Rebekah Herbert was a Young Ambassador back in 2016 and attended her local conference at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA) in Ratho. Little did she know eight years later, she would be back at her old school, this time as an Active Schools coordinator and Young Ambassador mentor, looking to support the next generation of young leaders.
Rebekah Herbert is the Active Schools coordinator for the Berwickshire High School cluster, a school she used to attend.
At school, Rebekah volunteered through Active Schools and was part of the Scottish Borders Youth Coach Academy. The previous year her Active Schools coordinator asked if she wanted to take the next step in her leadership journey, being a YA.
“My experience as a YA was very enjoyable. I remember my YA conference at the Edinburgh International Climbing Centre, and I got to meet several famous athletes which was so exciting!
“I think my best achievement as a YA was organising our Active Girls Day for the S1 girls alongside my other YA. Seeing everything come together after weeks of planning, and the excitement and joy on the other pupils’ faces was amazing.”
Rebekah also helped to run the S6 sports committee and acted as a liaison between the committee and Active Schools, as well as organise fun activities such as girls’ v boys’ sports fixtures within the school.
The programme has helped her to develop many skills that have supported her since leaving school.
“Being a YA massively helped my confidence, my ability to communicate, my leadership skills and my organisational skills.
"It helped to push me out of my comfort zone, helping me improve my public speaking ability as well as improved my creativity and imagination!
“The skills I developed through being a YA were so beneficial to me upon leaving school. Sport and physical activity are a major passion of mine, so I chose to study BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching at Edinburgh Napier University. My journey as a YA contributed to this, helping grow my confidence to be able to take part in group discussions but also helping my organisation and timekeeping to allow me to balance the many aspects of life around university including work, volunteering, assignments, and general everyday life!”
Rebekah then graduated with a first-class honours degree and in the same month, started her role as the Active Schools Coordinator for Berwickshire High School in the Scottish Borders, the school she used to attend.
“This was a full circle moment for me. Being the coordinator for the school I attended was such a great feeling.”
After being a YA, Rebekah knew how valuable the role was in her development and is now a Young Ambassador mentor for two new Young Ambassadors within the school starting their leadership journey. Her role as a mentor is to support and provide direction to the two new YAs on what they want to achieve and accomplish.
Rebekah said:
“Being a YA allows young people to find their voice whilst developing so many skills which they can then carry into the future.
"They are crucial in promoting sport and physical activity to young people around Scotland and it is my job as a mentor to help empower them to make that happen.
“I meet with my YAs on a regular basis, and I am in regular contact with them to ensure they have support whenever needed. We use the sportscotland Young Ambassadors website and Instagram page to gather ideas and see what other YAs across the country are doing in their schools. No matter what idea my YAs come to me with, I will do my best to try and support them in succeeding with it!
“Both of my YAs have been very involved across both the high school and local primary schools, helping to promote sport to the local community. One has set up a table tennis club for S1-3 pupils which is well attended every week, and they have also been delivering multi-skill clubs at a local rural primary school to help increase participation. My other YA helps to promote sport through the head team and a programme called wake 'n' shake club to a local primary school. They are great promoters of all things sport and physical activity across the school.”
It is clear Rebekah really values the Young Ambassadors programme and when asked what advice she would give to young people looking to become a Young Ambassador, she said:
“If you're stuck on the fence as to whether to get involved in the programme or not, just do it. It's such a worthwhile experience and you gain so much from the programme. Not only does it leave you with lasting memories and skills, but it also helps on applications in the future whether that be college, university or jobs.”
Find out more
- Learn more about the Young Ambassador programme
- Follow the Young Ambassadors Instagram page
