Scotland’s first ever Year of Young People was officially launched yesterday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a youth led event in Dumfries.

Year of Young People will take place throughout the whole of 2018 across Scotland. It aims to inspire all ages through its young people (8-26 years) by celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities, and creating new opportunities for them to shine on a local and global stage.

Police Scotland will play an active role in YoYP 2018 by looking at how we contribute towards the key themes. This can be achieved in many ways; visiting local schools and youth groups, providing educational inputs to young people to help them make positive life choices, speaking to young people about the role of Police Scotland, or organising our own events with local partners and young people to provide opportunities to hear their voice and listen to what matters to them. Police Scotland will also challenge the negative perception of young people in society and work with partners to relieve this stigma whilst promoting the good work they do.

The six key themes are;

  • Participation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives.
  • Education – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning.
  • Health and Wellbeing –supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience.
  • Equality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
  • Enterprise and Regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live.
  • Culture –celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.