Youth Travel Ambassador provides students with the knowledge and confidence to practice and promote safe travel within their school community.
Kent County Council are funding a 6-part, virtual programme called Youth Travel Ambassadors, which is open to all Kent Schools.
Youth Travel Ambassador (YTA) is a peer led programme which sets out to engage students aged 11 to 18 in implementing road safety initiatives in their school community with the aim of reducing casualties amongst young people on Kent’s roads.
The programme aims to empower students to identify their own areas of focus and then guides them through that planning process. The best bit of the programme is that schools that complete the programme and submit a brief, can seek up to £250 to make their ideas become reality.
What we offer:
This course is offered completely virtually and can be organised as part of a drop-down day or schools can arrange delivery via weekly sessions. It will provide support to those staff in secondary schools who facilitate the course, assisting teaching staff to deliver key aspects of the Health & Wellbeing curriculum in relation to road safety. Our sessions facilitate active learning and encourage peer to peer collaboration throughout.
Session One: Safer, Confident and Happier Travel
- To understand that when crossing roads, or using busy pavements, certain behaviours can affect our focus and our safety.
- To generate positive engagement and participation in YTA projects and how to apply for a YTA position (not applicable for ‘break away day’ format.)
Session Two: What’s the problem?
- To understand the role of YTA and the complementary responsibilities of their peer group.
- To understand how different question types can help identify local road safety challenges.
- To understand the sources of information available to us as YTA.
- To understand the road safety challenges that school communities face.
Session Three: We know the problem; what’s the solution?
- To understand how a campaign for behaviour change is identified.
- To be able to use, interpret and analyse local crash data.
- To be able to identify a behaviour change need from the available data and explain how it has been chosen.
- To be begin to plan an effective messaging campaign.
Session Four: What’s the impact?
- To understand what it means to evaluate and the skills needed to do this.
- To be able to plan a strategy for evaluating the success of a road safety campaign.
- To consider the criteria needed to measure the success of a road safety campaign.
- To consider the people involved in the evaluation process and the impact on the results.
Session Five: The campaign begins
- To be able to explain the importance of evaluating the success of a campaign and the methods available.
- To be able to identify different strengths within the team and designate tasks accordingly.
Session Six: A celebration
- To understand what a pitch for a messaging campaign needs.
- To be able to review the criteria for the YTA Programme and assess the progress made.
- To plan the next steps needed to enable the chosen campaign to go live.
What does the YTA Programme need from your school?
- A member of teaching staff to facilitate the virtual sessions (no pre-work or planning required).
- Time for learners to complete the pre-course survey.
- Support for learners to that they are able to complete the challenges set (there is no expectation that this will take further curriculum time but making guidance and resources readily available will enhance their understanding of the programme);
- Staff to look at the completed application forms and decide on successful ambassadors.
What’s in it for your school?
Schools that complete the programme and submit a brief, can seek up to £250 to make their ideas become reality.
The YTA Programme gives your learners an opportunity to work with a real purpose in mind. Our aim is to empower responsible citizens and help to build community partnerships. It achieves this by strengthening communication skills; encouraging data analysis; supporting leadership skills; and encouraging travel planning.
Our goal is for your learners to leave the YTA programme able to:
- Share and promote key road safety messages.
- Support and raise the profile of safer travel to school.
- Promote responsible behaviour during these journeys.
- Equip peers with the skills and confidence needed to travel both safely and independently.
So are you supporting future YTA?
Youth Travel Ambassadors…
- Notice: they can identify patterns and details in the data provided.
- Persevere: they can keep going in the face of challenges.
- Question: they can ask insightful questions of their own and others’ experiences.
- Planning: they can identify a goal and the steps needed to make this happen.
- Capitalise: they can identify what resources (including people) they will need to draw on.
What next?
Email the team at : saferroadusers@kent.gov.uk to discuss when the YTA programme can begin in your school