British Embassy Berne Presents: Ambassador for a day photo competition
The British Embassy Berne is delighted to announce the launch of Ambassador for a Day 2024!
The campaign is an initiative of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and is designed to empower young people with the skills they need to become our future leaders.
To make a difference in the longer term, it is essential that young people are engaged in formal political processes and have a say in formulating the politics of today and tomorrow.
Following its successful launch earlier in 2023, the focus is once again on Climate, a key priority for the United Kingdom.
This year we are looking in more detail at the Cryosphere. Glaciers are keystones of life on Earth. As giant freshwater reservoirs, they support the planet’s life systems and influence our day-to-day lives, even for communities who live far away from them.
However, glaciers are disappearing.
Often considered the ‘Ambassadors of Climate Change’, this disappearance makes visible the invisible. It makes tangible the current climate change that can be hard to perceive in other ecosystems.
And Switzerland’s unique landscape hosts some of the most dramatic glaciers in Europe.
The “Ambassador for a Day” campaign throws a spotlight in this issue.
Residents of Switzerland and Liechtenstein between 18 -25 yrs are asked to submit a photo and caption that answers the question:
How have glaciers shaped your life?
The winner of our photo competition will be invited to the British Embassy to learn about leadership, communication and advocacy from different Embassy members, including the Ambassador; to directly experience the working world of a British ambassador for a day.
In addition, they will also win a trip to the University of Salford in March 2024, where they will join a field trip to North-West England and the Lake District to conduct research about the impact of glaciers on the regional geography.
Ambassador for a Day 2023
The launch of the initiative in Switzerland and Liechtenstein focused on climate and gender. After reviewing a multitude of submissions from right across the country, our Jury voted Ellie Tsai from the International School Basel as our winner.
His Majesty’s Ambassador James Squire’s wife, Kate Squire, presented Ellie with her certificate at a surprise event in the lead up to International Women’s Day.
In the summer of 2023, Ellie visited the British Embassy to meet Ambassador Squire and participate in a plethora of activities, workshops and meetings, including a lunch with the Polish Ambassador to Switzerland, H.E. Iwona Kozlowska. Ellie had the chance to learn key skills from our senior diplomats and to share her own ideas for change, particularly in the realm of climate and gender diplomacy.
Feedback from some of the winners from around the world:
“Thank you for giving me the self-confidence I needed and thank you for believing in me and my abilities. For the first time I feel significant and unique, capable of achieving my goals without a problem. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Without Ambassador for a Day, this would not be a reality. My words can change lives, destinies and move mountains… ”.
All information can be found on www.ambassadorforaday.ch