Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: Youth case study

What does Youth Local Action Group involvement look like?

One of the main roles of a Youth Local Action Group is the distribution of funding. Each group decides how they wish to spend their allocated funding, setting their own criteria and reporting structures, and distributing a range of grants to address issues such as mental health, skills development and climate action. Youth Local Action Groups have run multiple rounds of funding calls in recent years, led by and benefitting young people:

“We run one to two rounds of funding per year. We are currently running our sixth round of funding, having funded over 100 projects for over £100k.”

Youth Local Action Group activities also include organising and participating in national and international events to highlight the importance of young people’s perspectives and influencing policy and practice. These events are frequently organised by young people themselves, typically supported by local and national organisations. They often engage directly with policymakers in the process:

“We organise two residentials per year… We have participated in national networking and partnership events organised by [Youth Local Action Groups] and [Scottish Rural Action], including a visit to the Scottish Parliament and a [Youth Local Action Groups] residential in Orkney. I organised an international [Youth Local Action Group] residential.”

“I co-hosted an event… with MSPs and community leaders about the importance of youth participation. I was later invited to speak at the Scottish Parliament, representing our group and highlighting the impact of our work.”