Young People from North Wales to champion youth voices as Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Cymru Youth Ambassadors

Three young people from North Wales have been chosen as Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) Cymru Youth Ambassadors, for their dedication, leadership and passion for making a positive impact in their communities.

Gwennan Jones, 18, from Conwy, along with Tammi Tonge, 17, also from Conwy, and Joshua Stott, 17, from Flintshire, begin a two-year term as Cymru Youth Ambassadors. They join a cohort of just 14 DofE Award holders aged 16-20 from all over Wales, 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, engaging with campaigns and feeding into decisions to shape the direction of the DofE charity’s work.

Tammi is doing her DofE through Girlguiding and is passionate about advocating for the inclusion of young people with physical and learning disabilities. Through her role as a Youth Ambassador, Tammi hopes to inspire and support others in overcoming challenges and embracing new opportunities.

Tammi, who has scoliosis, was initially concerned about doing her Expedition. But with support from her DofE Leader, she had a positive experience. Tammi said: “I would like to see young people of my generation who have a physical or learning disability be more included and have the same opportunities as their peers. As a baby whose prognosis was not that good, I was adopted and I am so proud of what I have achieved living with autism and learning disabilities.”

For her Volunteering Section, Tammi dedicated her time to supporting a variety of events and productions at Theatre Hub, based at Theatr Colwyn. From assisting with drama sessions, theatre events and marketing campaigns, Tammi’s enthusiasm and commitment didn’t go unnoticed. Her hard work led to a job offer at the theatre, highlighting the valuable real-world opportunities that the DofE programme can provide for young people.

Joining Tammi as a DofE Cymru Youth Ambassador is Joshua who is doing his Silver DofE Award through Hawarden High School. Joshua credits the DofE Award with helping him come out of his shell and embrace new experiences. He valued the unique opportunity the Expedition section provided, enabling young people to be out in the countryside and experience camping.

Joshua said: “The DofE was very out of my comfort zone, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to cope but I was very glad that didn’t happen. DofE allowed me to experience something different and I really enjoyed it. It was also a good escape around exams – it helped take my mind off the stress and meant I could return to revision feeling refreshed and more focused.

Gwennan, who has completed her Bronze, Silver and Gold with Ysgol John Bright School, says her favourite part of her DofE experience was Volunteering at Penrhyn Bay Presbyterian Church’s social club.  Here, she encouraged elderly people to take part in social and group activities, including low intensity physical activity. Gwennan said: “If it wasn’t for the DofE, I wouldn’t have had access to these types of opportunities, which in turn helped me with my own personal growth.”

The DofE Award has been a transformative experience for Gwennan, building her confidence, strengthening her resilience and helping her overcome personal challenges. Gwennan aims to use her position as a Cymru Youth Ambassador to share her passion for DofE with the wider community, hoping to inspire others to participate and benefit from the Award as much as she has.

Stephanie Price, Director for Wales at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “As a charity, we’re determined to put young people at the heart of everything we do and to connect them with opportunities to make a positive impact on the issues they care about. From speaking at high profile events and meeting with decision makers, to feeding into decisions that shape the direction of the charity, these incredibly passionate young people are driving through change for the benefit of future generations – we couldn’t be prouder of them.”

To do their DofE, young people aged 14-24 choose their own activities to complete Physical, Skills and Volunteering sections, an Expedition and a Residential at Gold level. They have fun, discover new passions, give back to their communities, grow in resilience and self-belief, and develop vital skills employers value – all while working towards a widely recognised and respected Award. In 2023-24, 15,270 young people in Wales were actively doing their DofE.