Volunteering with Youth Employment UK is great for your confidence, youth empowerment and your CV! Meet our Youth Ambassador Victoria.
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 Victoria and I’m a 21-year-old university student from London. I am currently in the final year of my psychology degree. I became a Youth Employment UK ambassador in 2019 while I was on my gap year. I am very passionate about youth advocacy and including young people in decision-making, healthcare, and disability rights. I love learning new things and some of my hobbies include art, reading and baking.
What inspired me to join Youth Employment UK as a Youth Ambassador
During my gap year I began to get more involved social action work and I was looking for organisations that prioritised young people and gave them a voice. I liked that Youth Employment UK gave young people a platform and gave them the opportunity to speak to people who can enact change. I also liked that Youth Employment UK educates young people about the different options available to them as a lot of schools do not.
Opportunities and events I have been involved with so far…
Being a Youth Ambassador has given me many opportunities such as representing Youth Employment UK at All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meetings, conferences, and events where I was able to share my experiences and hear from other young people, talk to decision makers and business about how they can support young people. One experience that stood out to me was when I had the opportunity to run a workshop for Youth Employment UK at a cardiomyopathy conference for young people. This event highlighted to me the importance of understanding the barriers that different groups of young people face when accessing employment or further education.
How volunteering as a Youth Ambassador has helped me…
Volunteering as a Youth Ambassador has helped me to develop my confidence, communication, and networking skills. Being an ambassador also taught me about different employment and educate routes I was not taught about in school. In addition to this it gave me the chance to use my voice to help others and meet many people who supported me on my career journey.
Advice I would give to a young person who was unsure about joining the Youth Ambassador team
The experience you will gain as an ambassador will be invaluable. You do not need to have a lot of knowledge about Youth employment or policy to join you just need to be willing to learn and share your experiences, opinions, and ideas. Everyone at Youth Employment UK is very supportive and open to hearing new ideas and suggestions.
Being a Youth Ambassador in just one sentence…
Being a Youth Ambassador has helped me to develop skills and experience while also using my voice to promote and support change.
What the people in charge really need to know about youth employment today
Young people are an asset to companies and bring in new and innovative ideas. Young people from a variety of backgrounds need to be recruited and trained as they make up the new workforce. Therefore, employers need to focus on doing more to support young people in entry level jobs.
What I might say to someone who isn’t feeling confident about their skills or future
Take every opportunity open to you and start small with one volunteer role and build your experience and skills until you gain the confidence in your ability to apply for the roles you want. Any role you do either voluntary or paid you have the chance to gain transferable skills.
What would I tell me 5 years ago
Life is not a race, slow down.
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
