Crichton Institute asks what Young People in Dumfries and Galloway would like to see in their Future
Event: Crichton Institute Panel Discussion: What vision do young people have for Dumfries and Galloway in 2035 and how do we get there?
Date: Wednesday 17 September 2014 at 7pm
Location: Rutherford McCowan Building, Crichton Campus, Dumfries
Young people are vital to the future of Scotland’s rural areas: they bring ideas, energy, enthusiasm and skills. An upcoming Crichton Institute event on Wednesday 17 September will give them the opportunity to share their vision for the future of Dumfries and Galloway with organisations and individuals from across the region. The Crichton Institute will ensure that the messages emerging from this event in Dumfries and Galloway will be passed through to policy-makers nationally.
The Crichton Institute was launched in 2013 to support regional development in the South of Scotland. It is a collaborative venture involving the Crichton Campus academic partners (Universities of Glasgow and the West of Scotland, the Open University in Scotland, Scotland’s Rural College [SRUC] and Dumfries and Galloway College) and other organisations from across the region. SRUC coordinates the Institution’s policy-related activities, and this Panel Discussion is one of a series of discussion events which they are organising across the region over the next few months.
Young people aged 17 to 30 are particularly invited to attend this free event (however all ages are welcome) which will be held in the Rutherford McCowan Building on the Crichton Campus at 7pm. Participants will be asked to submit their questions to the Institute before the event for the panel members to consider, and these will form the basis for discussions on the night. We are particularly keen to focus on young peoples’ vision for the region in 2035, and what needs to be done to make sure that vision can be achieved.
The panel members include: a member of Scottish Youth Parliament for Galloway and West Dumfries, students based on the Crichton Campus, the Principal of Dumfries and Galloway College, the Employability and Skills Service Manager for Dumfries and Galloway Council, the Chair of Langholm Enterprise Academy Partnership, and the Manager of the Rural Policy Centre, SRUC. The Panel will be chaired by Dr Sarah Skerratt, Director of SRUC’s Rural Policy Centre and Editor of the Rural Scotland in Focus Reports.
Carol Turnbull, Principal of Dumfries and Galloway College, one of the Crichton Institute’s partner organisations, said: “Young people need to be engaged, listened to and involved in shaping the future of our region and, indeed Scotland. Our future economic and social health will depend on them so we need to do what we can to support and encourage them to participate and we need to listen to their views.”
Dr Sarah Skerratt added: “We are really looking forward to hearing what the young people of Dumfries and Galloway want for their region. We will be feeding this back into the national debate through our engagement with MSPs and other influential stakeholders.”
