Orkney Youth Conference returns

The Orkney Youth Conference will take place again in March, bringing almost 100 young people together to explore issues important to them.

Download the programme now

Organised by the Council’s Youth Services team - part of the wider Community Learning, Development and Employability Service - it’s the first time since 2019 the event has been able to take place due to the pandemic for what has traditionally been a biennial event for Orkney’s young people.

Taking place at the Pickaquoy Centre, on 16 March, secondary schools from across Orkney will delegate pupils (S3 and above) to represent their peers at the event. There will also be representation from young people involved in other services.

Attendees will be welcomed to the event by Orkney Islands Council Convener Graham Bevan, treated to a packed programme of keynote speakers including Bruce Adamson, Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner, and take part in three workshops:

• Cost of living – with Kobi Cook, Development Worker from Youth Scotland
• Mental Health Awareness – with Claire Jennings (Project Officer) and Orla Murray (Youth Consultant) from SEE ME
• Content and creation – with John Nicholson and Charlotte Holder, Young Scot Creative Team

Other keynote speakers include:

• Andrew Kean, CEO and Founder Firstpoint USA which has supported over 20,000 young sportspeople pursue their goals
• Iain Corbett, a youth worker and community development practitioner with a wealth of experience supporting young people in Glasgow and the west of Scotland

In a first for Scotland, the final workshop will see pupils coached on how to create social media content – the end result will be some of the first entirely youth-led content on the Young Scot website and social media.

There will also be a Marketplace hosting national and local organisations, giving young people the opportunity to find out more about the services that can support them now and in the future.

Finally, there will be an Involvement and Engagement Session where young people can take part in discussions, polls, quizzes and debate led by a panel, to express their views and opinions and help shape youth engagement in Orkney.

Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland, Tim Frew, will wrap up the conference.

Cheryl Rafferty is the Council’s Team Manager for Youth Services: “We’re delighted to be running the Youth Conference again and incredibly grateful to all our speakers and workshop leaders for being a part of it. This is a great opportunity to get young people from across the islands together to meet on this scale and discuss issues important to them and their community, and how to effectively take them forward. We can’t wait to see a packed conference room and lots of discussion about how young people can be involved in making their community the best it can be.”

Chair of the Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee, Gwenda Shearer, said: “Youth engagement is a high priority for the Council. We see time and again how young people make us proud here in Orkney and contribute to our community and it’s important we listen to their perspectives especially in such challenging times. I hope all the young people attending enjoy the chance to inspire and learn from each other and hear from some leading speakers on youth issues in Scotland.”

Download a programme  from the Related Documents section on this page (below) and follow updates on this page - www.orkney.gov.uk/OYC23

Many of the presenters will also attend the Orkney Youth Awards that evening at the Pickaquoy Centre, as well as leading sessions at a conference the following day for professionals who work with young people, arranged by the Council’s Community Learning and Development Team. ‘Informing and Enhancing Practice’ will take place at the Pickaquoy Centre between 10am and 3pm on 17 March - for more information contact richard.smith@orkney.gov.uk.