NEWLY appointed Community Ambassadors of Wyre Forest and Hagley met for the first time at the Wyre Forest District Council chamber.

Community Ambassadors will identify and promote positive messages about citizenship, safety, and ways to get young people engaged in their communities.

The ambassadors are all pupils at one of the eight ContinU Trust schools which include Baxter College, The Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre, Hagley Catholic High School, Haybridge High School, King Charles I School, Stourport High School, Wolverley CE Secondary and Kidderminster College.

More than 40 year nine and 10 pupils attended the training session to sharpen their research, presentation and thinking skills in order to prepare them for the role when they start in September.

The training session was delivered by Karen Evans of Vestia Community Training and focused on how to present ideas clearly and persuasively to a wide range of audiences.

“All the participants really got involved,” she said.

“They quickly overcame their nerves and worked really well together.”

The ambassador’s roles will involve delivering assemblies and presentations to their peers around issues like healthy relationships, personal safety and local opportunities.

The students will then share their experiences and resources in a specially created web area of the ContinU Trust's site which goes live in September.

Michael Conroy Harris, collaboration coordinator for the ContinU Trust, said: “This event demonstrates the benefits of partnership through the trust and the opportunities our member schools can offer their pupils.

“Supporting our young people to be a proud asset for their community makes perfect sense.”

The scheme was launched in collaboration between the ContinU Trust and the Safer Wyre Forest Partnership which promotes safer living, working and visiting in the area.

The initiative is funded by the office of the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner.

Kathryn Washington, speaking on behalf of Safer Wyre Forest, said: “We are delighted to be involved in the delivery of what we feel is a really new and powerful way of transmitting key messages to young people.”

The ambassadors will be officially inaugurated tomorrow (July 9) at a Wyre Forest and Hagley Young Citizen Celebration Event at Kidderminster Town Hall, held annually by the ContinU Trust and the Safer Wyre Forest Partnership.