Young people – Page 8 – The NEN

We’ve Been Heard: Young people speak out on Access All Arts funding

MORE than one hundred young people with additional support needs have taken forward creative arts projects as a result of funding from the Access All Arts Fund, led by national charity Children in Scotland.

The fund, delivered through Creative Scotland’s Nurturing Talent Fund: New Routes programme, distributed £68,000 to young people across Scotland, supporting projects ranging from dance to drama and visual art to television.

As a result of the fund’s success, Creative Scotland will be supporting a second phase of the project from 2022-23.

A report on the first year of the Access All Arts Fund, capturing its aims, approach, impact and recommendations, is published today.

Click here to download the report

The Access All Arts Fund was established specifically to support children and young people with an additional support need or disability, a community who have experienced significant challenges during the pandemic.

Children in Scotland recruited four children and young people with a range of additional support needs as panellists to lead the design of the fund, make decisions about funding and support creative initiatives. The panel comprised young people aged 12-25 from West Lothian, Stirling and Glasgow.

With year one of the fund successfully completed, recruitment of young people to take part in the year two panel will begin shortly.

Activity in 2022-23 will have a strong emphasis on wellbeing and a continued focus on young people as project co-designers.

Ryan Cuzen, one of the panel members who took part in the project over the past year, said: “Having young people with lived experience of a disability or additional support needs involved in the design of funds, training programmes and opportunities is vital.

“It shows we are being listening to, included and our ideas and voices are being heard.”

David Mackay, Policy & Projects Manager at Children in Scotland and Access All Arts Fund project lead, said: ““It’s been fantastic to work with the young people on our design panel over the past year and to see the incredible response to the fund.

“The Access All Arts Fund has had a significant impact on many children and young people’s lives – helping them to improve their wellbeing, learn new skills and open up new creative opportunities. We are delighted that Creative Scotland has announced it will be supporting a second round of the fund in 2022.

“We look forward to continuing to support children and young people with additional support needs or a disability to access the arts and realise their full potential.”

Sarah Mcadam, Youth Arts Programme Manager at Creative Scotland said: “The high demand for Access All Arts in 2021 showed us the important role that arts and creativity was able to play in the lives of children and young people who were experiencing significant challenges during the pandemic.

“We’re thrilled that through renewed support, this programme will give more children and young people opportunities to lead on decision-making and access the funding they need to bring their creative ideas to life.”

Recommendations in the report on year one of the project include:

Creative Scotland should continue to fund Access all Arts. The fund has been successful in reaching a previously under-represented community and evaluation suggests it has had a positive impact for many young people.
Creative Scotland and Children in Scotland should share key learning from the project with policy leads and decision-makers, identifying opportunities to influence other initiatives designed to support children and young people’s learning and wellbeing following the pandemic.
In additional rounds of the fund, increased time and financial resource should go to outreach work and building relationships with organisations supporting specific communities (for example, deaf children and children and young people with a visual impairment). This would encourage a wider diversity of applications to join the design panel and an increased range of applications.

The fund was open for applications from 11 August – 13 September 2021 and received 236 submissions from children and young people aged 11 to 26.

A large number of applications included requests to purchase items ranging from drawing and painting materials to musical instruments or photographic equipment.

Funding allowed children and young people to attend music, dance or drama tuition classes, realise zine-making projects, progress their song-writing ability and learn silversmithing skills and clothing design.

Evaluation of the project concludes that the fund:

Provided opportunities for children and young people to explore their unique personal interests and passions
Gave them autonomy and agency to develop projects and learn new skills while supporting their wellbeing
Created opportunities for them to overcome barriers and try new creative experiences and, in some cases, supported career development opportunities.

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Plans for Platinum Jubilee Youth Spectacular unveiled

A stunning event to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and hosted by TV presenter and comedian, Stephen Mulhern, will be held in June on a former opencast coal mine in Fife.

Launched today (11^th April) and taking place on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th June at St Ninians, near the village of Kelty, the Platinum Jubilee Youth Spectacular will be held in a newly constructed arena located on the former mine site.

Being undertaken by Community Interest Company, National Pride UK, which is looking to deliver an Eco-Therapy Wellness and Leisure Park on the site, it has been organised by the former Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo impresario, Mel Jameson.

