At Young Scot, we’ve been working hard to create our new strategy over the past year. Now, we are proud to launch our new three-year plan to support young people in Scotland to thrive and make the most of their lives as they grow up.
Central to our new strategy is the lived experience of the young people we exist to support. In early 2021, we recruited a diverse group of young volunteers who engaged with their peers, the sector, our Young Scot team, young volunteers, and our stakeholders. They aptly named themselves #VisionMakers – and they set the future strategic direction for the information, opportunities and services we provide. At the heart of the #VisionMakers’ work were the surveys, group sessions and individual interviews they ran with our stakeholders. The guidance and inspiration shared with them provided the depth of knowledge and insight they needed to create such a fully informed piece of work. Now that #VisionMakers have told us how they want us to support young people – we will continue to partner with them and be driven by their insight. This collaboration will ensure that our work over the next three years reflects the latest realities of growing up in Scotland.
Our new #VisionMakers strategy aims to reassure young people in times of challenge, help them to build confidence and resilience, and support them to have fun! We will do this by delivering universal services for young people – alongside targeted support – being inclusive and helping to reduce stigma, inequalities and inaccessibility.
Our strategy development process has reinforced our understanding that young people’s local communities and the places they spend their time have an impact on their opportunities, ability to have fun, and prospects. As such, our critical strategic partnerships with local authorities are integral to us supporting young people to thrive and delivering on our strategy. Over the next three years, we will support our valued local partners to understand place through the lens of young people. We will do this by sharing young people’s place stories and ensuring that our information and services are relevant and responsive to their needs. This will support us to align with Local Outcome Improvement Plans and support the use of Place Standard Tools for young people in their local communities. We will also strengthen our relationship building with schools and tertiary education establishments – supporting young people to access our local and national services as they progress towards adulthood.
I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on our future direction and our plans. Please get in touch with us directly at @YoungScot or Tweet us using #VisionMakers tagging @YoungScot. You can also follow #VisionMakers and keep updated on our progress.
