This past year, young people across the country tackled self-designed challenges of all kinds, gaining skills, building confidence and earning a remarkable 7,171 Youth Scotland Awards! This impressive tally marks a 20% jump from last year’s award total, reflecting the continued recovery of community-based youth work after years of pandemic restrictions.
The milestone also occurs alongside our 20th anniversary celebration of the Dynamic Youth Award (DYA), which has recognised and accredited achievements since its creation.
The Hi5 Award, which brings the celebrated DYA approach to the 5+ age group, has also seen terrific success in 2022-2023. This award was recently introduced in Castle Douglass Primary, a rural school and resourced learning centre for children with additional support needs.
There, it helped bring students together and sparked a new enthusiasm for learning with activities ranging from cooking and crafting to building money skills and exploring nature. Mr. Whan, the Principal Teacher of the Learning Centre, commented:
‘Children come into school particularly on a Thursday morning buzzing and excited about their Hi5 programme and you’ve got children knocking on the office door asking when is it their turn.’
For Seth, the first Castle Douglass student to take part in the programme, working on a Hi5 Award was a turning point. After struggling with being in the classroom full-time post-Covid, he rediscovered a love of learning by taking charge in his Hi5 projects, including 3D model building and work in the school’s nature garden.
Seth’s mum commented,
‘The difference we saw was amazing and I think if we didn’t have the opportunity for Hi5, Seth wouldn’t be as outgoing and confident as he is now.’
To learn more about the Hi5 and DYA, check out the Youth Scotland Awards page
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About Youth Scotland:
We are the largest national youth work organisation in Scotland, supporting 82,571 young people, 1,730 youth groups and over 9,397 youth workers. Youth Scotland has been around since the early 20th century and has a diverse membership network – from small rural youth groups to large urban projects. The common goal that we all share is better outcomes for young people.
Our membership network is made up of local youth groups of all sizes, Area Associations and Youth Scotland staff who can provide support and training on a range of youth work topics. We are proud of the varied, universal youth work our network delivers and the innovative solutions our members create in an ever-changing youth work landscape.