In 2017, a group of young people from Alva Academy in Clackmannanshire set out on a special youth-led research project. Their goal was to find out what life was like for 10- to 18-year-olds in their area, but when they realised that youth provision was lacking, they decided to take action. Together, they helped set up Ochil Youths Community Improvement (OYCI) within their school. Today, OYCI has grown into a thriving charity that still works in close partnership with Alva Academy to support young people.
We took a trip to Clackmannanshire to see this exciting partnership in action, and to hear more about how the school and charity work together on several youth awards programmes.
Elayne Gibson, an OYCI Youth Worker working closely with Alva, told us, ‘Youth voice has been at the heart of our organisation, shaping our provision, with young people making change happen.’
Through OYCI at Alva, young people are able to take on leadership roles, build their skills and earn SQA accreditation for their projects through Hi5 Awards, Dynamic Youth Awards, Youth Achievement Awards and more.