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Participation

YouthLink Scotland supported young people across Scotland to take part in democratic life, develop leadership skills, and contribute to change in their communities. Across national awards, youth social action programmes and volunteering initiatives, young people strengthened confidence, skills and their understanding of how they can influence decisions locally and nationally.

Key Achievements

Participative Democracy Certificate (PDC)

The PDC continued to grow, with strong engagement in both youth work and school settings.

 

Youth work played a central role in supporting young people to build confidence, participate in decision-making and gain recognition for their contribution.

 

Over the reporting period:

42
young people achieved their PDC
112
young people began working towards the award
132
practitioners received PDC training

YouthBank Awards

Alongside the Youth Arts Open Fund process, young people had opportunities to develop leadership and decision-making skills through accredited awards.

These awards supported young people to build practical experience in assessing funding applications, understanding community needs and making informed decisions.

8
young people achieved the Introduction to Grant Making (SCQF Level 5)
27
young people achieved the Developing Leadership Skills (SCQF Level 6)

Youth Social Action & Volunteering

YouthLink Scotland continued to support the sector to strengthen youth social action, ensuring young people can contribute to change locally and nationally.

#IWill Movement – Highlights from 2024–25

5
new Scottish #IWill Ambassadors recruited, with 5 continuing from the 2024 cohort
3
ambassadors took part in the UK-wide #IWill Residential at Herd Farm (Leeds)
2
ambassadors featured on the Politics in Action podcast and attended the Belfast launch and civic reception at City Hall
5
new Power of Youth Charter signatories in Scotland
1
ambassador attended Anthropy 2025 at the Eden Project

“I’ve learnt that being part of the movement is much bigger than me… making sure that all young people’s voices are heard.”

Ambassador reflection

YouthVIP

YouthVIP focused on strengthening understanding of youth volunteering and making opportunities more accessible and meaningful for young people.

Key areas of work included:

Youth Volunteering Research

 

  • A national survey was carried out by Young Scot, with questions shaped by YouthVIP panel members
  • YouthLink Scotland coordinated focus groups in Dundee, Shetland, Dumfries & Galloway and South Ayrshire, exploring experiences of volunteering and revisiting recommendations from the 2018 YouthVIP report
  • Sessions were designed to reach underrepresented young people and explore emerging themes in more detail
50%
of respondents were active volunteers
36%
of young people started volunteering to help others
55%
of respondents had gained skills they would use in work

Youth Volunteering in Schools Resource

 

After piloting the resource last year, this year focused on wider dissemination and practitioner use. This included:

 

  • Online launch event in October attended by 45 practitioners
  • Promotion during Volunteers’ Week (3–7 June 2024)
  • Engagement at the YPI Celebration Event (12 June), sharing the resource with teachers
  • Promotion through YPI Scotland’s social media and newsletter
  • Presentation at PKAVS Volunteer Managers Network (10 July)
  • Presentation at the Youth Work and Schools Collaborative (50 attendees), followed by sector-wide distribution
  • Inclusion on the SCQF Pupil Ambassador Programme Padlet and shared through SCQF’s X account

This work strengthened partnership working between schools, TSIs, youth work organisations and national programmes, and supported schools to embed volunteering within the curriculum.

Delivered in partnership with Young Scot and Volunteering Matters.

What This Means for Scotland

Young people across Scotland are gaining meaningful opportunities to take part in decision-making, develop leadership skills and contribute to their communities. The work this year strengthened participation pathways, broadened volunteering opportunities and supported practitioners to deliver high-quality social action programmes.

Together, these programmes help young people build confidence, shape their communities and develop skills that support learning, wellbeing and future opportunities.