Year of Young People launched today
A major programme of events and activities to celebrate Scotland’s young people will take place in 2018, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will announce today. A global first, the Year of Young People 2018 will provide a platform to showcase the personalities, talents and achievements of Scotland’s young people.
It will give young people, aged 8 to 26, new opportunities to influence decision making on issues affecting their lives and be involved in cultural and sporting opportunities across the country.
Young people have been involved in designing the programme, with more than 500 signed up to volunteer as Year of Young People 2018 Ambassadors.
EventScotland will deliver a programme of events for all ages, and Young Scot, Children in Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament and YouthLink Scotland will lead youth participation and involvement in the Year.
Ahead of meeting young people in Dumfries the First Minister said: “This is an opportunity to shine a light on the fantastic contribution young people make to life in Scotland. The Year of Young People will give young people a new platform and new opportunities for their voices to be heard in all parts of our society and hopefully help to foster a better understanding, co-operation and respect between generations.
“The talents of our young people span the length and breadth of the country – evident in the great programme they have helped to put together. I want to thank all of the partners involved in supporting this initiative, who have helped to put together what I am sure will be a wonderful celebration of young people in 2018.”
To support the Year, a group of young leaders called Communic18, will work with organisations throughout 2018.
Communic18 member Lauren Asher, 18, from Dumfries, said: “I wanted to be involved in the Year to help challenge the perceptions of young people. I have suffered from mental health issues and as part of my role, I hope to give more young people a voice on this issue so that we can change attitudes and ensure young people are having their say on issues which affect their lives.”
Other partners involved in delivering the Year of Young People 2018 include Creative Scotland and Glasgow European Championships 2018.
Visit the Year of Young People 2018 website for more information about the year.
The EventScotland events programme can also be viewed online. It includes:
- A special #ScotWord torchlight procession as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay
- TEDxGlasgow@Youth
- Diverse CiTay Festival in Perth
- The Big Takeover in Shetland
The Year of Young People 2018 is focused around six core themes: Culture, Education, Health and Wellbeing, Enterprise and Regeneration, Equality and Diversity and Participation.
Scottish Government activity will focus on giving young people a stronger voice in policy making across education, mental health services and children’s rights. They will also be involved in the European Championships 2018.
It is part of the Programme for Government 2017-18, which committed to: strengthening the voice of children and young people in their education and learning; promoting and protecting children’s wellbeing and rights; and improving their life experiences and life chances.
The YoYP 2018 Ambassadors initiative, led by Young Scot, Children in Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament, will see young people working with their peers and older generations to challenge negative stereotypes of young people within communities.
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