The extravaganza will showcase the extraordinary talents of our young people, with performers including:

· The Imps Motorcycle Display Team, the world’s foremost youth motorcycle display team

· The world-famous Red Hot Chili Pipers

· Massed pipes and drums from Scottish schools

· Massed military bands

· The musical skills of the massed army cadet force brass bands

· Highland dancing displays and other dancers

The event will also feature scouts, guides, boys brigade and police cadets.

Irene Bissett, Chair of National Pride UK, said: “We are delighted to be hosting this spectacular event to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

“It brings together an incredible range of some of Scotland’s top performers in the stunning setting of St Ninians, showcasing the amazing skills of our young people.

“Those attending this extravaganza are in for a real treat.”

Prices range from £6 for children (up to the age of 16) and OAPs (over 65) and £12 for adults.

These are available from: www.getmeticketsonline.co.uk

Project SEARCH creates opportunities for young people with disabilities

A programme which provides paths to employment for disabled young adults has returned, with new opportunities for internships in the Capital.

Edinburgh’s Project SEARCH has been helping people to gain vital employment skills and prepare for work since 2014 and is back after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic.

This year, 21 young people will be able to take forward placements, including roles with the City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian. For the first time, seven of these positions will be available with Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, which has signed up to become the programme’s first new employer in seven years.

Internships will be complemented with additional training and a ‘ready for work’ qualification from Edinburgh College.

Councillor Kate Campbell, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Our goal is that 100% of the people who join Project SEARCH find employment before the end of the course or quickly after graduating.

“It’s an opportunity to support young people so that they can build confidence and learn the skills they’ll need to have fulfilling careers. But it’s also an opportunity for organisations to learn how they can become better employers, providing opportunities for young disabled people who may face additional barriers, and even more so with the pandemic.

“As employers learn more about the benefits to their organisation from becoming a disability confident employer, I hope opportunities for young disabled people will increase across the city.

“So, it’s fantastic to have private sector, as well as public sector, employers involved this year.”

Mandy Watt, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Vice Convener, added: “Some of the young people applying to Project SEARCH have graduated from school virtually – and now they face the prospect of not knowing how to take their first step into the world of work.

“Disability shouldn’t be a barrier to entering employment, but we know that all too often it is. Programmes like this are working to change things and open learning and employment opportunities for our young people, allowing them to work towards their own futures.

“The addition of Virgin Hotels to the list of employers on board is really welcome news. It sets a new standard for other organisations to consider signing up. As one of the city’s newest hotels, the partnership will create even more diverse roles for people to try out and learn from.”

Adam Gray, Regional Director of People, Scotland for Virgin Hotels said: “We are really looking forward to being the first hospitality organisation to take part in Project SEARCH in Edinburgh.

“Our new hotel opening creates lot of opportunity for employment in Edinburgh and we feel the young people from Project SEARCH are a great fit for Virgin. We pride ourselves on creating an open, diverse culture for our teammates where they can come to work and be their true self.

“We cannot wait to get started meeting the young people and creating meaningful placement opportunities for them.”

Rory Young, a Project SEARCH graduate who now works full time for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I joined Project SEARCH in August 2019 and completed three placements during my internship.

“The Project really helped me to gain a variety of office-based work experience and increase my confidence within a workplace and I was supported with job seeking and job skills.

“I’ve now working as a Licensing Support Assistant. I do a variety of tasks such as dealing with all mail, printing, and issuing licenses, updating licence records, and supporting colleagues who are managing applications. I’m really enjoying the job and have fitted in really well with all my colleagues.”

The Project SEARCH course has been designed to support young people to learn relevant and transferrable skills while working in a business environment. Participants will take part in three internships where they can learn new skills and improve their confidence, while gaining over 800 hours of work practice.

Everyone enrolled will be supported by an employment specialist and a learning and engagement officer and all study works towards an SQA Employability Award that demonstrates job readiness to employers.

Types of internships available previously have included administration, reception, mailroom, catering, hospitality, librarian, portering, domestic assistant, stores department and clinical support work.

To be eligible for Edinburgh Project SEARCH you must:

Be between 16 and 29 years old
Want to secure a full-time job (16+ hours)
Be based in the Lothians
Have a recognised disability
Be willing to commit to the programme full-time for one year
Be able to travel alone or learn how to do this by the time the course starts.

