Swindon teen chosen as Duke of Edinburgh youth ambassador

Joe Lynam, 17, is one of only 35 DofE Award holders aged 16 to 24 from across the UK selected for the role.

The group will advocate for young people by sharing their expertise on key issues impacting them.

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.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award youth ambassador, Joe Lynam (Image: DofE) Joe has Crohn’s disease and had his first flare-up during his bronze expedition, meaning he had to complete the trek while feeling like he had "swallowed a knife".

He was diagnosed shortly afterwards and later completed his silver expedition just two weeks after having an operation.

He said: "I knew the expedition would be difficult, but I wasn’t expecting quite so many obstacles.

"The DofE were able to accommodate me by giving me a reduced backpack, and the support I got from my group made it all worth it."

Joe is also a DofE young leader at his school, supporting younger students to achieve their award.

As part of his gold physical section, he went on hikes in the local area to help plan the expedition routes for their bronze award.

He added: "As a youth ambassador, I'm excited to give back to the DofE.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award youth ambassador, Joe Lynam (Image: DofE) "My experience with DofE has been life-changing; it’s given me the opportunity to train in first aid and lifesaving.

"Working as a young leader has done wonders for my confidence, and my volunteering has helped me to discover my passion for teaching.

"Without DofE, I would be literally and figuratively lost in the woods."

Music fan Joe has used his DofE skill section to learn the drums and the steel pans and has joined bands and orchestras at his school.

As a youth ambassador, he wants to develop his confidence and leadership skills and, in the future, would like to train as a secondary school teacher and continue his involvement with the DofE by becoming an official assessor.

He compares the teamwork involved in playing with an orchestra to completing the expedition, saying "everyone has their own part to play, but together it all builds up into one".

He has already started advocating for young people by attending this year’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, where he met with MPs.