The 27th and 28th May 2016 will be forever remembered both on a personal and organisational level for Youth Employment UK, as we hosted our first ever (of many more to come) training residential for our Young Ambassadors.
Gathering at the Park Inn in Peterborough, we welcomed 25 Ambassadors from a variety of backgrounds. A number of them were Corporate Ambassadors, representing their Youth Friendly organisations as well as YEUK, along with our Volunteer Ambassadors with their own personal reasons for getting involved.
The Friday evening consisted of some introductory ice breaker activities to allow our Ambassadors, most of whom had never met each other before, to get to know each other. This was followed by a delicious three course meal. We were also able to add to the weekend by presenting Ambassador of the Year 2015 – Jack Welch – with his award in person. (There was also some passionate discussion over the topic of the impending EU Referendum, with a mix of strong views on both sides of the camp.)
Saturday began with the Ambassadors organising themselves into regional groups before being given a proper induction into YEUK, its cause and vision by Laura-Jane. Our very own apprentice and Youth Ambassador, Rhiannon was then called upon to present our new look website to the group and how to engage with it.
David Shindler of Learning to Leap and YEUK Non-Executive Director introduced our Ambassadors to Public Speaking, setting them all the task of promoting themselves in one minute! Many of the Ambassadors were brave enough to have a go from the front, receiving feedback from the group. David was followed by Neil Burke from Youth Focus North East, who coordinated the closing session in which our regional teams identified and planned ways in which they would operate and reach out in their local areas.
By the close of the weekend, all of our Ambassadors were energised and felt more capable of representing YEUK. Feedback was very positive and here are just some of the comments from those who attended:
“Feel more confident in myself and that I’m surrounded by great team mates.”
“Really enjoyed it, excellent way of team building.”
“The support I’ve received has been amazing.”
“Thank you very much for this weekend. I’m really looking forward to being an Ambassador.”
So, all in all it has been a fantastic weekend, and we are looking forward to hosting more Ambassadors for training in future, as well as seeing what will result from this significant step in YEUK’s history.
Useful Links
If you would like to have the opportunity to attend future YEUK training events, and other exciting activities, check out our Youth Ambassador Programme.
Alternatively, if your organisation would be interested in sponsoring you, or someone else as a Corporate Ambassador, visit the Corporate Ambassador page to find out more.
