A RUNCORN teen is one of 35 across the UK to be selected as a youth ambassador.

Zvez Angelov, 17, originally from Bulgaria, settled into the UK with help from his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE).

And impressively, he has now been selected as a UK Youth Ambassador for the charity.

The teen joins a cohort of just 35 DofE Award holders aged 16-24 from all over the country 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 on being selected, the 17-year-old said: “A couple of years ago, I had no idea what the DofE was, but I think it’s such a great thing for young people to do.

“I’ve made new friends, learnt to read a map and gone camping for the first time. I applied to become a Youth Ambassador to share my new knowledge of the Award and encourage other young people to give it a go.” 

Zvez moved from Bulgaria to the UK in 2018 with very little English and initially attended The Heath School in Runcorn, where his teacher encouraged him to sign up to the Award, as PE was his favourite subject.

He then moved on to Sir John Deane’s College, in Northwich, where he continued on with his DofE journey.  

Having already learnt English from scratch, Zvez thought he’d try his hand at another language for his skill section.

With help from his teacher, he used language learning app Duolingo to teach himself Spanish for his Silver Award.

Despite not taking formal lessons in school, eventually he was able to practice speaking with classmates who were taking Spanish for GCSE. 

 “It’s really important to be educated on different cultures, I think speaking the language is a great way to show respect when you visit a country,” Zvez said. “When I turn 18, I’m hoping to go to Spain with my friends and I will be able to put my learning into practice.”

Already a keen sportsman, the youth ambassador wanted to try something completely new for his physical section of the programme and found a local Muay Thai class. He trained regularly and met a whole new circle of people. 

 “I was nervous the first time – I didn’t even know how to kick, but my coach just encouraged me to have fun,” he continued.

“Muay Thai is a great way to learn discipline and dedication and doing it for my DofE really helped me keep that motivation. It’s such a great outlet for managing stress, and I have encouraged some of my other friends to get involved.” 

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: “Zvez is one of many young people who has 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 give them as many opportunities as we can to make a positive impact on the issues they care about – I am excited to see the positive impact our new cohort of Youth Ambassadors make this year.  

“It’s not an easy time to be a young person, with the ongoing after-effects of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis to contend with.

“Now more than ever, it’s crucial that all young people can access 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.” 

To do their DofE, young people aged 14-24 choose activities in four sections: improving a physical and skills activity, volunteering for a cause of their choice, and completing a demanding Expedition.

Along the way they have fun, grow in resilience and self-belief, discover new talents and passions, and learn practical skills to help them in future – while working towards a highly respected Award.