Young place makers

The Greenock Town Board and Inverclyde Council have been engaging with Greenock’s young people on the future of their town, recognising that place-based regeneration is only sustainable if it meets the need and aspirations of the next generation. The Greenock Town Board manages UK Government Pride in Place funding for the town and oversees the implementation of the Greenock Pride in Place Plan.

Initial work has included arts-based engagement in schools and youth clubs, which found that young Greenockians have both a strong creative streak and lots of interesting ideas for the future – in particular in how post-industrial Greenock reimagines its relationship with the Clyde and makes the most of its riverfront location.

The Council and Town Board also worked with Scotland’s Towns Partnerships to engage S2 pupils from Inverclyde Academy and Notre Dame High School on the future of their town centre. The session asked them to draw inspiration from a new shopfront design guide for Greenock and come up with imaginative ideas for future uses in the town centre. This formed part of the launch event for the Greenock Shopfront Improvements Scheme (offering up to £15,000 grant for participating businesses) and piloted activity as part of an emerging ‘Future Ready Greenock’ youth entrepreneurship programme. The programmes asks the young people involved to develop an elevator pitch for a new town centre business and draw up a shopfront for it.

This collaborative effort with Inverclyde Council, the Town Board, Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Page/Park Architects and school teachers saw huge amounts of enthusiasm that this group of 12 and 13-year-olds had for their town and its future.

Kimberley challenged the young people to come up with ideas for businesses that they would like to see in Greenock town centre and which would support its future as an attractive, vibrant place that people would like to visit. The young people came up with a range of ideas featuring culture, sport, fashion and ‘things to do’, including ‘The Pallet’, a new art gallery and studio spaces for creatives and ‘Wave Rider’, where adventurous locals and visitors could hire boats and jetskis and get on the water.

These fresh ideas are influencing and informing future Pride in Place projects with continued engagement with young people expected over the next decade of delivery.

It is so important to be designing for the future, with the future. Working with young people helps create town centres and public spaces that meet the needs of future generations, it brings new ideas and priorities to life, builds pride of place and ensure inclusive approaches to place.

Elgin’s regeneration plans with Pride in Place funding have community firmly in the driving seat. The Elgin Neighbourhood Board is overseeing the implementation of the plans, a community led Board which sets out to bring people together, set clear local priorities for Elgin and turn local ambition into practical action. 

They’ve provided a vehicle for the community including young people,  youth organisations and schools to shape the future of Elgin.

Community consultation During the development of the original Long-Term Town Plan and the current Regeneration Plan, the Elgin Neighbourhood Board sought ideas from residents of all ages, including young people, on priorities such as the town centre, transport, safety, and public spaces. This feedback has informed the town’s long-term investment programme.

The Active Youth Engagement (AYE) Bus One of their flagship projects is the AYE Bus, a mobile youth centre created specifically with input from local young people. Stagecoach redesigned the bus based on discussions with young people, and includes creative spaces, games, music facilities, and access to youth workers. Beyond providing support, the project is intended to ensure that young people’s views help shape safer and more welcoming public spaces in Elgin.

Youth organisations Groups such as Elgin Youth Development Group (EYDG) provide opportunities for young people to develop skills, volunteer, participate in community projects, and contribute to local decision-making. These organisations act as important partners in regeneration by ensuring young people’s perspectives are represented.

Ongoing engagement The Elgin Neighbourhood Board has committed to continued community engagement throughout the 10-year regeneration programme. Young people are expected to remain involved through consultations, partnership projects, and community-led initiatives as projects are developed and delivered.

Elgin’s plans treats young people as active partners rather than simply beneficiaries – they are embedding youth voices in decisions about how Elgin develops over the next decade.

Many towns face the same dilemma: public spaces need care and attention, but local authority budgets are stretched. At the same time, young people are often described as disengaged from their communities, with limited opportunities to contribute positively or develop practical skills outside school.

