Young Scot is calling on people in Edinburgh to nominate the most inspirational young people in their lives and communities for the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2021.
Now in its fifteenth year, the Awards recognises outstanding 11-26-year-olds from all backgrounds who are making a difference. The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2021 are the most high-profile awards that highlight the contributions made by young people to all aspects of our communities – from sport and the arts, through to enterprise and volunteering.
Nominations are now open on youngscotawards.com, through until 14 February 2021.
Winners will be announced in April 2021 during a live online ceremony that will be broadcast live on Young Scot’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/YoungScotTV
The new Sunday Mail Young Scot Award 2021 winners will join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including Sir Andy Murray, Olympian Laura Muir, and top vlogger Jamie Genevieve.
Recent winners include actor, Ncuti Gatwa from Neftlix’s Sex Education, singer-songwriter Be Charlotte and, overall winners, the phenomenal team behind the Scottish Youth Climate Strike.
Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive, Young Scot, said: “The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards is a way for us to celebrate the achievements of Scotland’s young people who’ve given so much to our communities recently.
“If you know a young person in Edinburgh who impresses you, or someone who’s gone above and beyond to help others, then we want to hear about them. Make your nomination today!”
Esther Silverton, Young Scot of the Year 2020 winner, on behalf of the Scottish Youth Climate Strikers, said:“It was an honour to win the Sunday Mail Young Scot Award, there are so many people that do so many amazing things and fully deserve to get recognition for what they do.
“I’m hugely grateful and I hope that this shows everyone that you can fight for what you believe in because everyone has the power to help change the world.”
The 2021 awards will be made possible thanks to the generous support of its sponsors, with Skills Development Scotland returning as the sponsor of the Enhancing Education Award and Solace Scotland backing the Unsung Hero category once again.
sportscotland is also set to return as the sponsor of the Sport Award while the British Council Scotland has been announced as sponsor of the new International Award, marking its first year as an official partner.
To nominate a young person or to find out more about the awards, please visit: youngscotawards.com
A third of young people (18 to 34 year olds) receive regular monetary ‘support gifts’ and could only maintain their lifestyle for approximately 18 weeks without them
The gift that keeps on giving: Young adults who have received regular monetary gifts, since turning 18, have received nearly £20k (£19,347) of financial support from their parents and grandparents
A third of all young people – those aged 18 to 34 – receive regular monetary ‘support gifts’ from their parents and grandparents, according to research from Legal & General Home Finance1.
According to the findings, of those who need financial support to make ends meet each month they could only maintain their current outgoings (e.g. bills, rent) for up to 4.5 months if this support were to stop.
Many young people appear to utilise gifts from older family members to supplement their income. On average, since turning 18, young adults have received £19,347 in regular support gifts from their parents and grandparents2.
In 2020, the need for family support has increased further.
On average, parents who provide monthly support will give £1,356 a year, in the form of a monthly gift (or £113). This has increased by 26% in 2020, as parents have added an additional £353 in support to help their children face the financial pressures of the pandemic.
The research comes at a time when young people are more dependent on family as a financial safety net than ever before, as Office for National Statistics results reveal that the unemployment rate among young people is far higher than the overall rate (14.6% vs 4.8%)3.
This pinch may be further impacted by a fall in seasonal jobs due to fewer available non-essential retail roles in the run-up to Christmas, typically filled by younger workers.
For parents that provide financial aid, the majority will come from their own savings (49%) or income (43%). 14% of parents will use property wealth such as the sale of property, to provide gifts. Legal & General has found that of its equity release customers, approximately 1 in 6 will use part of their payments to support gifting.
While most parents like to ensure gifting is split equally across any younger relatives (68%), in one in five cases (21%) the amount given varies across family members. This is usually driven by the individual’s needs (61%) but 27% parents admit they feel closer to the relatives they provide additional support to.
Claire Singleton, CEO of Legal & General Home Finance, said:“It is clear that without the generous gifting of parents and grandparents, many young people would be unable to independently sustain their lifestyle. The monthly cost may not initially seem high but as we can see from our data, the cost of gifting to younger family members can add up over time.
“In addition to monthly support, many parents and grandparents will be called on to provide additional one-off payments to help with large expenses like weddings or putting a deposit on a house.
