Tag: Young people

‘Facing real challenges’ – Young artist reflects on pandemic

An image representing young people overcoming challenges during the Covid-19 crisis has been released by Barnardo’s to mark Children’s Mental Health Week.

With the theme of this year’s week (February 1 to February 7) being ‘Express Yourself’ the UK’s leading children’s charity asked the artist to explain what inspired the picture.

Artist Louise, who is supported by Barnardo’s, said: “In the image, I chose the cogs to represent the idea that young people are facing many invisible challenges and feelings which I felt were important to acknowledge. 

“The blue light in the image represents that despite all these challenges, here was a generation that had come together in all sorts of different ways whether that was working for the NHS or doing a neighbour’s shopping. 

“Yes, young people are facing some real challenges at the moment but we are making a difference despite it all which felt powerful to me and was what I wanted to convey through my image.”

The picture was also used as the front cover of a Barnardo’s report entitled In Our Own Words, where young people had their say about how the pandemic has affected them.

Young people who helped produce the report said the pandemic has felt like a lifetime, and Barnardo’s is concerned the effects will last a real lifetime if steps are not taken to help children.

It is holding Government to account and ensuring the voice of the child is not forgotten in its response to the pandemic.

But cannot do it alone and needs the support of the public to help children and young people who are feeling lonely, anxious about the future, disconnected from their peers, with some living in unsafe home environments away from the protective gaze of their teachers and school staff. 

This is why the charity is relaunching an urgent Coronavirus Crisis Appeal. It knows that with the right support, children can recover from the trauma resulting from the pandemic. 

Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “With spring still a long way off, the country in another lockdown and the end of the pandemic still uncertain, children and young people are facing a very difficult time.

“Just as Louise expresses so brilliantly in her picture, young people are facing many invisible challenges, but they don’t have to face them alone.

“Barnardo’s is always here for those who need us, and with your support we can reach  even more children and young people struggling during the pandemic and beyond. If you are in a position to donate, then please do consider supporting our Crisis Appeal.”

Go to www.barnardos.org.uk/coronavirus-crisis-appeal for more information.

Teenagers: “raise your voice” to advise Children’s Commissioner

Teenagers are being encouraged to join a group advising the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. 

Bruce Adamson, the Commissioner, works to promote and protect children’s human rights and relies on a Young Advisers Group as one of the key ways to hear directly about the issues that matter. They tell his office when to “raise your voice” and defend children’s rights. During the pandemic, young advisers have spoken out with the Commissioner on issues like mental health, school closures and poverty.  

Anyone living in Scotland aged between 14 and 17 can apply to be a Young Adviser in the group. Meetings are currently online, and the Commissioner is keen for people who haven’t previously been part of organised groups to apply.  

Young Advisers work with the Commissioner and his team on lots of different projects, share their opinions, and influence decision-making. They’ll be able to take part in creative tasks, organise events, and have lots of fun along the way. They’ll be supported by the Commissioner’s team and previous Young Advisers. 

Coll, whose time as a Young Adviser is just ending, said: “If you think applying to be a Young Adviser means applying for yet another tick-box position for an organisation paying lip service to issues facing young people, you could not be more wrong.

“You’re applying to a role which will place you at the heart of the strategic decision-making of one of Scotland’s foremost young people’s organisations.”  

Bruce Adamson said: “I have the best job in the world, and the best part of that is working with children and young people. The Young Advisers Group helps my office to effectively stand up for children’s rights.

“They’ve shaped a huge range of our work, from policing in the pandemic, to climate justice, to exam cancellations and they’ve helped us recruit new staff and recently influenced the design of our new website.

“I want our new Young Advisers Group to reflect Scotland’s diversity and we’d especially love to support young people who might not have done anything like this before, so whatever your background or experience, please apply.”  

Applications close at 5pm on March 1st, 2021. For more information, and to apply, please visit cypcs.org.uk/get-help/young-people/become-a-young-adviser/

More support into employment for vulnerable teenagers

Funding to help more vulnerable young people across Scotland into work has been announced by Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop.

Part of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, the £986,702 investment will provide specialist pre-employment support for an additional 1,300 16 and 17-year-olds.

Two existing programmes delivered in partnership with the third sector – Our Future Now and Discovering Your Potential – will provide the support.  

Ms Hyslop said: “This pandemic continues to hit us hard – especially our young people who are facing fewer opportunities, and even more so for those who are vulnerable and have recently left school.

“As part of our national mission to create jobs, and through our Young Person’s Guarantee, we must all work together to help this generation who have been caught so cruelly in the eye of the coronavirus (COVID-19) storm.

“These two dedicated programmes, delivered in partnership with the third sector, will allow us to help even more young people access the support they need to build their confidence and develop valuable skills that employers require.”

Vulnerable young people are defined as those with multiple barriers to employment. This includes:

  • young people at risk of not being in education, employment, or training
  • young carers
  • young care-experienced people
  • young people with disabilities
  • young people with previous convictions
  • young homeless people
  • young people mental health issues
  • young refugees

Further information regarding the Young Person’s Guarantee can be found here.

Inspiring Scotland, who deliver Our Future Now, will receive funding of £500,702.

For further information please contact enquiries@inspiringscotland.org.uk.

The Young Person’s Consortium, which includes Barnardo’s, Action for Children, and The Princes Trust, deliver Discovering Your Potential. They will receive funding of £486,000.

For further information please contact tommy.mcdade@barnardos.org.uk.

Letter: NSPCC Scotland seeks young people for new Board for Change

Dear Editor,

The NSPCC is looking for young people in Scotland to join a new group that gives them the chance to shape and influence the charity’s work, and ensure they are at the heart of our decision making.

We are launching the Young People’s Board for Change, and want to recruit 15 members aged between 13 and 16, from across the country.

The Board members will use the platform to raise awareness of what matters most to them, take action and make change happen. They will also have a big role internally advising staff and trustees.

The young people will take part in new experiences and opportunities, meet other young people, as well as develop confidence and learn life-long new skills, such as campaigning and public speaking.

Over a two-year period, members will take part in residentials, meetings and workshops, and campaign to share their views and opinions.

We want as many young people as possible to have the chance to apply, so we are encouraging parents and carers to speak to their children about this exciting opportunity, and teachers and other professionals to share details with their students and through their networks.

At the NSPCC, we are committed to ensuring that young people are empowered and that their opinions are listened to. It’s vital that we put children and young people first and embed their views into everything we do in our fight for every childhood

Readers can find out more at nspcc.org.uk/boardforchange, or for an informal chat please contact participationteam@nspcc.org.uk.

The deadline for completed applications is 11 January and interviews will be held between 18 – 21 January.

Carla Malseed

Local Campaigns Manager for NSPCC Scotland

Young Scot calls on Edinburgh to celebrate its young people

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 could only last 4.5 months without family financial support

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.

3.https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/november2020

£15 million to help young people’s mental health through the pandemic

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.”

Free bus travel for people aged under 19?

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.”

The consultation closes on Monday 7 December.

Access the consultation online: https://consult.gov.scot/transport-scotland/consultation-free-bus-travel-for-people-under19