A PRESTWICK Academy pupil has been selected to help deliver Young Ambassador conferences across the country.

16-year-old Chloe Jackson, from Prestwick, will be part of the 2017 Young Ambassador Conference Team along with pupils from leading schools to help influence and shape the future direction of the sportscotland Young Ambassador programme.

Chloe will be involved in planning the delivery of the annual Young Ambassador conferences, which will take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Perth in September this year.

She will also help plan how the workshops will be delivered and present the opening and closing speeches at the national conferences alongside sports development professionals and international athletes, welcoming the new Young Ambassadors for the 2017-2018 session.

Chloe said: “I got involved with Young Ambassador through Prestwick Academy and Active Schools. I have worked with many different age groups and schools promoting sport to get more people involved. 

“I decided to get involved with the Young Ambassador Conference Team to help carry on this role and to help new Young Ambassadors develop their skills and to continue to encourage more sport in schools and around the community.

“I began playing handball at an after school club, progressing to a local a team and then to representing Scotland, getting the opportunity to travel to Iceland and Barcelona. 

“I hope to encourage and inspire others to become involved in sport by sharing my experiences to show what amazing opportunities that sport can bring.” 

She added: “I am looking forward to meeting all of the new Young Ambassadors attending the conferences in September and hope that they leave feeling as positive as I did and ready to take on their new role as Young Ambassador.”

As part of the national lottery funded programme, each year sportscotland host six regional Young Ambassadors conferences across the country and two pupils from each secondary school in Scotland are invited to attend. 

Sportscotland recruit a team of passionate young leaders to deliver the conference each year.

Some of the athletes that led the 2016 conferences included Rio Olympic bronze medallist Eilidh Doyle, Scottish international footballer Julie Fleeting, Scottish rugby union player Colin Gregor, former Olympic swimmer and Commonwealth Games double gold medallist Caitlin McClatchey, and 2016 Rio Olympic silver medallist Robbie Renwick.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive at sportscotland, said: “Becoming a Young Ambassador is a great way to develop new skills, build confidence and meet like-minded people in sport. 

“The programme helps youngsters develop as sporting leaders by influencing and reflecting the views of other young people. 

“Our Young Ambassadors motivate and inspire others to get into sport, helping shape decisions to ensure youngsters have the best possible sporting experience across Scotland.”

Young Ambassadors is an exciting and energetic lottery funded programme to help develop young people as leaders in sport. Each year, two pupils from each secondary school in Scotland are chosen as sportscotland Young Ambassadors to promote sport.

There have been over 2,500 Young Ambassadors in Scotland since the programme started in 2012, and 640 new Young Ambassadors attend the conferences each year.