In this post, our Research and Policy Lead Rebecca discusses the proposed Youth Work (Scotland) Bill, reflecting on what a legal right to youth work means for young women and girls across Scotland. 

At the end of 2024, Scottish Labour MSP Martin Whitfield launched a public consultation on the Youth Work (Scotland) Bill, which seeks to give young people aged 11 to 25 a legal right to access high-quality youth work services across Scotland (this consultation closed on 31st March 2025).

At The Young Women’s Movement, we work with up to 500 young women and girls from across Scotland, meeting them in local and national settings to develop their leadership skills, knowledge and confidence. Youth work is important as it fosters friendships between young people, encouraging them to grow at their own pace in a supportive environment and make lifelong connections with young people from diverse backgrounds and communities. At The Young Women’s Movement, we believe that every young person, regardless of their background, location or circumstances, should be afforded the opportunity to engage in youth work services for learning, development and community engagement.   

Young women and girls face a multitude of barriers to participation, often due to their daily exposure to everyday sexism and the pervasive nature of misogyny in society. Youth work plays a critical role in addressing gender inequality, ensuring young women and girls can develop their leadership skills, knowledge and confidence. Our programmes empower young women to safely meet, network and discuss their experiences, which is increasingly needed in our ever-changing, challenging society. 

Why does this proposed Bill matter to young women? 

At The Young Women’s Movement, we believe that youth work has a key role in increasing employability and leadership skills in young women and is especially adept at providing targeted approaches to these services that are catered to the needs of marginalised young people.  

There is strong evidence to suggest that the proposed Bill will positively impact young women with multiple layers of marginalisation; for example, young women with disabilities, young women from low-income backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ young women, and ethnic minority young women. In 2018/2019, we worked in a targeted way with a cohort of ethnic minority young women through Young Women Lead, our leadership programme in partnership with the Scottish Parliament, to lead on an inquiry on the “gaps” in policy and practice in relation to young BAME women moving into sustained employment.  

One of the participants from this cohort explained that “it was hard to relate to the career advisors at school because they didn’t consider or weren’t educated enough on how being a minority will affect my career aspects. They didn’t know or weren’t aware of any resources that could be of help to me as a minority”. Through this programme, the cohort received specialised mentorship, training and support from ethnic minority leaders and specialists to undertake their learning and research.  

The proposed Bill could also strengthen youth work’s preventative role, helping to meet Scotland’s National Outcomes related to health, education, and equality. This is particularly important in the context of preventing and tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) and gender inequality. In recent years we have worked with three local authorities as part of our Young Women Know programme, a collaborative project delivered by The Young Women’s Movement and NSPCC Scotland in partnership with three local authorities across Scotland. The programme was designed to tackle unhealthy relationships and peer sexual abuse through peer-led campaigns, working closely with young women aged 16-18. One young woman told us that she felt “a sense of accomplishment in developing new skills” and that she felt as if she “made a difference” after participating in the programme. Another told us that she felt “a lot more confident in new situations and meeting new people.”  

What do young women think about youth work? 

We recently evaluated our Young Women Lead programme, which began in 2017 as a leadership programme for young women and non-binary people aged 16-30 to meet and discuss issues relating to systemic inequality and reflect on opportunities for further development and change. When asked why they participated in the programme, 85% of participants told us they engaged primarily for personal development, while 60% participated to increase employment opportunities. One young woman recently told us that her participation in youth work “gave [her] a belief in [herself she] didn’t know possible”. Another told us she felt “treated like an expert, someone with valuable insights for the first time as a young woman of colour.” 

We know that access to youth services across Scotland is inconsistent, leaving many young people without the support they need to thrive. Young women living in parts of rural Scotland often tell us that they currently do not feel like they have equal access to opportunities in comparison to those living in urban areas, particularly the Central Belt. By streamlining access to youth work services across Scotland, the proposed Bill would begin to tackle some of the regional inequalities faced by young people, particularly those living in rural and isolated communities.  

How did we respond to the consultation?

At The Young Women’s Movement, we are delighted to support the proposed Youth Work (Scotland) Bill. The proposed Bill will begin to address the critical need for sustainable, reliable funding within the sector. Legislation would also make cross-collaboration between statutory and voluntary sectors more consistent. While investment and national strategies are crucial, they are insufficient without legislative backing. In making youth work a statutory service, legislation would strengthen youth work’s relationship with the statutory sector by providing parity of esteem with formal education.  

The youth work sector is a widely varied sector and includes the third sector. It is important that the proposed Bill provides clear accountability for who is responsible for ensuring that access to youth work services is delivered fairly and in a streamlined way for young people across Scotland from all different backgrounds. Funding must be clearly marked out with dedicated funding earmarked for third sector organisations working with marginalised groups of young people, as well as national and local authority youth work organisations.  

While we are supportive of the proposed Bill, we asked the Member to ensure robust co-production with young people, youth workers and youth organisations throughout the implementation process. For this proposed Bill to be successful, it is vitally important that we carefully listen to young people about their needs and experiences when participating in youth work services in Scotland today, ensuring that their voices and opinions are heard, respected and embedded in each stage of the development of the Bill.   

Read our full consultation response to the Proposed Youth Work (Scotland) Bill.

  

In this article, originally written for The Herald for International Women’s Day 2024, our CEO Jenni Snell explores International Women’s Day and its role in the fight for gender equality.

International Women’s Day is rooted in the radical call for women’s rights, finding its feet at the turn of the 20th century and celebrated from New York to St Petersburg. Since officially commemorating the day in 1975, we’ve entrusted the UN with broadening its international reach and setting an annual theme for the continual drive towards intersectional gender equality. Though, recent years have been different.

In this article, originally written for The Herald for International Women’s Day 2024, our CEO Jenni Snell explores International Women’s Day and its role in the fight for gender equality.

International Women’s Day is rooted in the radical call for women’s rights, finding its feet at the turn of the 20th century and celebrated from New York to St Petersburg. Since officially commemorating the day in 1975, we’ve entrusted the UN with broadening its international reach and setting an annual theme for the continual drive towards intersectional gender equality. Though, recent years have been different.