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Foreword
Last year many of you responded to our consultation paperYouth Work - Opportunities for All.In it we asked for your views and ideas on how we can work together to create growth and success in the youth work sector in order to achieve more positive outcomes for young people in Scotland.
The response was excellent, particularly from young people, and we have been working to take on board your concerns and aspirations for youth work in Scotland in developing this strategy.
We value the nature and role of youth work and recognise fully the contribution it makes to young people individually and to developing strong communities, where young people play an active and positive role. We intend, through this strategy, to give youth work in Scotland the best possible opportunity to play an increasingly visible, substantial and effective role in achieving long term benefits for young people.
This strategy aims to support long-term growth in the sector with more opportunities for young people, volunteers and youth workers, better facilities and more effective, targeted support at a national level. Some of the measures outlined therefore represent long-term changes in how we work - for example, our commitment to recognising the role youth work can play across the Scottish Executive in shaping and delivering broader policy aims. These aims include getting more young people into education, training or employment, tackling sectarianism and supporting young people dealing with issues relating to drugs or alcohol.
The strategy also includes a range of shorter-term measures to put in place new support structures and boost the capacity of the sector to take forward the longer-term vision. The strategy therefore heralds a "Year of Action" on youth work, for which we provide additional investment - a package of support worth over £8m - to improve facilities and training, to develop volunteering and for projects developed by local partnerships.
Youth work is about improving young people's life chances and experiences. All the funding we put into youth work, whether supporting voluntary organisations or through local authority provision, is designed to improve outcomes for young people and their communities. Underpinning the strategy is a commitment to equality and inclusion, achieving best value for available resources, working in partnership and encouraging more young people to have their say locally and nationally to influence decisions which affect them and their community.
We have taken on board what you told us during the consultation and we hope you recognise your own priorities reflected in the strategy. We look forward to working with you to achieve these outcomes and to ensure that the value of youth work is recognised and sustained in delivering for all our young people.
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| Hugh Henry, Minister for Education and Young People | Rhona Brankin, Minister for Communities | Robert Brown, Deputy Minister for Education and Young People | Des McNulty, Deputy Minister for Communities |
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