The Musselburgh Loop takes a different approach. Rather than asking what services young people need, it asks what they can contribute when they are given meaningful opportunities and trusted to make a difference.

The initiative aims to connect young people with opportunities, activities and support in their community, helping them feel they belong and are confident about their future. They bring together local clubs, schools, organisations and volunteers to create accessible pathways into sports, creative activities, skills development and volunteering. Where opportunities don’t exist, they work with the community to create them.

One recent initiative has seen a crew of local young people working together to improve public spaces across Musselburgh. Their work which can contribute to Saltire Awards and Duke of Edinburgh points, includes cleaning, sanding, painting and planting in public spaces that benefit everyone.

The projects are deliberately small, allowing young people to see immediate results and understand that even modest actions can make a visible difference. The initiative has also been delivered at almost no cost. Basic equipment was purchased, additional tools borrowed from Musselburgh StreetClean, plants and compost donated by Musselburgh in Bloom, and local donations covered paint and brushes.

The greatest impact has been on the young people themselves. One participant, who plays in the brass band at the War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday, took great pride in sanding and repainting the railings before returning later to perform there.

These experiences show how practical volunteering builds far more than improved public spaces. By contributing to places that matter to them, young people develop confidence, teamwork, problem solving and practical skills. They also gain a sense of ownership and pride in their town, seeing first hand that their actions have a positive impact.

The wider community benefits too. Public spaces are enhanced, perceptions of young people become more positive, and stronger relationships develop between generations. Instead of being seen as passive recipients of services, young people become active contributors to their community.

It is hoped that this also provides a pathway for young people to get further involved in shaping Musselburgh with opportunities to join community groups, inform priorities and be part of the future of their community.

The Musselburgh Loop is a good example of meaningful youth engagement which does not require big budgets. Trusted partnerships, community support and opportunities for young people to lead have enabled these small projects to have lasting benefits. They help build skills, strengthen community connections, foster pride of place and encourage young people to become active participants who care about the future of their town.

In Alyth and Dunfermline, local youth organisations have been supported by greenspace scotland and Youth Scotland to plan and deliver improvements to greenspaces in their towns.

You can hear all about what they did in Alyth in the video above – practical steps like creating locally made benches with shelter and lighting, working with local businesses, which would be good for all ages. And the young folk who led the project learned lots of skills about how to work together, meet other folk in the community and make things happen.

I feel really proud that something we came up with is actually going to happen, and will be on show in the centre of town for people to see – and use.

—
Caitlin, Alyth Young Placechanger

In Dunfermline, young people used the original Scottish Town Centre Toolkit (published 2015) and Place Standard to audit existing green spaces in and around the town centre (the public parks and smaller green spaces along the High Street and East Port) and propose a series of improvements. These included better walking routes through green spaces, more greenery in the town centre like planters, and public art and music in the parks.

Some ‘quick wins’ were identified to do straightaway including pedestrian signage, an arts trail and a temporary stage – all of which were delivered within a few months.

It’s helped our guys realise that they have a voice, and by using it they are able to bring change to the area where they live – their opinions matter, and by seeing their ideas come to fruition, it helps to prove to them that their opinions matter.

—
Dunfermline youth worker

The young people really enjoyed realising that they have a voice and can bring about change in their town, particularly because the project resulted in real change on the ground within months.

There’s more information about how the young people and their facilitators went about it in this case study.

Greenspace Scotland has produced two great toolkits to inspire young people to take the lead in their local community and make change happen:

• Young Placechangers Toolkit is a fun toolkit enabling young people to learn new skills about how to evaluate places, map their community and influence local decision making. It includes examples of icebreakers, place activities, further reading and information.
• This Must Be Our Place Toolkit contains simple engaging activities for young people to explore and take ownership of places through creative investigations, interventions and actions.

For more information, contact Greenspace Scotland by email info@greenspacescotland.org.uk or Twitter @greenspacescot.