Engaging Young People
Young people are a vital part of the regeneration and future of any area, which is why we see engaging with them and involving them in our activities as a fundamental part of the My Future's in Falkirk initiative.
We want to promote partnerships with schools, engaging young people and their teachers in the initiative. We aim to inspire, engage and alert young people to the opportunities available to them in the local area. We understand that young people may also want to explore opportunities beyond their local area and we want to encourage them to fulfil their ambitions, whether in Falkirk or further afield. We believe involving them in our initiative will arm young people not only with knowledge about the area but also the confidence that they can play a key role in its future.
The following projects will help us to achieve our aims:
Making the Connections
This project brings together young people and those who work with young people and connects them with the work of the My Future's in Falkirk initiative. The overall aim of this is to raise the aspirations of young people and help them to realise their ambitions.
There are currently 5 main areas of activity:
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Business and Education – we've been working with schools, colleges, careers advisors and local businesses to embed my Future's in Falkirk messages in the curriculum, create a pool of Young Ambassadors for My Future's in Falkirk, collate information on careers in the Falkirk area and link to the Determined to Succeed agenda which provides lots of opportunities for young people to experience enterprising activities in school.
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Arts, Culture and Creative industries – we've drawn together creative industry professionals from the public and private sectors to create opportunities for young people to participate in creative activities and to learn about career prospects in this sector.
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Science and Technology – Science teachers and facilitators have joined forces with Ineos of Grangemouth to highlight the strength of the chemicals industry locally and to offer young people the chance to participate in science activities including Sci-TeQ and the SET Fair (Science, Engineering and Technology Fair). You can read more about these opportunities on our Young People page.
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Community and Environment – this group aims to build young people's sense of pride in their local environment. It looks for opportunities to involve young people in developments and projects occurring within their locality. It is hoped that by involving them they will develop a sense of ownership and pride in their environment.
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Marketing and Communications – Representatives from each of the above groups, along with Marketing and PR staff, come together to look at how the work of the groups can best be communicated to young people. This helps to change young people's perceptions of their area.
You can read more about our achievements in the Making the Connection progress report (PDF, 5.3MB)| from June 2010.
You can also find out more about some of the projects Young People| can get involved in.
Creating More Choices and More Chances
Local businesses depend on having staff with the right skills and attitudes in order to flourish. Equally, young people leaving school want to be given a chance by employers, so they can find their first job and gain experience of the workplace. This project brings together all our work with young people and businesses, with the aim of offering young people the opportunity to connect with the labour market, gain employability skills and experience that will serve them as their career develops.
Our key areas of work include:
Want to know more about working in the Falkirk area? Visit our Careers in Your Area| page.