Charitable Objectives
Youth for Scotland tackles Drugs and Alcohol in Scotland
Ansvar are currently embarking on the sponsorship of an organisation called Youth Scotland, which is a network of around 700 youth clubs and groups in Scotland.
Drugs and Alcohol are becoming an increasing problem as highlighted in a study by researchers at Glasgow University who revealed that a third of children aged 10 to 12 had been exposed to illegal drugs and 1 in 20 had used them. They also found that children who were living in families with a low level of parental supervision were eight times more likely to have started to use illegal drugs than youngsters whose parents exercised a high level of supervision.
In response to this growing problem Ansvar is sponsoring the Youth Scotland Volunteer programme that aims to train youth workers through workshops:
- Increasing the skills and knowledge of youth workers when dealing with issues effecting youth work and young peoples lives
- Increasing the confidence and capacity of voluntary youth workers to deal with issues, which concern them
- Improve Practice
- Address the issue of isolation by developing peer support
- Recognise volunteers contribution to youth work in Scotland
- Increase access to resources and potentially funding
The initial link was made through Ansvar’s broker Macdonald Reid Scott. After George Kay Ansvar’s Regional Manager for Scotland had discussions with Tim Mackenzie at Macdonald Reid Scott he discovered that Youth Scotland was exactly the kind of charity Ansvar was looking to support.
The Chief Executive of Youth Scotland, Carol Downie says, “Ansvar’s sponsorship helps young people make informed decisions about drugs and alcohol”.
