During the summer Teigan, a Youth Ambassador for Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT), and her friend Emily took the opportunity to participate in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative Competition. YPI is a programme run through schools that empowers young people to make a difference, the competition is run throughout Scotland allowing each school to have 3 participating teams and a total of 50 teams win £4,000 for their chosen charity.  

Teigan and Emily chose to champion AFCCT’s #StillStandingFree campaign as their charitable cause. Starting during lockdown, the competition required them to create a video showcasing their chosen charity. This presented a huge challenge as social distancing rules meant the girls had to co–ordinate their work completely online through video calls, text and email. 

Teigan and Emily were one of the 50 teams to win the £4,000 which was donated to our #StillStandingFree campaign and helped to provide vital food parcel deliveries to vulnerable families across Aberdeen city and shire. 

Since becoming a Youth Ambassador with the Trust in 2018, Teigan has achieved 150 volunteering hours! Through assisting with coaching and helping at matchdays Teigan has developed a dynamic skillset and additionally achieved her Level 1.1 coaching badge and her Level 1 in coaching for goalkeepers. Getting involved with our Coaching Camps has allowed Teigan to grow her confidence, allowing her to not only assist with coaching but take the lead on football drills. 

Teigan, Youth Ambassador with AFCCT: 

“Being a Youth Ambassador for AFCCT has provided me with so many new skills and qualifications in both football and non-football environments as well as some amazing experiences which I am extremely thankful for. I love being a Youth Ambassador and can’t wait to get back to all things AFCCT” 

Learning these skills has given Teigan the opportunity to leave school a year early and attend University to study Sport and Exercise Science. Her experience through the Youth Ambassador programme made her stand out during her interview despite being younger than everyone else. 

David Smith, Community Learning & Development Officer at AFCCT: 

“Teigan is an absolute pleasure to work with, as are all the young people we support every week. Seeing Teigan grow and develop, as a person and as a coach, through the Youth Ambassadors is what AFCCT is all about. Her desire to get involved in as much as she can, her willingness to put in hours of effort to help build her skillset, as well as always being more than happy to give something back to her community is an inspiration. We are so proud of Teigan and grateful to have her as a Youth Ambassador for AFCCT” 

The Youth Ambassadors programme shines a light on young people taking the initiative to help make a difference, this is something Teigan has embodied within everything she does with AFCCT. We wish Teigan all the best with her new adventure at University and look forward to seeing her back when the Youth Ambassador programme starts back up again.