Youth Participation

Our youth participation programmes support young people to actively participate in society, enabling them to make meaningful decisions on the issues that affect their own lives and communities.

A young person in a yellow lanyard engaged in a discussion.

Our Projects

Listening to and incorporating young people’s views is embedded into our projects. Our accredited iLead training pathway was co-produced with young people and provides a youth participation and leadership framework that is flexible according to need. We have used the iLead pathway as a foundation for a number of Youth Participation projects, using the training to ensure that young people have the confidence and competence to meaningfully use their voice, make it heard and have an impact. Through our participation programmes we have supported young people to become grantmakers, event planners, and consult on a range of resources, services and products. We have also worked with external partners to support them to meaningfully engage with young people. You can read more about specific youth participation projects below.

Two young people stand in front of a whiteboard, laughing.

Young Grantmakers

Young Grantmakers upskills young people to design funds and make decisions on who to support.

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A young person sits at a classroom table writing.

Glas-glow Up

A fund from The National Lottery Community Fund, designed and administered by a team of Young Grantmakers to reduce antisocial behaviour in areas of Glasgow.

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A young person wearing a yellow lanyard sits in a classroom, smiling.

iLead

iLead is Youth Scotland’s social development journey for young people.

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A t-shirt-shaped cutout with positive feedback hand-written on it

Involving Young People in Decision Making

Youth participation forms the foundation blocks for Youth Scotland’s programmes.

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Young Islanders Network

The Young Islanders Network aims to build a community for young islanders and empower them.

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Three young people are seated at a table colouring on worksheets.

Inspire 2022

Inspire 2022 is a youth-led, events-based social action programme.

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Reach

Reach is our annual event, designed by young people, for young people.

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Thirteen young people stand and kneel in a group outside in front of a sunny hillside. They hold a large brown paper banner, which has white text reading 'Step into the Arts' digitally added to it.

Step into the Arts

Step into the Arts is a new youth led fund that provides opportunities to get involved in the arts.

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A group of young people are gathered outdoors. They are smiling as they work on a project.

Scotland: The Big Picture

Consultation on a youth advocacy and communications strategy to encourage more young people to get involved in rewilding.

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Work with us

If your organisation would like to consult with young people, or involve them in developing a product or service, we would love to work with you. Please contact Jo MacDonald, our Head of Programmes and Business Development for more information.

Two young people smile at each other across a desk where they are working.

Other Programmes

Check out our other programmes through the link below.

Programmes