We want to empower and develop the next generation of leaders within our club community, and today are launching our redesigned Young Ambassadors programme.
Our Scottish Cycling Young People's Panel have recognised over the last few years since they have worked together that there is a huge opportunity to increase the number of young people involved in decision making roles across the club network. In their leadership role as part of the YPP, they have devised this programme to enable this to happen.
Being a Young Ambassador is about taking on a wider remit within your club. You are no longer solely a participant in club activities, or a coach/leader if you have embarked upon these qualifications; a Young Ambassador is about elevating your influence as a young person and playing your part in the continued growth and development of your club.
At Scottish Cycling, we see the introduction of this new training programme as a win-win for both the club and their members. In line with Children 1st and sportscotland's Standards for Child Wellbeing and Protecton in Sport, providing this platform for young people in clubs will only serve to amplify the young person's voice in decisions that may impact upon them. However, it also provides an additional avenue through which young people can feed in their ideas and experiences to help shape and adapt the club offering for the benefit of its members.
And we, as an organisation, have embraced this wider programme that young people can play in the sport too. Our Young People's Panel are in their second term, and have met regularly as a group with staff across the organisation since their inception in 2019. Additionally, a member of the current panel will soon attend meetings of the Development and Participation sub-group of the board to elevate the young person's voice further.
So what will Young Ambassadors get from Scottish Cycling to support them in this programme?
The Young Ambassadors programme, which has been codesigned by staff and the current Young Peoples Panel, will consist of a number of training sessions delivered by Scottish Sport Futures and will see attendees receive a Level 5 SCQF qualification in Goal Setting as well as Planning Physical Activity Programmes for Young People. It will also include opportunities for Ambassadors to build relationships with their contemporaries and gather feedback from youth members of their club. Scottish Cycling have managed to cover the vast majority of course fees, however there would be a requirement for each candidate to pay £10 to access the Young Ambassadors programme. This could either be covered by the club or the individual.
We also hope that connecting young people from across the club community will spark ideas and lead to more sharing of good practice. We are also open to supporting collaboration on projects which can benefit young people across more than just one club.
To nominate young people to apply for this training programme please follow the steps below.
- We are asking all clubs which are either standalone youth clubs or clubs that have a youth section to nominate young people to take on these roles and provide us a contact email for the nominated persons parent/guardian and a short paragraph as to why they would be would benefit from the programme. All they need to be are current members of the club and aged 13-23. We also only have a limited amount of places on the programme, so please consider who you think would engage and benefit most from this programme.
- Once we have this, we will contact them with an application form which will need to be returned to us by the 31st May.
- We would ask that the person completing the nominations is then thereafter the point of contact for both the Young Ambassadors within the club, and with Scottish Cycling with regards to the project. This could be the Wellbeing and Protection Officer, for example.
- Successfull applicants will be inforned by the 16th of June.
How long will someone be on the Young Ambassador Programme?
- 1 year - Annual recruitment between June and July, with the programme running from from September to August. In future years as YA's become embedded within clubs, there may be an opportunity for older YA's to take on mentorship roles for new ones coming through.
Commenting on the launch of the Young Ambassador programme, Molly Evans, a member of the Young People's Panel said:
"We are launching the project so that everyone’s voices across all clubs and all disciplines in Scotland can be heard. It will allow for Scottish Cycling to hear opinions from across the country to make positive changes which will help the sport to develop and grow and for our young riders to keep loving cycling. We want to make the right changes for everyone so the more voices we can get the better!"
Whatever motivates the individuals expressing interest in these roles involvement in your club, we are sure they can make a positive contribution to the cycling community. So whether it is participation, recreation or performance - it is important that we hear from as many people as possible.
