Almost 100 second and third year pupils across Lewis and Harris took part in the Eilean Siar Youth Conference, recently.
The Eilean Siar Youth Conference gave young people the opportunity to explain their experiences and opinions in their own words.
The event was organised by Community Learning and Development (CLD) and Education staff from the Comhairle, designed to bring pupils together for discussions, workshops and direct conversation with senior staff from local services.
The day began with a video introduction from the Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament for the Western Isles, who welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of young people taking part in discussions about their communities and future.
John Loughton, the new Chief Executive of Young Scot, the national youth information and citizenship charity in Scotland, compered the event, guiding pupils through a varied programme focused on issues that affect young people both online and in everyday island life
Throughout the day, pupils took part in workshops covering youth voice, recognising misinformation online and the Young Islanders Network focused on the National Islands Plan. Speakers travelled from the mainland to support the sessions and encourage discussion. The workshops allowed pupils to share ideas, ask questions and consider how decisions made at local and national level can affect island communities.
One message from the conference was the importance of listening to young people directly. Many pupils spoke about the challenges they face and the changes they would like to see in services used by young people. The sessions also highlighted how informed and thoughtful young people can be when given the chance to contribute.
The conference concluded with a Q&A panel featuring senior representatives from NHS Western Isles, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Police Scotland. During the session, young people questioned decision makers on a range of issues affecting their daily lives, through this the panel heard honest views and gained a clearer understanding of how policies and decisions can have a direct impact on young people living in island communities.
The event served as a reminder to adults of the important role young people hold as actives members of the communities now and in the future.
Anne Graham, Quality Improvement Officer, said: “We are delighted that the conference has been successful, developing a broader approach to youth voice across organisations and our local authority. We are proud of every voice that contributed – and excited to see the actions that come from their contributions. We are currently working alongside our Community Learning and Development team and third sector services to plan and deliver a Youth Conference for our Uist and Barra learners.”
Erica Clark, CLD Officer, said: “The youth conference was a fast-moving day with lots of opportunities for the young people to express their opinions. We had so many questions for the panel, that we didn’t even get a chance to answer half of them!”
It's been reported that the CLD team will be following up on all the questions submitted at the Q&A session as part of their final report on the event, which will be fed back to the pupils, schools and partner agencies, ensuring young people’s voices are listened to.