Global Youth Climate Strike for the first time since COP26

FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE SCOTLAND – PEOPLE NOT PROFIT

This Friday (25/3/22), for the first time since COP26, young people will take to Scotland’s streets by striking from their schools, colleges and universities.

In November, over 35,000 young people marched in Glasgow to demand climate justice, setting the tone for the next day when 100,000 people from all over the world would do the same. This global climate strike will keep the pressure up on politicians to take action, instead of making empty promises.

This global strike will see more than 700 protests globally, with 8 strikes taking place in Scotland alone.

COP26 failed us – not that we ever expected it to deliver.

Across the globe, the planet burns while wealth and power grows yet more concentrated in the hands of the few. Decision makers sit back, choosing to not to protect people and planet but to exacerbate the climate crisis.

Young people all around the world are standing against this dereliction of duty.

On March 25th, we will demand our government’s put People Before Profit.

Cerys Gough, 18, from Langholm, said: ”The science is clear. We’ve already seen irreversible damage caused by the climate crisis, and the recent IPCC Report declared a Code Red situation.

“We cannot afford to delay anymore, which is why we’re taking to the streets again”.

Cora Gibson, 15, from Edinburgh, said: “We don’t need to wait for the next COP to act on the climate crisis.

“Governments could be investing in renewable energy, phasing out fossil fuels, improving public transport, making our houses less reliant on fossil fuels, and so much more.”

Saoi O’Connor, 19, from Glasgow, said: “The UK Government has subsidised over £13.6 billion into fossil fuel companies since the Paris Agreement was signed. In 2021, just 24 oil companies made £131.3 billion in profit.

“Meanwhile, people on the lowest incomes are being forced into fuel poverty, being forced into choosing between heating their homes or feeding their families. That is a complete failure, we must prioritise people over profit.”

Climate Strike Locations:

Edinburgh – 11am, Scottish Parliament to Edinburgh City Chambers
Glasgow – 12pm, George Square
Dumfries – 11am, Council Headquarters
Falkirk – 11am, Highstreet Bandstand
Inverness – 11am, Falcon Square
Stirling – 2pm, Town Centre, Port Street
Ullapool – 8:30am, Clocktower

Edinburgh’s young people announced as Young Scot Awards finalists

Young people from across Edinburgh have been announced as finalists in this year’s Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards in recognition of their incredible achievements.

Jordan Stewart and Amaranta Laing, both from the capital, have been nominated in the Arts category for their work in creating Fusion – an organisation which aims to amplify the voices of young people through the power of music.

By partnering with Children 1st, Jordan and Amaranta have helped 10-year-old Sophie to produce ‘Sophie’s Song. Sophie created the track in the hope of influencing the justice system for victims and witnesses of crime.

26-year-old Rhys Gilchrist joins Jordan and Amaranta in the Arts category.

Photo – Chris Watt Web – www.chriswatt.com Mobile – 07887554193 Instagram – @chriswattphotography

The talented musician regularly facilitates interactive sessions at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children to bring joy, fun and creativity to young people going through difficult times. Rhys also recently organised an orchestra visit to offer patients a distraction and hosts a song writing group to support those undergoing treatment in writing and producing their own music.

Fergus Crawley, 25, has been nominated in the Wellbeing category for his work in encouraging young people to open up about their mental health struggles.

Fergus, who works as a personal trainer, has been fundraising since 2018 to raise money for a host of men’s mental health charities, including going up and down Ben Nevis for 11 consecutive days, squatting 125,000 kg in 24 hours, and embarking on a 94-mile run.

His efforts have seen him raise a total of £100,000 in just four years, which Fergus hopes will go a long way to helping to break the stereotypes surrounding men’s mental health so that less people suffer in silence.

21-year-old Connor Muir has been nominated in the Volunteering category.

Connor, who lives in Leith, has been dedicated to making a difference to his local community for years, having volunteered with the Citadel Youth Centre since he was just 16. Connor helped to set up the centre’s intergenerational café, New Spin and often runs errands for a lot of the older members.