“Utilising property wealth, by either downsizing or using equity release, can often be helpful here as it allows the opportunity to give a living inheritance without touching your income. However, these decisions aren’t easy and should be closely considered. Be sure to do your research, free information from the Money Advice Service is a great place to start, or, if gifting is likely to have an impact on your retirement income, turning to an adviser may be the right path.”
Many people who provide support are happy to do so, respondents to the research shared the following:
“I supported my younger brother when he started sixth form this year. It really makes me feel good, satisfied and enriched that I’m making a difference in someone else’s life.”
“We provided financial support to my partner’s children during the pandemic… they weren’t working, they didn’t have any savings to pay for their rent. We actually paid for all of them during the time of the lockdown. We’re quite happy to have supported them through it, I wouldn’t see them struggle.”
Those who receive financial aid often feel it brings them closer to their relatives, respondents to the research shared the following:
“It’s been hugely helpful for me as that gave me the push to buy at that time, it’s given me the chance to own my own home … It’s something I hope to be able to do for my own children in the future.”
“I recently received a sum from my aunt, she said she would rather be alive and see me make use of the money…since receiving it I definetely feel a lot closer to her. I just feel eternally grateful that she’s done that for me.”
NOTES
1.Opinium Research ran a series of online interviews among a nationally representative panel of 4,001 UK adults between the 25th September and 3rd October 2020
2.This is averaged across all people 18-34 who have received financial aid from their parents or grandparents.
Funding of £15 million is being made available to respond to children and young people’s mental health issues, with a focus on those brought about by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The funding will be distributed to local authorities to support a local response for five to 24-year-olds, their families and carers.
Of this, £11.25 million will be for services in response to the pandemic, such as support for children who are struggling emotionally due to returning to school under new restrictions.
The remaining £3.75 million will be the first instalment of an annual £15 million fund to provide new and enhanced community mental health and wellbeing services. These new services will have a focus on prevention, early intervention and the treatment of distress.
Minister for Mental Health Clare Haughey said: “The pandemic has been very hard for everyone, but for many children and young people it has been particularly difficult.
“Families have told us they need more support for mental and emotional distress and for their wellbeing and resilience, delivered in a community setting. By providing funding to tackle the impacts of the pandemic, alongside a separate fund to provide long term mental health and wellbeing support, we aim to deliver help where it is needed.
“This funding is in addition to supporting the recruitment of an additional 80 mental health professionals to work with children and young people, and our recent announcement of a further £3.6 million to help provide more than 80 additional counsellors in every college and university in Scotland over the next four years. We are also ensuring that every secondary school will have access to a counsellor.”
COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People Cllr Stephen McCabe said: “The wellbeing of our children and young people is of upmost importance to local authorities and has been a particular priority in recent months due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This funding will allow local authorities to continue their work to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing needs arising as a result of the pandemic, and to implement new and enhanced services, providing early support for children and young people experiencing wellbeing issues, and their families. These actions will help ensure the best outcomes for our children and young people in the short and longer term.”
Joanna Barrett, NSPCC Scotland policy and public affairs manager, said: “We know that many children in Scotland have suffered difficult and traumatic experiences over the past few months.
“During lockdown, we saw a rise in contacts to Childline about mental and emotional health issues, with some children saying they had experienced suicidal thoughts. Our counsellors heard from children struggling with family relationships, sharing that arguments, increased parental stress levels and abusive home environments had impacted their mental health.
“So this investment by the Scottish Government to address these issues is crucial for the recovery of our younger generation. But it is important we also remember and support our very youngest and most vulnerable members of society, those under five, who cannot voice the impact the pandemic has had on their mental wellbeing.”
Share your views on proposals to reduce inequalities
The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on new proposals to offer free bus travel for young people resident in Scotland aged under 19.
Over a third of people already benefit from free bus travel in Scotland. The proposed extension of free bus travel to approximately 770,000 young people will deliver on the budget agreement, as reaffirmed in the recent Programme for Government.
At the same time the proposals help realise the vision proposed through the National Transport Strategy – contributing to a transport system with reduced inequalities and one that advances equality of opportunity.
All young carers will now benefit from the wider proposed extension to the National Concessionary Travel Scheme. As such, the Scottish Government does not intend to legislate for a specific extension to recipients of the Young Carer Grant.
