About the Program

The Changed by Youth Ambassador Program (CBY) was created in 2021 in direct response to what young people shared during the Durham Youth Listening Project. CBY builds off the City of Durham’s long legacy of having an established cohort of young people who have a formal role in the City’s planning and decision making processes. The cohort is made of 15 young people ages 15-22 who live, work, learn and play in Durham. This term we recruited and hired 7-9 young people to join us!

THE NEED FOR CBY

During the Durham Youth Listening Project, young people told us they wanted more opportunities to be leaders and decision makers in local government. The creation of the Changed by Youth Ambassador Program is a direct response to what we heard; it’s also a response to the growing demand among local government and community organizations for youth engagement in their various projects.  

Ambassadors are supported by the Office on Youth (OOY) to be part of planning and decision-making processes in the City and County, and to ultimately influence programs and policies. They receive ongoing racial equity and equitable community engagement training, which they apply to their projects and their other engagements. 

How CBY Works

The OOY hires young people (15-22 years) to consult with local government and community organizations on different engagement, program, policy, and planning efforts. Ambassadors are recruited once a year and serve a full term in a paid fellowship model. At the end of the term, ambassadors are able to renew their commitment. Returning ambassadors participate in the recruitment and hiring of new ambassadors to fill the vacant seats in October each year. 

The OOY supports ambassadors in their roles by: offering various skill building opportunities; connecting ambassadors to key departments, officials, and community partners; and working directly with departments to clearly define the youth engagement strategies they’ll be using. 

Ambassadors:

1. Provide consultation to City and County Departments on various projects and policies
2. Engage and inform other young people about local opportunities
3. Facilitate conversations and train adults, departments, and other youth in youth engagement and other topics
4. Advocate for issues that matter to young people in Durham

The Commitment

• Work with members of the OOY, other City and County departments, fellow ambassadors, and officials
• Serve as an advisor and decision maker in various engagement, program, policy, and planning efforts 
• Help promote City and County opportunities, and engage your peers and community in the work 
• Participate in regular ambassador meetings and trainings 
• Commit to approximately 10-15 hours/month between October 2023 and June 2024
• Receive $17.50 per hour (up to $2400 per term)

Requirements

• Must live or learn in Durham 
• Must be 15-22 years by October 2023
• Experience in and comfortable working with a large (14+) team
• Be a team player and considerate of the group
• Committed to seeing youth in Durham thrive 
• Available evenings and weekends
• Has an understanding of how inequity and power show up in communities 
• Become a City of Durham "Vendor" (involves some paperwork, we can help with that!)