Throughout lockdown, Connor volunteered to take supplies and meals to vulnerable families and young people and would often spend time with isolated people in the neighbourhood – offering them much-needed friendship during a lonely time.

Addie, Hannah and Jo, all from Edinburgh, have been nominated in the Equality and Diversity category for their work in setting up Whatever Next? – a multi-media platform that explores their experiences as Chinese adoptees, and adoptees in general.

Through a monthly podcast, the three discuss the varied experiences they have had as adoptees, and how it has impacted the different areas of their lives – covering areas like the ABCs of adoption, food, adoptive parents and dating as an adoptee.

In doing so, they aim to open up a conversation around adoption – busting myths and providing relatable narratives to other adoptees. The work of Whatever Next? has won acclaim and the chance to speak on bigger and bigger platforms – with the trio having appeared on BBC Radio Scotland, LBC, and in the Herald.

Their work also won them the Creative Edinburgh Student Award in 2021.

The finalists all impressed an esteemed panel of judges with their outstanding contributions to their communities. The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards aims to recognise and inspire extraordinary young people from across the country who are making a real difference to the lives of others.

Now in its sixteenth year, the awards highlight the triumphs of young people in a range of categories – from sport and the environment to enterprise and volunteering – and shine a light on the invaluable contributions made by remarkable young people across Scotland.

The results will be announced on 27 April 2022 at a star-studded red-carpet awards ceremony hosted at Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre.

The winners will join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Lawrence Chaney and social media star Jamie Genevieve.

Charitable duo Jack Mullen and Alfie King were crowned 2021’s ‘Young Scots of the Year’ for their work raising donations and keeping community spirit alive during the pandemic.

Kirsten Urquhart, Chief Executive (Interim) at Young Scot, said: “The inspiring work of these remarkable young people is a testament to what the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards are all about – recognising, championing and celebrating the achievements of Scotland’s young people.

“Congratulations to all of the 2022 finalists!”

Call for increased investment in mental health as child referrals increase by more than 25%

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of children’s services, has called for greatly increased investment in mental health services as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the young become clearer.

The call comes as new figures published by Public Health Scotland today (15^th March 2022), indicate that at the end of December 2021, 10,021 children and young people had been referred for treatment from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

This includes issues such as anxiety and depression and represents a staggering 27.1 per cent increase from the previous quarter (July to September 2021) when the figure was 7,882.

With already under-resourced and overstretched services facing overwhelming pressure due to increased demand, the SCSC has raised concerns over a potential “lost generation” of vulnerable children and young people whose mental health is being impacted by Covid-19.

Even prior to the pandemic cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels and in crisis, and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access adequate support. The pandemic has exacerbated this, leading to unprecedented demand and backlogs, with services struggling to keep up.

In total, 4, 544 children and young people started treatment at CAMHS over the period October to December 2021. This is an increase of 19.8 per cent from the previous quarter (3,792) and only 70.3 per cent were seen within the Scottish Government’s waiting time target for the NHS of 18 weeks from referral to treatment (met by at least 90 per cent of patients).

This is a fall from the previous quarter when the figure was 78.6 per cent. Eight out of 14 health boards failed to meet this target.

A total of 1,570 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment at the end of December 2021.

In addition to increased investment in specialist CAMHS, the SCSC has called for greater workforce planning and a renewed focus on expanded prevention and early intervention services, reducing the need for referral to costly specialist mental health services.

It has also called for greater partnership working between the public, private and third sectors as well as greater awareness of the services on offer, especially those at a community level.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “For some time now, we have raised concerns over a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted even further by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Too many of our young people are waiting too long for the treatment they need and it is more important than ever that children can access the support required, irrespective of where they live.

“While we welcome the attention that the Scottish Government has given to date on this vital issue, a lack of resources and lack of staff mean it’s becoming an impossible situation to manage. There must be a radical transformation of our mental health services, investing in specialist services and with a focus on preventing such problems arising in the first place and intervening early.

“This is a crisis we can overcome, but as the country comes to terms with the biggest hit to its mental health in generations, it will require a similar energy and commitment to that demonstrated for Covid-19 if we are to achieve this and prevent many young people giving up on their futures.”