Legislation will also be put forward to offer free travel to companions of disabled children under the age of five as part of the extension to those aged under 19.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said:“With approximately 770,000 young people anticipated to benefit – these are hugely exciting proposals for the future of our bus sector and for inspiring future generations to engage with sustainable transport.
“Free bus travel will help young people under the age of 19 to access education, employment and leisure – particularly those from lower income families. What we are proposing will help our young people as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst supporting the vision outlined in our National Transport Strategy for a fairer and more sustainable transport system – reducing inequalities, tackling poverty and promoting opportunity.
“I’m confident that it will support the independence of young people and encourage a greater, long term shift to more sustainable travel – largely by embedding the use of public transport in people’s behaviour from an early age.
“To respond to the climate emergency, we need a shift away from private vehicle use towards more sustainable public transport. I’m confident this step could also help encourage modal shift in how young people get around – improving air quality in our towns and cities by reducing the number of car journeys made either by them or their family, friends, or carers.”
New fund to help education recovery from COVID-19.
Scottish Government funding for youth work is being increased by more than 30% to recognise the vital role the sector will play in making up any ground lost in learning during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A newly created £3 million Youth Work Education Recovery Fund will be targeted at those communities and young people who need the most support, bringing Government spending in the youth work sector this year to at least £12.5 million.
The Recovery Fund will be administered by YouthLink Scotland, the national youth work agency. The fund is open for applications from Community Learning and Development services that help young people engage and re-engage with learning. Submissions should support partnership work between November 2020 and the end of August 2021.
Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland’s vibrant youth work sector plays a crucial role in supporting children and young people’s well-being, and in closing the attainment gap.
“Throughout lockdown we have seen the sector rise to the challenge of providing services remotely, supporting some of the most vulnerable young people across Scotland.
“This £3 million investment in youth work will help education recovery from COVID-19 by providing additional targeted services for young people, where they are needed the most.”
Tim Frew, CEO of YouthLink Scotland, said: “This fund presents an opportunity for the sector to continue to innovate and develop new models of practice in collaboration across the public and voluntary sectors, alongside our partners in schools and colleges.
“Young people across Scotland have shown extraordinary resilience. They have had to put up with so much, missing out on many things that we often take for granted, and as they face the uncertainty of what comes next we will be there to support their educational recovery. In supporting them to achieve, the youth work sector can demonstrate its unique role in closing the poverty-related attainment and achievement gap.”
Background:
More information on the Fund and its application process with YouthLink Scotland.
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed a new £60million Youth Guarantee announced in the Programme for Government, which guarantees everyone in Edinburgh aged 16-24, a job, a place in education or a place in training.
The new partnership between the Scottish Government and Scotland’s employers is backed by £60 million of government investment, which will be broken down as follows:
£30 million through local authorities to help local partnerships to deliver employability support for young people
£10 million to create additional opportunities in colleges
£10 million additional funding for Developing the Young Workforce, the Scottish Government’s internationally recognised Youth Employment Strategy
£10 million to support pathways to apprenticeships
This autumn, the Scottish Government will also launch the National Transition Training Fund, which is backed by initial funding of £25 million and will help up to 10,000 people of all ages retrain for jobs in growth sectors.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald,said: “Governments have rightly taken unprecedented steps to protect workers and businesses through this pandemic, but it’s vital that young people are not left behind.
“This SNP government is absolutely determined that youth unemployment will not become the legacy of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The new £60 million Youth Guarantee, announced in the First Minister’s Programme for Government, will guarantee every young person inEdinburgh aged 16-24 a job, a place in training, or a place in education.
“This is backed by additional funding for employers to recruit and retain apprentices, and the new Job Start Payment to help with the costs associated with starting a new job.
“I urge all employers who are able, to work with the Scottish Government to create more opportunities that recognise the valuable contribution our young people have to make in growing our economy.
“These steps to support for those most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are most welcome, and the SNP will continue to work to ensure every young person in our capital is given the opportunity to succeed”
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has set out more details of how Scotland’s Youth Guarantee will give young people the chance to succeed despite the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The guarantee will ensure everyone aged between 16 and 24 has the opportunity of work, education or training. The Scottish Government is funding it with £60 million which will be broken down as follows:
£30 million through local authorities to help local partnerships to deliver employability support for young people
£10 million to create additional opportunities in colleges
£10 million additional funding for Developing the Young Workforce, the Scottish Government’s internationally recognised Youth Employment Strategy
£10 million to support pathways to apprenticeships
Sandy Begbie, who led the Developing the Young Workforce Group that played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Edinburgh Guarantee to young people, was asked to write an implementation plan which has been published yesterday.
