Volunteering with Youth Employment UK is great for your confidence, youth empowerment and your CV! Meet our Youth Ambassador Sophie Wheeler.
You can also read more Youth Ambassador stories, and volunteer as a Youth Ambassador if you live in the UK and you’re aged 16-24…
A bit about me
I’m a recent graduate, graduating from the University of Leeds last year in the middle of a pandemic. I was searching for opportunities to volunteer and hopefully give back some of the skills and insights I had developed throughout university and came across Youth Employment UK after a quick google search.
What inspired me to join Youth Employment UK as a Youth Ambassador
I was inspired to join Youth Employment UK as I had faced my own struggles in finding relevant careers guidance and opportunities and I feel like the pandemic has further exacerbated the challenges and inequalities young people face. I wanted to give back to other young people facing challenges in their education and careers and give back wherever possible.
What I’ve Been Doing Since Starting My Youth Ambassador Journey
I have contributed to APPGs on issues regarding Youth Employment and the kickstart scheme as well as contributing to Youth Employment’s Symposium event looking at the issue of disability in the workplace and how employers can provide empower young people with mental health issues to be able to bring their full selves to work. I have also written a number of blogs for Youth Employment UK and try wherever possible to share my experiences and lessons learned with other young people.
How volunteering has helped me
Volunteering as a Youth Ambassador has empowered me to recognise the value of my experience as a young person and the importance of sharing my experiences both with key decision makers as well as other young people. I also feel better equipped to understand the diversity of experiences young people face with regard to employment so that I can consider ways in which I can help more effectively.
Advice I Would Give To A Young Person Who Was Unsure About Joining The Youth Ambassador Team
I would tell them to give it a shot. The team at Youth Employment UK are so lovely and welcoming. It doesn’t matter your background; they will work with you to help you develop your unique value and voice and it’s a great opportunity to make friends with young people from across the country.
Being a Youth Ambassador in just one sentence…
Becoming a Youth Ambassador is about recognising your unique value and voice as a young person.
What people in charge really need to know about youth employment today…
Young people need to be included at every stage of the policy making process, not just at the very end. Nothing about us, without us.
Advice I would give myself 5 years ago
I would tell myself that confidence is a skill. As with any skill it takes practise, you can claim to be as confident as you want cooped up by yourself in your room. Faking it until you make it will only get you so far, you need to work on developing skills and experiences you can actually be confident about. Also, don’t care so much what other people think. The people that matter don’t mind and the people who mind don’t matter.
Aged 16-24? Volunteer with us as a Youth Ambassador
Want to join our amazing team of Youth Ambassadors?
Volunteer with Youth Employment UK and you’ll gain so much more than something great to put on your CV. (You’ll get that too.)
Find out more about volunteering with us
