The Young Islanders Network residential is an annual event hosted across different island locations to create opportunities for young people to come together, both within and beyond their own island communities.
The residential brought together young people 12-19, with delegates from Hoy, Stronsay, Shetland and Lewis. Young people represented Shetland Youth Voice, OPEN Shetland, Ability Shetland, Orney Youth Forum, Anderson High School, Aith Junior High School, Stronsay Junior High School and Stromnes Academy.
Each year, the residential is hosted in a different island setting, enabling young people to experience new places, build connections across island groups, and engage with perspectives beyond their immediate context. This approach supports both on-island and off-island opportunity, reducing isolation, strengthening networks, and creating space for shared understanding.
The residential brings together young people to explore what matters to them, providing a structured but open environment for discussion, reflection and collaboration. Through a series of activities, participants examined key aspects of island life including housing, transport, education, culture and wellbeing.
The residential was designed to support YIN’s transition from policy to delivery, following the launch of the National Islands Plan Implementation Roadmap, where the Young Islander’s Network is identified as a named delivery partner. It continues to provide a strong evidence-base to inform delivery, aligned with the National Islands Plan and its implementation, with the Young Islanders Network playing a key role in connecting lived experience to implementation.
The YIN residential aimed to:
- Establish a strong foundation for delivery by connecting national policy with lived experience
- Build and strengthen relationships across the Northern Isles, following feedback form Orkney and Shetland groups for more opportunities for collaboration and shared understanding in effective delivery
- Create a space for young people to explore and articulate the realities of island life in relation to policy priorites
- Identify themes and interconnections to inform Young Islanders Network delivery for 2026-2027
- Support young people to engage as active contributors to implementation, shaping not only what is delivered but how it’s delivered
Read the report below!