A Chester teenager has been named one of 28 young people selected as national Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) Youth Ambassadors.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia McLachlan, known as Fifi, will help represent young people across the UK, speaking up about issues affecting her generation and helping shape the charity's work.

Fifi, who is dyslexic, explained that beyond earning awards, DofE had helped her recognise what she could achieve beyond the classroom.

"At school, I have struggled with dyslexia, and I've often felt like I'm not as good as others in lessons," she said.

"But DofE has shown me that being smart is not just about exams. It has made me understand that your best matters more than being perfect."

Fifi said the experience had also pushed her beyond her comfort zone, as she said: "I've put myself in situations that are out of my comfort zone, knowing it's always worth trying and understanding there's a risk of failure.

"I found my worth in my abilities and doing DofE has really boosted my confidence."

Alongside her new ambassador role, Sophia is working towards her Gold DofE Award and pursuing the King's Scout Award – the highest award in Scouting.

She hopes to become one of the first and youngest girls to achieve it. To do so, she must complete all three levels of the DofE programme. While the award has an average completion age of 21, Sophia is on course to finish it by next year.

"I'm determined to achieve it as there's only a few people that do," she said.

Sophia is also keen to encourage other young people, particularly those from difficult backgrounds, to recognise what they can achieve.

"Helping younger people, especially from difficult backgrounds has shown me how much support matters. DofE means no matter your story, you can still achieve something you're proud of.

"I've learnt that you can do anything you put your mind to – you are more than what's on a piece of paper at school."

Fifi hopes to one day pursue a career in the Navy and is looking forward to using her new role to share her experiences and encourage others to get involved.

Funded by The Gosling Foundation, the Youth Ambassador programme puts young people at the centre of the charity's work, involving them in shaping its activities to benefit others.

Previous 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 Garden, represented the charity at international forums and helped shape key decisions across the organisation.

Ashley Williams, UK youth engagement manager at The Duke of Edinburgh's Award's charity, said: "It is a challenging time to be a young person, with rising mental health issues, a NEET crisis, disruption to education and deepening inequalities.

"Now more than ever, it's crucial that all young people can access enrichment 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.

"As a charity, we want to see two million young people start their DofE by Spring 2031 and help transform access to high-quality enriching activities for all young people in the UK."

A record-breaking number of young people started their Duke of Edinburgh's Award across the UK in 2025-26, with over 589,000 young people actively taking part, and nearly 346,000 young people starting their award.

Participants also contributed more than six million hours of volunteering, with an estimated total value of £45.4 million.