Young person from Northampton to advocate as a Youth Ambassador for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Huda Mohamud, 16, 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 9","classid":1073872969,"properties":[469775450,"cf01",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"cf01",335572020,"1",201342448,"1",469777841,"segoe ui",469777842,"segoe ui",469777843,"calibri",469777844,"segoe ui",469769226,"segoe ui,calibri",268442635,"18",469778324,"default paragraph font"]" data-ccp-charstyle="cf01">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.

For her Bronze Physical section, Huda decided to learn to swim. Huda explains: “I was nervous about learning to swim as a teenager, so the ultimate challenge for me was to show up for every single lesson and not care what other people think. Now, I am a confident swimmer and plan to achieve a lifeguard qualification for my Gold DofE Award. Doing my DofE has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and made me realise what I am capable of.”

Speaking about the Youth Ambassador Programme, Huda says: “I am a young person of colour and have always felt like my voice is unheard and my community silenced. As a Youth Ambassador, I want to increase opportunities for communities from minority ethnic backgrounds and change the negative stereotypes associated with young people.”

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 – while working towards a widely recognised and respected Award.

More young people than ever started their DofE in 2022/23 – with half a million actively participating and more schools, community organisations and prisons running the DofE.

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 MPs, spoken at high-profile events such as party conferences and DofE Gold Award celebrations in Buckingham Palace Garden, represented the DofE at international forums and played a pivotal role feeding into key decisions across the charity.

Ashley Williams, UK Youth Engagement Manager at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said:

“Huda is one of many young people who have 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 connect them with opportunities to make a positive impact on the issues they care about – and we can’t wait to see what our new cohort of Youth Ambassadors achieve this year.

“As they navigate the ongoing after-effects of the pandemic and a severe cost-of-living crisis, it’s more vital than ever that all young people get access to 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.”