The Lewis and Harris Eilean Siar Youth Conference was held on Tuesday 19 May, bringing together almost 100 S2 and S3 pupils from Sir E Scott School and the Nicolson Institute for a day focused on youth voice, island life and direct engagement with local decision makers.
The event, organised by Community Learning and Development and Education at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, gave young people space to share their experiences and opinions in their own words. The wider programme included input from Young Scot, Scottish Youth Parliament and Young Islanders Network, with a panel discussion with NHS Western Isles and Police Scotland representatives.
The Young Islanders Network workshop focussed on exploring the themes and commitments of the National Islands Plan with a broad focus on transport and how that connects with other challenges. Young people highlighted how transport affects education, education affects jobs, jobs and housing affect whether people can stay, and cost and connectivity affect whether young people can fully take part in island life.
Young people were not only identifying problems; they were suggesting practical changes shaped around the realities of island living and having meaningful conversations with decision makers in the room.
Link to report: