Seventeen-year-old Alex Steede
A young man from Ballymena in County Antrim wants to raise awareness about hidden disabilities through his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), after being selected as a UK Youth Ambassador for the charity.
Alex Steede, 17, joins a cohort of just 35 DofE Award holders aged 16-24 from all over the UK, 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.
Whilst completing his Bronze Award, Alex had a temporary condition that affected his left eye. For his Bronze Physical section, he chose Jiu Jitsu, a sport he’d been doing since childhood, but he had to make some modifications due to his condition.
These modifications helped give him a different outlook on accessibility within sport, as he had to focus more on the self-protection and defensive aspects of Jiu Jitsu, instead of prioritising attacking.
Alex said:
“For a while I couldn’t see out of my left eye at all, and I had to keep it covered. It gave me such an appreciation for hidden disabilities and helped me understand that people can see the world so differently. Luckily, the DofE is very inclusive, and the leaders want you to do well. I had lots of support to complete the Award, and adaptions can be made where needed.”
Alex, who trekked along the North Down coastal route for his Bronze Expedition, added:
“I was so happy to be able to just take part, I didn’t want to feel like I was different because of my eye, so it was amazing to be able to join in without relying on anybody. For my Silver Expedition, we went to the Mournes, which I loved – I've now been nicknamed ‘Mountain Goat’ because I loved the climbing aspect so much. Even in the evenings when we were tired, we always found the energy to play football back at the camp.”
‘Gaining understanding’
For his Volunteering section, Alex started helping out at Cub Scouts, supporting the younger children. He found it helped with his patience and leadership skills, as everyone learns at different paces.
Alex is also a Young Leader for the DofE and helps maintain the equipment and prepare for other groups’ Expeditions. He also supports with practice Expedition walks, and teaches younger students to work together as a team, which his work with the Cubs helped him feel confident in doing.
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 Gardens, 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:
“Alex is one of many young people who have 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.