Hartlepool teacher becomes youth ambassador for Duke of Edinburgh Award

Rachel Hodge, 23, has joined a cohort of just 35 Duke of Edinburgh (D of E) award holders aged 16 to 24 who are helping young people by sharing their expertise on key issues impacting them.

Funded by The Gosling Foundation, the D of E Youth Ambassador programme helps young people shape the DofE’s work to benefit others.

Rachel began working towards her bronze D of E award at school until her leader left before she could finish it.

She managed to finish her bronze award at a youth centre in Hartlepool but did not complete her gold award until she found an open group in Guisborough.

She said: “I really wanted to complete the award and I was conscious that I was running out of time to complete it before I turned 24.

"I couldn’t find any opportunities to do it through university, so I was glad to find a D of E group in Guisborough – even if I was the oldest one there.”

Rachel currently works as an inclusion assistant at High Tunstall College of Science and also runs the D o fE there.

Volunterring at Alice House Hospice as part of her D of E, Rachel said: “Volunteering really means a lot to me and I find making a difference to others to be very motivating.

"I believe that it’s important to give something back to the environment, to look after it and maintain its beauty, which is why my group decided to do litter picking during our expedition.

"It was lovely to see the difference it made to the area.”

Ashley Williams, UK youth engagement manager at the D o fE, said: “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.”