In November 2025, Jamie Dickson MSYP and Alex Waterston-Law MSYP gave a speech to the First Minister and their Cabinet on investing in and protecting youth work services at the Annual Cabinet Meeting with Children and Young People.
Jamie and Alex called on Scottish Government to:
- Improve the transparency of funding decisions so that young people know how decisions to invest in youth work are being made.
- Guarantee multi-year funding for youth work.
- Invest in the professional development of youth workers, including volunteer youth workers.
You can read their speech below:
Jamie and Alex
To start, I want to ask you all a question: what does youth work mean to you? Maybe it was a school club, or maybe even just a youth worker who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself. Please write your answer on the post-it note provided. For so many people, those moments of connection and encouragement shape who we become. Now imagine if that opportunity didn’t exist — that’s the reality too many young people in Scotland are facing today.
The young people of Scotland have repeatedly told us that they rely on youth work to access a safe place where they can be themselves, socialise with friends, gain skills and have new opportunities. Young people also told us in our manifesto consultation that youth work has saved their lives.
“If it wasn’t for my youth workers when I was in my early teens I can thoroughly say I would not be alive today. They gave me a safe space to get the help I needed and to be open about the not so great things going on at home. They gave me an escape where I could be myself without fear of judgment.”
The evidence backs this up, when asked, 85% of young people involved in youth work say that it improved their health and wellbeing and 82% said that they gained new skills. But despite its proven impact, youth work is under serious strain. Seventy-nine percent of youth organisations say funding is their biggest challenge, and ninety-seven percent say a lack of resources limits what they can deliver. That means fewer youth workers, fewer safe spaces, and fewer chances for young people to be heard and supported. Every time a youth centre closes, we don’t just lose a building — we lose relationships, trust, and opportunity.
We need to ensure transparency on what funding is provided to youth work and where it is going. Without this, young people can’t scrutinise the decisions being made in their local area or nationally. We need multi-year funding for youth work organisations to ensure staff and youth work projects can be maintained long term. Strong relationships aren’t built overnight, especially with young people who are disillusioned with other adults around them.
So, if all young people had access to good quality youth work, what would happen? Well, to begin, all young people would have access to a third place (other than school or home), where they are not judged, it would result in a reduction in anti-social behaviour and get young people out of dangerous situations. A young person in our manifesto consultation explained: “Our parents don’t want us inside but nobody else wants us outside.” Where are young people meant to go if they aren’t welcome in our public spaces? With a welcoming youth work space to go to with adults who care, less young people would get involved in crime, drug use and underage drinking.
If there was more investment in professional development for all youth workers, including the vast number of volunteer youth workers, they would be more equipped to deal with challenging situations and be more able to protect their own mental health. ALL young people should have access to this.
When we invest in youth work, we are investing in Scotland’s future. We are saying to every young people “you matter, you have potential, and we believe in you”. Because the truth is, every strong community starts with young people.