Waiting times (with adjustments) for people who started their treatment from October to December 2021, by NHS Board of treatment:

Health board	Total number seen	% seen within 18 weeks
NHS Scotland	4,544	70.3
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	350	93.7
NHS Borders	70	67.1
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	133	47.4
NHS Fife	363	71.9
NHS Forth Valley	111	57.7
NHS Grampian	372	95.2
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley	1,561	57.7
NHS Highland	232	75.0
NHS Lanarkshire	239	69.5
NHS Lothian	726	65.2
NHS Tayside	329	93.0
NHS Island Boards	58	100.0

Calling teens with big dreams: the Bright Future Prize

The search is on for the next generation of inspiring community leaders as Ardonagh Community Trust launches its £40,000 Bright Future Prize

Teens with big dreams have been asked to put forward their ideas for the Bright Future Prize to make a difference to the communities they care about.

The prize, which is now in its second year, is hosted by Ardonagh Community Trust (ACT), the registered charity of one of the world’s leading insurance brokers, The Ardonagh Group.

Winners of this year’s four prize categories will each receive a share of the £40,000 fund, alongside opportunities for mentoring, to help turn their dreams into reality.

ACT Trustee and former British and Ireland Lions Captain Rory Best, described his delight at the prize’s launch and asked young people to step forward to help bring about the change they want to see in the world. He said: “I’m excited that applications for the Bright Future Prize 2022 are now officially open.

“We want to hear from 13–19-year-olds about the incredible projects and causes they’re passionate about, so that we can help support their communities around the world.

“I’m incredibly proud to be an ACT trustee and supporter of the Bright Future Prize and I can’t wait to read about young people’s big ideas to help shape a brighter future.”

Last year, four talented individuals and groups were given the chance to drive positive change in their communities. Their projects ranged from promoting anti-bullying messages and supporting teenagers to pursue musical ambitions, to encouraging young people living in areas of deprivation to apply to top universities.

The winners of the Bright Future Prize 2021, a team of three teenagers from Manchester, were awarded the prize for their innovative project, developed as part of a project with Manchester’s Contact Theatre, to help young people to protect their mental health.

Their proposed computer game – Dawn to the Light – aims to support young people to find positive ways to learn about mental health.

The Dawn to the Light Team encouraged young people to enter this year’s prize saying that the experience had helped them to feel empowered to help others.

The team said: “The prize fund allowed our idea to go from an idea on a page to a soon-to-come project that will be a fully-fledged videogame.

“It allowed us to explore our own individuals’ talents and helped us showcase them in the work we put together.

“To anyone applying to the fund, you should approach the application with the passion that you already possess for the project. You should never think an idea isn’t good enough or important enough and keep your mind optimistic.”

This year, there are four prize categories, which are each linked to a different way young people can help improve their community of choice.

The prize categories are:

Your community – Making a difference to the people around you
Your planet – Protecting the environment and taking a stand against climate change
Your vision – Driving positive change through entrepreneurship or innovation
Your passion – Sharing your love for music, the arts or sport with more people

The prize is open to young people aged 13-19, who live a region where Ardonagh has a presence, including in the UK, Ireland, Australia, the United States, or South Africa.

To apply, candidates – individually, or as a group – should propose a project or a cause close to their heart, and outline how they will use the funding to help make their community better, brighter, and stronger.

Applications are open between 14 March and Friday 29 April.

To apply please visit: https://www.ardonaghtrust.org/bright-future-prize

The Ardonagh Community Trust helps communities become better, brighter and stronger. Since the charity’s launch in 2017, it has raised more than £1.5 million for causes around the world.

Welcome to Your Vote Day!

New Scots urged to register to vote in May elections

The Electoral Commission is running a Welcome to Your Vote Day, today Thursday 10 March, to raise awareness amongst New Scots about their right to vote ahead of the upcoming council elections.

In 2020 the Scottish Parliament voted to extend the franchise for Scottish Parliament and council elections to include anyone aged 16 or over who is resident in Scotland, regardless of their nationality. This means that the upcoming elections will be the first opportunity for many New Scots to vote in Scottish council elections.

Anyone who wants to vote in the Scottish council elections on 5 May must be registered by midnight on 18 April.

Andy O’Neill, Head of the Electoral Commission in Scotland said: “Welcome to Your Vote Day aims to raise awareness that New Scots have the right to register to vote and have their say on 5 May.

