Coleg Sir Gâr hosts Youth Sport Trust Ambassadors Conference

Coleg Sir Gâr recently hosted an inspiring Youth Ambassadors conference, organised by Youth Sport Trust, welcoming students from local schools to gain valuable skills, build networks and explore their potential as future change-makers. 

The event aimed to inspire attendees to use sport as a pathway for personal growth and skill development. This is supported by Youth Sport Trust’s vision of inspiring individuals across education and communities to connect and support society to be healthy and active.

With the theme “Learn Through Leadership”, the conference centred around four key areas: Inspire, Influence, Lead and Mentor. 

Participants engaged in dynamic sessions tailored to each theme, fostering opportunities to develop communication, teamwork and decision-making. The conference empowered students to see themselves as “change makers of the future,” equipping them with the tools to make an impact in their communities through sport.

There were a mixture of both practical and theory workshops happening throughout the day - including a special session led by Tom Hatfield, a former professional swimmer who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Now an athlete mentor for the Youth Sport Trust, Tom joined the conference to lead the practical workshop. 

Tom wasn’t alone leading the workshops, four Coleg Sir Gâr learners took on ambassadorial roles during the conference, supporting the delivery of the four workshops happening throughout the day.

Each student brought their expertise and enthusiasm to the event, helping young ambassadors develop essential skills to inspire and lead their peers in promoting physical activity.

Tom and Ceiron, a Sports Coaching student, led the ‘Lead’ session, which focused on equipping participants with the skills to organise physical activity sessions using the STEP module (space, task, equipment and people). This hands-on approach helped attendees develop strategies to engage and motivate others effectively.

Thomas, a Sport and Physical Activity student, delivered the ‘Inspire’ sessions. These were based on ‘Mo’s Mission’, an initiative championed by Sir Mo Farah, encouraging young people to complete 60 minutes of daily sport, exercise or play.

Leading the ‘Mentor’ sessions was Lleucu, a Sport Coaching student, where she guided participants in understanding the importance of mentoring others. Lleucu provided practical tools and ideas to empower attendees to become effective mentors within their communities.

Finally, Owain, a Sports and Fitness student, delivered the ‘Influence’ session. He taught methods for encouraging people to adopt more active lifestyles, using the 4Ss model: Sweat for 60 minutes of daily activity, Step to increase step counts to 10,000 per day, Sleep for 8-11 hours each night, and Sit Less to reduce sedentary time.

Through their involvement, the Coleg Sir Gâr students played a key role in the success of the conference, embodying the event’s theme of “learning through leadership” and demonstrating the positive impact of teamwork, mentorship and creative thinking in promoting health and fitness.

Coleg Sir Gâr lecturer Stephen Williams added, “It has been a privilege to host the event and to work with the Youth Sport Trust to facilitate their work developing young people, to be ambassadors for sport and physical activity in their localities. Our students were excellent on the day showcasing the leadership, coaching and personal skills they have developed through their studies.”