Young people in East Dunbartonshire’s Secondary Schools are benefitting from the introduction of dedicated full time Youth Development Workers based in their schools.
Working in partnership with Headteachers and teaching staff, Youth Development Workers focus on a variety of youth services, such as employability programmes and well-being to supporting young people disengaging with learning and wider achievement.
Chief Education Officer, Greg Bremner, said, “We piloted the introduction of a full-time Youth Development Worker in Kirkintilloch High School and the results were extremely positive. The young people at the school really benefited from having a non-teaching member of staff available to support them with their learning or organisational and communication skills or their self-confidence and personal relationships. As a result of the successful pilot, Youth Development Workers have now been appointed to all secondary schools in East Dunbartonshire.”
A video demonstrating the positive impact was produced in partnership with Education Scotland, YouthLink Scotland and The West Partnership and can be viewed on the Council’s YouTube channel.
Mr Bremner continued, “Young people in East Dunbartonshire are provided with a range of youth services; from youth club projects and Positive Achievements to Youth Voice groups such as East Dunbartonshire Youth Council and East Dunbartonshire Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament.
“Now, with the introduction of dedicated Youth Development Workers based within our secondary schools, our young people have even greater access to youth services. Our Youth Development Workers work in close partnership with school management teams to provide tailored programmes meeting the specific needs of each school community. For example, there may be a focus on employability or wellbeing or outreach support. The video filmed at Kirkintilloch High School is a fantastic insight into the positive impact this provision is having on young people across East Dunbartonshire.”