Year of young people legacy

16 August 2023

Youth legacy plans

East Ayrshire’s Year of Young People (YOYP) showcased the skills and talents of our young people through a programme of events that encouraged and inspired young people to participate and show that they are at the heart of everything we do and strive for within East Ayrshire.

A working group of young people were engaged and keen to bring new, fun and bold opportunities for participation and involvement. This working group was formed of young people from the newly established Children and Young People’s Cabinet, the diverse group were from various localities, academies and backgrounds and were always keen to be involved.

Throughout the year, East Ayrshire hosted:

a colour run launch
two annual youth conferences
£60,000 participatory budgeting projects for young people
a commemorative intergenerational visit to the Somme, France
a large awards evening that celebrated the successes of our young people to name but a few

Some of the impact and achievements of 2018 can be noted as:

20,461 attendances at the YOYP programmes in East Ayrshire
2829 volunteering hours were recorded by young people participating with Vibrant Communities
91% of young people noted their communication skills had increased by participating in YOYP activities
95% of young people noted their teamwork skills had increased by participating in YOYP activities
100% of young people noted their teamwork skills had increased by participating in YOYP activities
92% of young people noted their confidence had increased by participating in YOYP activities

Read our press releases

The legacy

Year of Young People was an incredible year. Young people across East Ayrshire participated in projects, collaborated with East Ayrshire employees and learned about their rights, responsibilities and importantly learned the value of their contribution to East Ayrshire’s future.

For this reason, a legacy has been created that supports five key themes that are being taken forward:

Growth in volunteering opportunities

Through a revised framework, youth volunteering will have a spotlight on it, improving opportunities for young people both with volunteering and training, as well as an information campaign about what volunteering really is and the associated benefits to encourage a greater uptake. The Community Planning Partnership and young people will work together to help young people overcome any barriers that may discourage or prevent individuals from attending sessions.

Celebrating our young people

A biennial awards evening that recognises young people will become an important feature in East Ayrshire's calendar. The awards will continue to grow and develop in partnership and will also be young person owned and led. In addition to this, the Council's corporate communications team will help to build a positive narrative of East Ayrshire’s children and young people.

Embedding our youth voice

The Children and Young Persons Cabinet will continue to grow in strength and have their voices heard, membership will be expanded and will eventually become a constituted and fully elected organisation of young people from across East Ayrshire. In addition to this, a consultation of five thousand vibrant voices will create a young person focused action plan. Young people will also be given an opportunity to give a commentary on emerging Council reports that directly affect young people.

Recognising wider achievement

Young people will be given greater opportunities to be accredited for their informal learning, a centralised hub that provides information on awards and accreditation will be created, encouraging young people to be recognised more frequently.

Improve the health and wellbeing of our young people

A Youth Commission will be established to engage in mental health and wellbeing discussions with various community partners such as Health and Social Care and Education Services. The group will explore ways to combat mental ill health and wellbeing and create initiatives that stem from this work.

This will be a dynamic legacy that will continue to grow over five years and encourage young people to be healthy, active citizens in all areas of East Ayrshire.