The report’s recommendations include:
early work to identify youth employment opportunities with employers in some of the least-impacted sectors, including financial services, utilities and life sciences
working to introduce an incentive model where government pays 50% of wages for young people who need the most help
a call for the public sector to create more opportunities for young people
a call for businesses who would not normally have taken an apprentice full-time to consider sharing an apprentice with other employers
providing support to encourage SMEs to take on a young person if they are able to do so
Ms Hyslop said: “I would like to thank Sandy Begbie for the significant work he has put into developing this proposal in such a short period of time. He has engaged widely and set out ambitious recommendations for which I am grateful, and I look forward to working with him to implement them.
“The guarantee will be crucial to improving the opportunities of young people in light of the pandemic, and I was delighted to be able to speak to some of them earlier today about how the Edinburgh Guarantee has benefitted them.
“The scale of this task will be significant, and that is why we have set ourselves the challenge of this ambitious guarantee. I would urge all employers who are able, to work with us to create more opportunities that recognise the valuable contribution our young people have to make in growing our economy.
“Progress will only be possible through collaboration and a collective determination to succeed. I am pleased that the Scottish Government has become one of the early adopters of the Youth Guarantee.
“My message to Scotland’s young people is simple: we are right behind you, we want you to be successful and we will do everything we can to give you the opportunities you need.”
Mr Begbie said: “While very ambitious, in many ways this guarantee is quite simple. It is an unconditional commitment to all our 16-24 year olds, whose lives and prospects could be irreparably damaged by COVID-19.
“It is a guarantee of education, an apprenticeship, training, employment, volunteering or supported activity. Keeping young people connected in a way they feel valued and productive is at the heart of this guarantee.
“To deliver this we need a call to action across the private, public, third and education sectors with everyone doing all they can to create opportunities for our young people.
“The guarantee, if delivered effectively, will also go a long way to help address the inequalities we know exist, and every young person regardless of background will have the same opportunity.”
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading independent and third sector providers of children’s services, has warned of a mental health “perfect storm” for children and young people. It has also called for a “national crusade” to tackle this.
The warning comes on the back of figures from Public Health Scotland which indicate that the number of referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) has dropped by a staggering 55.8 per cent between quarters January and March 2020 and April and June 2020 (from 9,017 to 3,985). 1
These range from a 66.7 per cent fall in referrals for NHS Dumfries and Galloway to 7.7 per cent in NHS Orkney (full table in Notes to Editors).
It also highlights that in June 2020, 1,136 children and young people had been waiting more than a year for treatment, up from 581 on the same point last year.2
The SCSC has warned that mental health services will face an overwhelming and unprecedented pressure due to pent-up demand created by the COVID-19 lockdown, coupled with a cut in youth support services. This could potentially lead to a “lost generation” of vulnerable children and young people who are missing out on the support they vitally need.
It has called for a “national crusade”, with the Scottish Government working closely with authorities, including the third and independent sectors, and investing significantly in mental health services. The coalition has also urged that greater awareness is made of the services on offer, especially those at a community level.
The SCSC has warned that self-isolation and social distancing have had an impact on young people struggling with issues such as anxiety and depression. It has noted that even the most resilient children are going to need additional support as they navigate this transition back into whatever is the new normal, and some will need a lot of extra support.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “These latest figures are deeply troubling and point to a ‘perfect storm’ for our young people, with increased demand coupled with cuts in services.
“While referrals have dropped during lockdown and children are not accessing support, we are storing up immense problems for the future as specialist mental health services face being overwhelmed due to greatly increased demand.
“We need a ‘national crusade’ to deliver the mental health provision our young people desperately need. The Government needs to work urgently with the relevant authorities to ensure that not only is there sufficient provision available at the local community level, but that this is clearly communicated and easily accessible for young people and their parents or carers.
“It is not just the NHS, but the third sector and other independent organisations play a key role in addressing mental health services and must receive the funding they vitally need or we face a ‘lost generation’ of vulnerable children and young people.”