“We have information to help new voters understand the voting process in various languages on our website at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voter.

“You can’t have your say in the council elections taking place this May unless you are registered to vote, which you can do online now at www.gov.uk/registertovote.”

The Electoral Commission is also working with organisations across Scotland to ensure that recently-enfranchised voters have the tools they need to confidently cast their vote on issues that affect their day to day lives.

This includes providing resources which community groups and other organisations can use to raise awareness amongst New Scots they work with and run their own registration events.

Luis, who is a member of JustRight Scotland’s JustCitizens Panel and came to Scotland from Mexico in 2014, said: “This year I am going to vote, after living here for a couple of years. I feel like I belong and I would like to think that I have the power to shape the society I live in.”

Mira from the Just Citizens Panel, who is originally from Poland, said: “I voted in Scotland for the first time in 2017 at the local council elections and, emotionally speaking, it was quite an emotive and powerful event.

“It felt like, even though I had already lived in Scotland for seven years at that point, it really felt like I was part of the society and like I was taking an active role in what was happening to the city that I live in.”

Organisations and individuals who want to raise awareness about the right to vote for New Scots can access the free resources from the Electoral Commission website at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/democratic-engagement-resources.

Royal Bank reveals the true cost of splurging on fun after examining Scots spending priorities in 2022

Research from Royal Bank of Scotland reveals Scots spending priorities in 2022
Young people battling desire to splurge post-pandemic with need to budget for the future
Soaring energy costs identified as key concern

As the country begins to look at life beyond the pandemic, new research from Royal Bank of Scotland reveals that nearly half (42%) of young people surveyed in Scotland view spending money on fun as more of a priority post-lockdown.

Despite the renewed sense of freedom and recent relaxation of restrictions, young people are struggling with an internal conflict between the desire to enjoy life and pressures to save, with as many as 85% of 18 to 34-year-olds feeling guilty when splashing their hard-earned cash on themselves.

This is further compounded by social situations, where nearly two-thirds (63%) of 18 to 34 year-olds admit to feeling pressured by their friends to spend money – even when they feel they don’t have enough cash to spare.

Contributing to this feeling of guilt, just over half (51%) of those interviewed confessed that they don’t have a monthly budget set aside for having fun, with nearly eight in ten (79%) admitting that they will need to rethink their spending this year in the wake of energy price rises.

Respondents cited the pandemic – and prolonged periods of lockdown – as key motivators for their changing spending patterns. Almost two-thirds (63%) agree they’re happy to splurge if it means the chance to make memories with friends and loved ones, whilst a third (33%) are keen to make up for the experiences they lost during lockdown.

The findings suggest that the desire to spend more money in 2022, combined with a lack of budgeting confidence and the rising cost of living is mixing together to create a financial storm.

Addressing some of the key concerns raised in the survey, Royal Bank of Scotland is launching a new campaign to help young people balance their longing to make up for moments and memories lost to the pandemic, with the need to set realistic and achievable budgeting goals.

Backing the campaign to support young people, social wellbeing analyst and award-winning businesswoman Charlotte Armitage said: “Dealing with anxiety related to your personal finances is one of the most pressing challenges coming out of the pandemic.

“Financial goal setting can be an effective strategy against the struggle. Momentum is critical and if you have a long-term savings goal, you need to break it down into manageable milestones, give yourself some easy wins and reinforce positive actions.

“After the past few years, it’s certainly okay to have fun and spend your hard earned money on yourself. Taking stock of your finances and getting a clear picture of your spending and saving will allow you to spot those areas where you can make small changes without sacrificing fun, allowing you to create memories and be confident about your financial future.”

Royal Bank is committed to improving the nation’s financial capabilities and will continue to offer every person in Scotland a free, judgement free Financial Health Check. The importance of such services is demonstrated in the research, with over one-fifth (22%) of respondents aged 18-34 citing a lack of knowledge as a reason why they don’t have a financial plan whilst almost one in five (19%) feel they are unable to afford a financial advisor.

Royal Bank is also encouraging customers to make use of new features available through its award-winning app such as the new ‘spending’ and ‘savings’ tabs, which allows customers to easily understand where their money is going and how they’re tracking against their goals.

