Each year at the Young Ambassadors conferences, the Delivery Team take on the huge role of delivering workshops to hundreds of new Young Ambassadors. By sharing their own experiences, the team provide the new YAs with an understanding of their new role and inspire them to drive positive change in their schools.
When planning this year’s conferences, we wanted to take it a step further by having the full conference led by young people for young people. We were delighted to welcome back 2023/24 Delivery Team members Chloe Reynolds and Josh Arkell to step up as our first-ever Delivery Team hosts.
After the whirlwind that was the 2024 YA conferences, we sat down with Chloe and Josh a few months later to reflect on their experience, find out where they are now, and how the Young Ambassadors programme has helped them get there.
The start of something big
Chloe became a YA when she was in 4th year at Lochaber High School, initially presented with the opportunity by her Active Schools coordinator and being convinced by a day off school to attend the conference in Inverness.
“Our school was very new to the programme at that stage, so I didn’t really know what it was all about.
“So, getting to go up to Inverness, meet other YAs and chat about what they wanted to do in their schools was amazing.”
Similarly, Josh didn’t know too much about the programme when he was put forward for the role in his last year at Campbeltown Grammar School.
“At that point, I was just excited by the opportunity to spend a day in Glasgow and getting to meet people from outside my small hometown,” he told us.
Driving positive change
Both Chloe and Josh went from having little knowledge or expectation to coming away from their conferences feeling inspired and ready to influence sport in their schools.
“Looking back, there’s a lot of work that I’m really proud of but organising two active girls’ days at my school probably sticks out,” Chloe told us.
“Those events gave girls the opportunity to try lots of different sports and because we also invited primary school girls, it also worked really well as a transition day.”
During his year as a Young Ambassador, Josh worked hard to increase participation in extra-curricular clubs which had struggled to recover after covid.
“Going along to the lunch and after-school sports clubs was always such a highlight for me during school so I really wanted to make sure that the younger pupils in my school had that same opportunity.”
Grasping new opportunities 
After a year in their roles, the pair both found themselves applying to be part of the Young Ambassadors Delivery Team, an opportunity to be on the other side and pass on their experience and knowledge to the new YAs.
“Being on the Delivery Team was such an enjoyable experience and one that definitely helped me develop so many skills. It gave me the confidence to speak up in a group and share my opinions,” Chloe told us.
“Even just the experience of going away to the residential and staying with a group of people I didn’t know I think was really good for me and really boosted my confidence.”
When presented with the opportunity to share their YA journey and take part in a Q&A in front of a full conference, both Chloe and Josh grasped it with two hands.
“Putting myself forward definitely felt scary and I was really nervous beforehand,” Josh told us.
“Afterwards though, I really felt like I’d gotten over a massive hurdle in terms of building up my confidence.”
Please welcome your hosts...
Josh certainly impressed attendees at the Glasgow conference and Chloe too in Inverness. So much so that they would be invited back the following year to host all six conferences.
Back in September, Josh opened the run of conferences, hosting the East and Grampian events and co-hosting the West conference with Chloe who then went onto host the Highlands, Central and Ayrshire events.
“I was so proud to be asked to host,” Chloe expressed.
“I think comparing how nervous I’d felt in my first year in the Delivery Team to just how excited I felt at the prospect of hosting was a nice reflection of how far I’ve come.”
“It was nice to actually feel my confidence grow from conference to conference,” Josh added.
“I was so grateful for the opportunity to be supported by staff from sportscotland and Hazel from the Youth Sport Trust who gave me such great support and made sure I was fully prepared.”
Across the six conferences, Chloe and Josh welcomed a total of 642 YAs and 317 mentors, providing reassurance, entertainment, and importantly inspiration to every single one.
The lasting impact
Now in her last year of school, Chloe is still a Young Ambassador and continues to work hard to ensure all the pupils in her school have the opportunity to participate in sport. She recently received some exciting news as she was accepted to study sports journalism at university.
“The Young Ambassadors programme has had such a huge impact on me and really shaped my journey.
“Having the opportunity to speak to large audiences and interview professional athletes has solidified my dream of being a sports journalist and undoubtedly helped me get to where I am today.”
Josh now works full-time as a building surveyor and attends college twice a week to work towards his qualifications.
In the spare time he manages to find, he volunteers with the Youth Sport Trust – an opportunity which came directly from his involvement in the Young Ambassadors programme – and regularly travels down to England to support and deliver sport-focused events.
“Being a Young Ambassador has given me loads of opportunities that I never would have expected initially, and I am hugely grateful for that.
“I think indirectly too, a lot of my job is working with people, and I can see myself how much all of the experience I’ve gained has helped my confidence and is, in turn, helping me in my job.”
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