A young person from Cheadle HuLme, who is doing his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), wants to help young people with additional needs access enrichment opportunities after being selected as a Youth Ambassador for the charity.
Julian O’Neil, 17, who has a restricted growth condition, 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 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.
Speaking about his DofE Award, Julian says: “The DofE has given me the opportunity to get involved in activities that previously I would not have been able to do. My highlight was my Bronze Expedition because I could socialise with my team and made friends with people I didn’t know well before. My Award gave me the incentive to use my daily physio exercises so I could do my Expedition by bike. Ultimately, completing my Expedition was a great achievement.”
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.
As a Youth Ambassador, Julian plans to represent the voices of young people across the UK. Julian explains: “I want to help adapt each DofE Award for anyone with additional needs and encourage more young people to do their DofE. I want people with a range of abilities to realise what they are capable of and to help them do things they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. I make sure I am included in opportunities – it might be the unconventional route, but it will get things done.”
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 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: “Julian 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.”