Commenting on the findings, Malcolm Buchanan, Chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “It’s vitally important that we continue to listen to young people and understand the everyday challenges they face when it comes to managing their money.

“Whilst everybody’s financial situation is unique, it is through research and dialogue like this that we can design effective solutions and provide the tools to help make dealing with money easier for our customers.

“Royal Bank is committed to providing everyone with the support and skills they need to make responsible financial decisions, which in turn, will help them have fun and make memories.”

Royal Bank continues to make financial management easier and more accessible by providing the following:

· Financial Health Check – A free 20-minute conversation with a banking advisor who provides guidance to make banking simpler, as well as tips for everyday spending and achieving future goals. This could include setting savings targets, advice on tracking monthly spending and creating budgets. Customers can choose to chat in a branch or over the phone. personal.rbs.co.uk/personal/financial-health-check.html

· Royal Bank of Scotland app – Customers using Royal Bank of Scotland’s award-winning app are able to easily see where their money is going with the new ‘spending’ tab which will show them how much they’re spending by category each month, helping them stay in control of their money.

· MoneySense – MoneySense provides parents and teachers with the tools to give young people the confidence to use money responsibly on their own. The programme is the longest-running bank-led financial education programme for young people in the UK. MoneySense is fully digital and downloadable, and can be delivered by teachers in schools.

National Lottery funds Venture Scotland’s Journey programme

Today Leith-based charity, Venture Scotland, is celebrating receiving nearly £100,000 in funding over 3 years from The National Lottery Community Fund, made possible by National Lottery players.

Since 1989, Venture Scotland has used the outdoors as a vehicle to transform the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of Young People across the Central Belt of Scotland. Every year, their small team delivers four, progressive outdoor-based personal development programmes, known as the “Journey”, to over 50 Young People who are facing challenges to their mental health.

Venture Scotland utilise Scotland’s natural environments to deliver group-based outdoor activities, such as gorge walking, kayaking and hill climbing, alongside groupwork, 1-to-1 support sessions and remote bothy residentials.

Venture Scotland’s ethos is to use the outdoor experience to help our Young People gain confidence, overcome challenges, and discover their potential – all of which they can channel into their daily lives.

The National Lottery Community Fund has made it possible for their graduate Young People to give back to Venture Scotland and has ensured that Young People are at the heart of our organisation.

Venture Scotland’s innovative Ambassador Programme has embedded four of our graduate Young People at all levels of Venture Scotland:

They attend and offer feedback at our Board meetings;
Support our fundraising team;
Help our Outreach Worker engage with new Young People;
Volunteer with our delivery team on activity days;
And have helped recruit new staff and trustees.

Most importantly, Venture Scotland’s Ambassadors bring their “lived experience” to motivate and inspire the project’s young people and ensure that their wellbeing is at the heart of everything VS we does.

Jo graduated from Venture Scotland’s Journey Programme in 2019. Before Venture Scotland, Jo was stuck in a cycle of self-destruction and experienced crippling anxiety, eating disorders and isolation.

After completing our Journey Programme, Jo became a Venture Scotland Ambassador; she has this to say about the Programme:

“The Ambassador Programme has given me a purpose and structure in these turbulent times, a chance to connect with people, learn new skills, keep up old ones and a chance to give back to a place and people that changed my life. It has given me hope; something to hold on to.”

The National Lottery Community Fund will allow us to officially launch our Ambassador Programme to a whole new generation of Young People and will ensure that Venture Scotland is the best it can be.

The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “National Lottery funding can make amazing things happen in local communities across the country.

“This project delivered by Venture Scotland is a great example of community activity in action, showing just what can be achieved when people come together for a common cause or to help others. National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is helping to support this vital work and to help communities thrive.”

Venture Scotland’s CEO, David Brackenridge added: “Our Ambassador programme has put the voices of young people at the heart of our organisation and this has already had a transformational effect.

“So often, our Ambassadors have given us a whole new perspective on the work we do and the decisions we make and this has changed the way we operate, govern ourselves and has shaped our strategy going forward.

“I already can’t imagine them not being an integral part of Venture Scotland. A massive thanks to the National Lottery for funding this programme and for ensuring we can grow and develop it with young people.”