Press Release
Shetland Youth Work Conference and Youth Work Celebration
Shetland Islands Council Youth Services hosted their third Youth Work Conference on Saturday 12 November in the Islesburgh Complex. This yearly celebration of Youth Work offers young people, youth workers and management committees a chance to share ideas and experiences that they can then use to make a positive impact in their youth clubs and local communities.
The conference demonstrated the variety of activities provided by Youth Services staff, in promoting a safe, social and informal learning environment for young people in Shetland, and supporting them to engage in their local communities.
Youth workers were able to develop new skills by completing a series of workshops which included; looking towards Curriculum for Excellence in a youth work setting, NHS Drink Better, YouthLink Scotland, Mind Your Head and a session with felting artist Pauline Walsh.
CEO of YouthLink Scotland, Jim Sweeney was in Shetland for the event. He said:
“It was a great privilege to be invited to what was a really positive day. The Youth Work staff clearly have a commitment and belief in the young people of Shetland.
“Everyone here today; including the Members to the Scottish Youth Parliament, young musicians and the Parkour group, displayed energy, enthusiasm and confidence. It is so important we continue to invest in youth and those who work with them at this crucial time. My best wishes to everyone who took part”.
At the award ceremony, organised by Shetland Youth Services Accreditation Assistant Cara McDiarmid, 17 young people collected certificates – sometimes more than one – for a number of projects, including:
- “Momentum” – a project that encourages a positive attitude towards driving and aims to equip young drivers with the basic knowledge and practical skills they need to be safe drivers. This project was run by Youth Services, in partnership with Northern Constabulary, Highlands and Islands Fire Rescue Service and Brae Garage.
- 12 young people received certificates for their hard work and dedication while taking part in a peer research project looking at poverty among young people in Shetland. They each identified key themes, carried out interviews and presented their findings to a steering committee of Councillors. They then worked together to create a suitable strategy that they will implement together to tackle the key issues and change services in Shetland for the better.
- The young volunteer face painters for the Children’s Tent at the Tall Ships event received certificates for their creative work. They all attended workshops in their local clubs and at Islesburgh and quickly mastered the Tall Ships tigers and pirate sunsets etc. On the weekend of the event, despite the weather they all worked without complaint and with great enthusiasm to create “faces” that brought delight to children and parents alike. Some of these young people have gone on to volunteer their skills at other events such as the Family Fun Day.
To bring the conference to a close, there were presentations by Shetland Young Promoters Group and Northern Focus Parkour (NFPK).NFPKput on a Parkour demonstration to the delight of all those in the audience. A particular highlight was seeing 60 North Youth Workers Davie Leslie and Craig Duncan competing in a Parkour duel after working with the young people over the past two weeks.
Northern Focus Chairperson Chris Wright said, “The Youth conference has been a great chance to celebrate the partnership that NFPK has with Youth Services. Everyone who took part enjoyed doing the performance and loved the opportunity to teach others what Parkour is. We hope that we have shown that anyone of any age can take part in Parkour and that you can have fun, no matter what your ability. A big thank you to everyone involved in such a good event
If you would like further information about Shetland Youth Services, feel free to contact a member of the team on 01595 74 4490, email youthservices@shetland.gov.uk or check out www.facebook.com/ShetlandYouthServices
