Young people help to shape 'If not now, when?' by Social Renewal Advisory Board
Last week, the Scottish Government published 'If not now, when?' – the Social Renewal Advisory Board's latest report. The report sets out a course for how Scotland can renew once we emerge from the pandemic.
The Board was set up by Scottish Ministers last summer, with a mission to identify ways to deliver a fairer society while Scotland recovers from the virus's effects. During the year, the Board, which included Young Scot CEO Louise Macdonald, met and developed its ideas, which included running extensive public engagement and 'deep dive' events with diverse communities of interest who too often are not "at the table" to share their lived experience to shape inclusive policymaking.
During November 2020, our Young Scot Hive #YSHive team supported a diverse group of young people to take part in two deep-dive sessions to support the Board. These sessions were commissioned as part of the 'Lived Experience' programme – as young people have been one of the groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
These sessions provided the young people with the chance to input into the ideas, proposals, and recommendations emerging from the Social Renewal Advisory Board's nine "Policy Circles". The young people had strong views about a wide range of issues, and they told us that:
They view cross-cutting delivery by services as vital – and that it's important to work directly with those delivering services and working within communities at the front line.
The housing system needs to work for all – young people must have a safe place to live and feel supported.
Community-led place-based approaches are important, especially to have places for communities to interact – but it can be a challenge to get inclusion right, especially when there is a stigma against young people.
Access to food has been a significant issue during the pandemic. The young people highlighted the need for more budget and recognised the scale of the amount that might be needed, but were thoughtful about how this would be balanced with so many other funding needs.
That a lack of financial security was making it difficult for families and young adults to plan in any meaningful way.
That when it comes to things like age and disability – everyone must be treated equally and respected all the time.
Community social action and volunteering are essential for young people. They help them participate in decision-making, develop their skills and experiences, and work with their communities, building their skills as active citizens.
The findings from these deep-dive sessions have been combined with community listening events across 31 Local Authorities, four discussions with Poverty Truth Commissions, other deep dive events with equality groups, and over 100 responses from organisations to a call for evidence and ideas.
This report highlights the incredible contribution that young people can make to designing national policy. By fully involving young people from all backgrounds – and taking into account their lived experience, aspirations and circumstances – we can design policies that fully meet their needs. I hope that young people continue to be treated as equal partners as the ideas in this report move to practical implementation and active system change. Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive, Young Scot
'If not now, when?' is intended to help decision-makers shift their focus on the people most affected by the pandemic, and those who've experienced the worst impacts. Find out more.