Investing in Young People

South Ayrshire Youth Strategy

In South Ayrshire we recognise the value of youth work in contributing positively to young people's personal growth and to the growth of the communities they live in. Youth work has a significant role to play in delivering the broad vision for all Scotland's young people - that they are nurtured, safe, active, healthy, achieving, included, respected and responsible. Youth work opportunities can also support young people to live their lives as confident individuals, effective contributors, successful learners and responsible citizens.

The Youth Work Strategy embraces all young people, regardless of need and issue, and should be regarded as the overarching policy for youth work and youth provision, encompassing and informing other youth-related strategies and policies including Youth Justice and Anti-Social Behaviour.

Our vision is that South Ayrshire will be a place where young people:

• Have opportunities to develop their skills and talents and be the best they can be
• Are valued as active participants in their community and society at large
• Can release their energy and creativity through exciting and challenging experiences
• Have high aspirations for themselves and their peers
• Take increasing levels of responsibility for themselves and for others and learn to manage risk
• Make choices which help their personal, social, physical, and cultural development and are right for them and
• Will readily find support and experiences, which will help them develop the resilience needed for adult life, especially if they are vulnerable

The primary focus of the strategy is on the 11 years to 19 years age group with a particular emphasis on the key transition stages from child to adult, leaving school and going to work, training or further education.

The strategy provides a framework to:

• Involve young people in the design of services
• Maximise the use of resources and ensure equality of opportunity particularly for the more marginalised
• Identify gaps in provision
• Make best use of specialist skills and experience
• Share good practice through training and networking
• Provide integrated responses to those young people who are most disengaged and those who require additional support achieve better outcomes
• Seek funding opportunities in a collaborative way that avoids competing interests and ensures a co-ordinated approach to the needs of the young people in South Ayrshire
• Plan and deliver services at a local level