celebration of pupil achievements in sport
    • leadership opportunities for young people
    • PE in schools.
As role models and leaders for other young people, Young Ambassadors can have a pivotal role within their school and wider community.

For further information, please contact:
Aled Davies
Development Officer
[email protected]