Acting on Poverty: how Youth Scotland’s vital work supports the most affected communities
This report demonstrates that funding Youth Scotland and its programmes directly impacts communities most affected by poverty and makes a tangible difference to the lives of young people and their families.
Around one in four children in Scotland are living in poverty. Boys born in low-income communities in Scotland are predicted an average of 47 years of healthy life, for girls this stands at 50, both almost two decades less than children born in higher income communities. In 2017, the Child Poverty Act was passed in Scotland, setting out targets to reduce the number of children experiencing poverty by 2030.
Youth Scotland’s network reaches 82,571 young people across every Local Authority, with 64% of member groups operating in SIMD 1-5 postcodes and 65% of our youth awards participants being in SIMD 1-5. Our work builds youth work capacity, provides essential training, opportunities for young people and critical funding to those communities. Our work supports this demographic.
Youth Scotland is uniquely positioned to develop and promote community-based youth work. Through support for universal youth work, alongside targeted programmes, Youth Scotland is working to achieve our mission of supporting all young people to achieve their full potential, regardless of their start in life.