Our Youth Ambassadors are a dynamic team of volunteers aged 16- 24 years old working together to share their voice and the voice of the peers to help tackle some of the employment barriers young people face in the UK. Here Harvey tells us about his journey since joining us in 2016.
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.
Tell us about a bit about you…
I’m Harvey; I’m a 20-year-old Young Entrepreneur from Sheffield. I am an enthusiastic, driven and creative individual with a passion for IT, digital marketing and bringing positive change to young people across the UK. I have a strong work ethic with entrepreneurial flair and a consistent desire to learn and develop, I love getting involved with new projects and trying new things. I am currently studying BA (Honours) Business and Enterprise Management at Sheffield Hallam University (2nd Year).
Why did you join Youth Employment UK as a Youth Ambassador?
I first heard about Youth Employment UK through my wonderful friend, Ruth Carter at OCR. I met Ruth in Sheffield in 2015, and she invited me as a guest to an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting for Youth Employment in November 2015 and told me all about the positive work that Youth Employment UK does for young people. After the APPG, I felt inspired and immediately knew I wanted to join as a Youth Ambassador to contribute to the many great projects and APPG meetings that the organisation delivers.
I made an application to become an Ambassador in January 2016, and I’ve never looked back. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done!
What have you been involved in so far?
Where do I start? I’ve had so many incredible opportunities since joining! Some of my highlights include interviewing City Year UK Ambassadors about their experiences in local primary schools last November. This opened my eyes and made me realise just how much needs to change in UK primary schools to ensure both teachers, support staff and students have the best possible experience during their time there.
I recently had the pleasure of sharing my story with Rt Hon Anne Milton MP in Parliament and contributing to numerous Youth Employment UK reports over the last couple of years.
I’ve also been lucky enough to speak at high profile events such as the Transport Focus Bus Research conference, and everything I’ve been involved in has helped to boost my confidence.
How has being a Youth Ambassador benefited you?
As someone who struggled through secondary school and part of Sixth Form as a result of a lot of bullying, it’s taken me a long time to build my confidence back up to where I want it to be.
Being a Youth Ambassador for Youth Employment UK has helped me with my personal and professional development, and I’m now able to use my own experiences to help others, I find this rewarding. It’s great being able to see the scale of the impact Youth Employment UK’s work has and being a part of it is incredible. Being an Ambassador has allowed me to have a huge social impact and also progress my career.
Would you recommend others to become a Youth Ambassador? Why?
Youth Employment UK has empowered me and made me more confident. I’m now confident enough to speak out, and I know I can make a difference. I feel like I’ve got a greater voice now because I’ve got a fantastic platform in which I can share my thoughts and opinions on – I’m really grateful to the Youth Employment UK team for allowing me to speak at events and APPGs but also enabling me to write regular blogs to share my experiences, thoughts and experiences on various important topics.
Become a Youth Employment UK Ambassador today; I know you’ll find it really rewarding.
Want To Know More About Being A Youth Ambassador?
Youth Ambassadors sign up to 10 – 15 hours of volunteering a month. In exchange we support them with opportunities to really make a difference, as well as ongoing training and support.
Volunteering focuses on 3 key areas of our work to support young people in their journey towards employment:
- Helping young people build their Young Professional skills and confidence through attending panels, events and conferences to help inform policy, as well as through optional creative work like blogging and vlogging
- Empowering young people to share their experiences, barriers and challenges to employment
- Educating and supporting organisations to create more youth friendly opportunities for all young people
