It has been a great development to be awarded 2 Fairer Aberdeen Fund awards. This will create huge opportunities for our SIMD young adults. As well as improving things for the whole community. Meaningful youth engagement increases the sense of ownership and attachment for young generations in the community, which develops positive relationships with others and builds deep emotions with caregivers. Youth who have participated in community talks will be more likely to play a decisive role later in their life.
As members of the Befriending Networks, engaging with young adults allows us to create positivity, further development & mentoring styles befriending.
Our chair has been a member of the Scottish Drugs Death Taskforce since early 2019, and continues working with SACASR, on further research working groups
You can hear some of that here – drugs checking research podcast.
What is the Youth in Iceland Model?
The Youth in Iceland Model (YiIM, also known as ‘Planet Youth’) is a community-based approach aiming to delay young people’s substance use through reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors. The key components are parents, organised extracurricular/recreational activities, schools, and involvement of young people. Information about young people’s health and wellbeing, including substance use, is gathered through surveys distributed in schools. Protective factors are then developed by the community in response to the data and schools are encouraged to strengthen supportive networks between themselves, parents, and other community organisations. The model has been implemented in more than 30 countries worldwide, with adaptations to suit locally specific conditions.
Read more on YIIM model & research via this document
