Home » Cardiff teen 1 of just 35 from across UK to advocate for young people as a DofE Award Youth Ambassador 
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Cardiff teen 1 of just 35 from across UK to advocate for young people as a DofE Award Youth Ambassador 

A 16-YEAR-OLD from Cardiff wants to encourage other girls to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), after being selected as a UK Youth Ambassador for the charity.  

Emma Norris joins a cohort of just 35 DofE Award holders aged 16-24 from all over the UK, who will advocate for young people by sharing their expertise on key issues impacting them. Together, they will make young people’s voices heard by speaking at events, meeting key decision-makers in Parliament and beyond, and feeding into decisions to shape the direction of the DofE charity’s work. 

Already a keen hockey and netball player, Emma jumped at the chance to be able to incorporate her interest in sport into her DofE. She was able to volunteer at CTK netball club and Whitchurch hockey club as a coach to the younger teams, which helped develop her confidence and leadership skills.  

Emma said: “Initially I thought I wouldn’t have time to commit to DofE, but I was surprised that I could do loads of activities I was doing anyway.

“Coaching the younger teams has been so much fun, and really rewarding – it’s never been an extra burden, I always come away feeling uplifted.” 

Emma was inspired to become a Youth Ambassador by her late grandpa, who ignited a love of hiking and always advocated for Emma to get involved with DofE. 

Emma added: “My grandpa always encouraged me to take every opportunity that came my way, and I know he would have been really proud.

“As a Youth Ambassador, I’m really looking forward to making a positive contribution, even if only to one person – I really want to give something back to the thing that has given me so much confidence.

“Sometimes young people – especially girls – can have self-doubt, but DofE has opened my eyes; there’s no reason why I can’t achieve my goals.” 

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing – Emma tore three tendons in her ankle just before her Silver Expedition, and only had her boot removed the day before she set off. She did everything possible to recover in time and even with all the stress, she still considers that Expedition to be one of the highlights of her DofE experience as it proved to her what she was capable of. 

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Funded by The Gosling Foundation, the Youth Ambassador programme puts young people front and centre as future leaders, involving them in shaping the DofE’s work to benefit other young people. 

DofE Youth Ambassadors have met Ministers and MPs, spoken at high-profile events such as party conferences and DofE Gold Award celebrations in Buckingham Palace Gardens, represented the DofE at international forums and played a pivotal role feeding into key decisions across the charity. Emma has already started advocating for young people by attending this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, where she met with MPs and spoke at DofE events. 

Ashley Williams, UK Youth Engagement Manager at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “Emma is one of many young people who has achieved incredible things through their DofE.

“As a charity, we’re determined to put young people at the heart of everything we do and to give them as many opportunities as we can to make a positive impact on the issues they care about – I am excited to see the positive impact our new cohort of Youth Ambassadors make this year. 

“It’s not an easy time to be a young person, with the ongoing after-effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis to contend with. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that all young people can access opportunities like the DofE, which let them have fun, grow their resilience and self-belief, and develop vital skills they can’t always get in the classroom.” 

To do their DofE, young people aged 14-24 choose activities in four sections: improving a Physical and Skills activity, Volunteering for a cause of their choice, and completing a demanding Expedition. Along the way they have fun, grow in resilience and self-belief, discover new talents and passions, and learn practical skills to help them in future – while working towards a highly respected Award. 

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