Young Ambassadors Team Day Brings Inspiration and Ideas to the Fore
20 June 2025
Our DYW Young Ambassadors came together this week for a lively and inspiring end-of-year team day at Hollywood Bowl Inverness, bringing energy, insight, and enthusiasm to a packed programme that celebrated achievements and looked ahead to exciting new opportunities.
The day began with a morning session of reflection and planning. Thirteen of this year’s Young Ambassadors took part in reviewing their activities from the 2024/25 academic year – exploring what worked well, recognising their standout successes, and identifying areas for improvement. It was also a valuable opportunity to start shaping plans for the 2025/26 year, with plenty of fresh ideas and ambitions already on the table.
A key focus of the session was hearing directly from our Young Ambassadors about how they want to continue giving a voice to young people in the Highlands. They shared thoughts on what they need from employers to help them feel prepared for the world of work and discussed how they can play an even greater role in shaping opportunities for their peers across the region.
Several clear takeaways emerged from the day, including a strong appetite for more collaboration between Young Ambassadors across schools, and a desire to take a lead on promoting tools like the Hi-Hope Work Experience platform by delivering peer-led sessions. Another important idea was to involve employers more often in informal school activities and events, such as trips, sporting fixtures or walks – creating relaxed, authentic opportunities for young people and employers to connect and have meaningful conversations about career pathways and experiences.
The day wasn’t all work and no play – after a productive morning, the group enjoyed a fun and well-earned lunch followed by a friendly arcade competition and two games of bowling. The top scorers from both the arcade and bowling tournament went home with well-deserved prizes and a few bragging rights!
This year, 20 Young Ambassadors have supported the DYWICH programme in schools across the region. Some have now moved on after leaving school, and we’re currently beginning our annual campaign to fill S6 roles and build towards a full cohort of 28 Ambassadors. Our model aims for each participating school to have one S4 and one S6 Ambassador, ensuring continuity and leadership development throughout the year.
The Young Ambassador programme is more than just a title. It offers meaningful, real-world experience that can be included on CVs and used as evidence towards leadership and volunteering awards such as the Saltire Awards and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. It also counts as a recognised work experience placement - a fantastic boost for future employment or education pathways. One of our current YAs even completed a Foundation Apprenticeship in Business Admin by incorporating her YA role into a wider placement based at Alness Academy and Invergordon Academy.
Liz Fletcher, Programme Lead, DYW Inverness & Central Highland, said, "The DYW Young Ambassador programme continues to go from strength to strength, and it remains a real priority for us in the year ahead. We want every Young Ambassador to feel valued, to grow in confidence, and to gain meaningful skills and experiences that will stay with them long after they leave school. This end-of-year session was a celebration of their hard work – and we’re incredibly proud of the energy and insight they bring to DYWICH. We’re particularly excited about their ideas for involving employers in more informal, relaxed settings – we see real potential in this approach to help break down barriers and create more engaging, honest conversations about future pathways."
Annamaria, Young Ambassador at Kingussie High School, said, "Being a DYW Young Ambassador meant that I was able to use my voice to inspire others and raise awareness about all sorts of opportunities in the world of work. It was also an opportunity to gain a range of transferable skills, including teamwork, communication (both verbal and written), time management, creativity, and more. My role as a DYW Young Ambassador has provided me with valuable experiences while working alongside my DYW Coordinator, Debbie. For example, I was able to attend careers fairs where my eyes were opened to many possibilities and opportunities for the future. I was also lucky enough to gain work experience at my local dental practice, which was an excellent insight into what a career in dentistry involves.”
Pamela Comery, DYW School Coordinator, said, “I was in the unique position of delivering the work experience element for two of my Young Ambassadors as part of their Foundation Apprenticeship in Business Skills. We had great success in aligning the apprenticeship framework with the Young Ambassador role – it added structure and allowed us to set tasks with clear objectives and outcomes.
One of our Young Ambassadors at Alness Academy used her FA project to establish a DYW pupil focus group, which now meets regularly. This group has been a fantastic way to capture pupil voice around employer engagement and activities in school – and it’s also provided a ready team of enthusiastic volunteers for events. It’s made the experience more meaningful for both pupils and employers.”
The DYWICH team would like to thank all of our 2024/25 Young Ambassadors for their outstanding contributions. We’re looking forward to welcoming new faces into the team and continuing to build a youth-led programme that connects young people and employers across the Highlands in a meaningful and impactful way.