Six out of ten young people waiting over 18 weeks to be seen in Lothian
The number of children and young adults waiting over 18 weeks to be seen by a mental health professional has increased to 147 out of 247 patients seen, 59.5%, In June 2020 the latest month of statistics available.
As of June 2020 there are 2,482 young people waiting to be seen in Edinburgh and the Lothians, with a record 472 waiting for over a year, 19% of total waits.
In April to June 2020 there were 825 CAMHS referrals, with 109 rejected, making a total of 706 new referrals. This is compared to 1,659 referrals in January to March 2020, with 382 referrals rejected, making a total of 1277 new referrals.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“These figures reinforce the mental health crisis for young people in NHS Lothian with exceptionally long waits to be seen by a mental health professional.
“Mental Health professionals in NHS Lothian work incredibly hard to support young people who are struggling with their mental health, but services are simply not being properly resourced to meet demand.
“Lockdown, Covid-19 restrictions and failures by SNP Ministers over SQA results will all have added to stresses for young people making mental health support even more important. “SNP Ministers have presided over our health service for over 13 years and have failed to support a generation of young people.”
Over one in three of Scotland’s young workforce could be unemployed later this year – the highest ever level since records began
Urgent action needed over the coming weeks and months to meet the ‘100,000 challenge’ to provide 100,000 new opportunities for young people through learning or working.
IPPR Scotland has published new research which shows the scale of the youth unemployment challenge Scotland could face later this year.
In the think tank’s ‘central scenario’, based on forecasts from the UK Office of Budget Responsibility, youth unemployment in Scotland could surge past 100,000 young people later this year as the furlough schemes end and the UK as a whole enters a jobs crisis. This would see over one in three of Scotland’s young workforce (16-24 year olds looking for work) facing youth unemployment – the highest level since records began.
The think tank warns that youth unemployment could be worse than this in a reasonable worst-case ‘downside’ scenario, with over 140,000 young people unemployedby the end of 2020. In the ‘upside’ scenario, youth unemployment increases hugely, but stays around 80,000 and beneath the level seen following the 2008/09 financial crash.
The ‘scarring effects’ of unemployment early in someone’s career are well-documented, with people who experience youth unemployment for a significant time facing a pay gap that many never close throughout the rest of their working lives. This could have significant implications for health and wellbeing and cause significant long-term damage to Scotland’s economy.
To protect a generation of young people, IPPR Scotland is calling for urgent action over the coming weeks to meet what it’s calling the ‘100,000 challenge’ – providing 100,000 new opportunities in Scotland across education, skills and employment.
This will need urgent action from government, colleges and universities, and employers in Scotland. The think tank is also calling on the UK Government to maintain support for jobs across the economy by replacing the furlough scheme with a ‘short-time work scheme’, as seen in France and Germany, that would see employers able to offer subsidised part-time work rather than being forced into laying people off.
The UK Government has announced a Kickstarter Job Scheme that is due to begin in the autumn, however details so far are lacking. Further details on the Scottish Government’s own £60m Scottish Youth Guarantee are also awaited. The think tank fears neither scheme is likely to reach the scale required as things stand.
Russell Gunson, Director of IPPR Scotland, said:“If these projections turn out to be true we will see youth unemployment on a scale we’ve never seen before in Scotland later this year.
“Over 100,000 young people – or more than one in three of Scotland’s young workforce – could be unemployed by the end of the year. This is unprecedented, and will need unprecedented action over the coming weeks and months without delay.
“While both the UK and Scottish governments have announced action to try to stave off youth unemployment, we have not yet seen the scale of action meet the scale of the challenge.
“As the school year starts and as we approach the new academic year for college and universities, we need to act now to help those without a place in education or training and without a job. That will need action from across Scotland – including government but also from businesses, employers, colleges and universities.
“We are facing a ‘100,000 challenge’ in Scotland. The question we must ask and urgently answer is: how do we create 100,000 new opportunities for young people in Scotland over the rest of this year?
“Through further additional college and university places, through even greater investment in learning and training, and through action by employers to try to protect opportunities for young people it is more than possible. But we must now act at a pace and a scale not yet seen.”
The Scottish Government continues to press UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Risho Sunak to extend the furlough scheme, which is due to end in October. It’s feared that, unless the scheme is extended, tens of thousands more workers will be made redundant.
