Youth Leadership and Training

Current situation

Young females from low-income backgrounds face many barriers that limit their access to jobs and leadership opportunities.

Young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than older adults.

Many lack key skills, including communication, confidence, and teamwork, due to unequal access to education and opportunities.

Participation in activities that build these skills is also lower for Young Females. Especially as creative subjects decline in schools and private options are often too costly.

Combined with mental health challenges and caring responsibilities, this creates a strong need for targeted support to build skills and open pathways into work.

OUr approach

Dance Ambassadors is a funded leadership course for Young Females who face barriers to employment, education, and training.

It uses dance as a starting point to help participants build confidence, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, while also supporting mental health, resilience, and self-expression.

The programme provides hands-on experience in delivering workshops, leading community events, and contributing to fundraising and youth advisory work.

Participants gain mentoring, teaching skills, and access to professional networks, helping them move into education, employment, and creative industries.

The course is delivered in four stages, gradually building skills from supporting sessions to leading independently, and ending with planning and delivering a youth-led community event. This prepares participants for future opportunities.

Driving Meaningful Change

Skills young females will gain as a Dance Amabassador

    • Self nominate to join the programme

    • Develop individual identity as a dance artist

    • Develop own teaching styles within trauma-informed approach

    • Choose how much time to spend preparing for sessions

    • Choose to join youth advisory panel or fundraising panel

    • Embed into the wider community by working with younger dancers

    • Act as positive role models for younger dancers

    • Promote and uphold the Project Female code of conduct

    • Be part of the delivery team, contributing to the planning of events for young women

    • Help shape the future direction of Project Female to ensure it reflects the needs of young females

    • Plan and facilitate workshops

    • Develop leading and teaching skills

    • Build confidence to speak in front of groups

    • Gain confidence in problem‑solving in the moment

    • Develop communication techniques for giving positive feedback

    • Learn how to apply a trauma‑informed teaching approach

    • Gain an introduction to safeguarding and child welfare

What Sets Us Apart

Enabling potential

Delivered in spaces where participants already feel safe and confident, the programme addresses anxiety and low confidence. We remove financial barriers by covering travel, clothing requirements and healthy meals, ensuring young females from low‑income backgrounds can take part and complete the programme.

Building connection

Leadership and development training strengthens connection across Project Female. Dance Ambassadors become embedded in our ethos, supporting the social and emotional development of young females and gaining a strong sense of pride in helping others grow in confidence.

Unlocking opportunity

Dance builds key skills including communication, time management, event planning and safeguarding awareness. The programme supports young females who may struggle with academic learning, with progress tracked through observation rather than written assessment.

Our impact

  • 64% felt proud of their achievements

  • 46% said being a dance ambassador made them feel like they were good at something

Growing confident, self‑directed leaders

  • 55% said being a dance ambasador had helped them feel more valuable

Leading within a supportive community

  • 91% said they learned how to teach dance to younger dancers

  • 91% said they felt they had skills to offer other job opportunities

  • 82% said they learned how to nurture younger dancers to grow their confidence

  • 82% said they learned how to adjust their teaching style for different dance abilities

  • 82% said they felt more confident to talk to employers in the work place

  • 73% said they learned how to teach a warm up

Building skills to lead and inspire change