A Crowborough teenager who has “achieved incredible things” doing the Duke of Edinburgh Awards has been selected to be a UK Youth Ambassador for the scheme.
Cerys Martin, 17, has been chosen to be one of just 31 DofE Award holders from all over the UK, who will advocate for young people by sharing their experience on key issues impacting them.
And the keen Crowborough rugby player says she wants to encourage more girls to get into sports, after being selected for the prestigious role.
The DofE’s ambassadors aim to make “young people’s voices heard” by 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.
Cerys completed her Bronze and Silver Awards at Beacon Academy, then went on to Uckfield College, where she completed her Gold Award. However, she admitted to being a bit apprehensive before starting her DofE.
She said: “I’d never been a sporty kid, and I was really worried about the Physical section. Some of my friends decided to join Crowborough Rugby Club, so I thought I’d see what it was like, even though I knew nothing about rugby. I signed up, only planning on doing the three months I needed for my Bronze DofE, but I’m so glad I stayed on – rugby is such a huge part of my life now, I can’t imagine what I’d be doing if I’d never started playing.”
Now training four times a week at CRFC, Cerys was also chosen to play for the county’s development team. For her Gold Volunteering section, Cerys became an assistant coach for the under-6 team at Crowborough.
Cerys added: “When I first joined the club, there weren’t many other players there, and there weren’t always leagues to play in, but so many girls are playing now. Girls aren’t always encouraged into playing sports like rugby, but I’d love to be a role model and inspire young girls to take that step. I saw myself as someone who would never be good at sport, and now I’ve scored a try for my county. I never would have signed up if it wasn’t for the DofE.”
In the skill section of the award her mum suggested she use the flute lessons she was already having. Cerys said: “I had been considering giving up my flute lessons, but using them for my DofE motivated me to keep going, and I’m so glad I did. I joined a concert band through my flute teacher, and started playing the saxophone too. I recently secured a place in the Brighton East Sussex Youth Orchestra, and I’m really excited to get started.”
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 Ministers and 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: “Cerys has achieved incredible things through her DofE. As a charity, we’re committed to putting young people at the heart of everything we do and give them the opportunity to make a positive, lasting impact on the issues they are passionate about. I am excited to see the impact that our new cohort of Youth Ambassadors will make this year.”