BLOG: Tackling Growing Challenges for Young People

By Scott McGinigal, Chair, Denis Law Legacy Trust

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing world, the challenges young people face have never been more acute. From issues that hinder their personal growth and development, it is more vital than ever that organisations come together to support young people to thrive. Denis Law Legacy Trust is a charity that has been at the forefront of empowering young people to overcome these obstacles, since 2011.

Denis Law Legacy Trust operates and delivers free-to-access programmes and positive destination activities for young people in Aberdeen. The Trust was named after the legendary Scottish footballer and proud Aberdonian, Denis Law, who through his own involvement and that of his family continues to play an active role as patron of the charity.

Aberdeen, like many other cities, experiences its share of social and economic disparities with areas in the city falling into the top 10% most deprived communities compared to 8 years ago as evidenced by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Limited resources in schools and a lack of extracurricular activities can hinder academic achievement, aspirations and overall well-being. Through Streetsport, which is run in partnership with Robert Gordon University, we provide free sport and creative activity sessions directly into these communities which has a positive impact on the well-being of participants, many of whom later engage in volunteering and extracurricular activities. Wellbeing indicators such as SHANARRI highlights that young people feel most active, achieving, respected and responsible at Streetsport compared to school or home.

It is no secret that many Aberdonian’s are concerned about anti-social behaviour – something that Streetsport has successfully reduced through targeted sessions. Alongside Aberdeen City Council and the Johan Cruyff Foundation, we have introduced three Cruyff Courts to the city – including Cruyff Court Neale Cooper in Torry that since 2019 has helped reduce youth anti-social behaviour by 50%.

Further to this, our innovative CLUB 10 programme provides positive opportunities and experiences that support young people and their families affected by imprisonment. Our ambition is to break the cycle of imprisonment and bring families together through shared experience.

The pressures of modern life, such as increased academic expectations, social media and navigating personal relationships can also take its toll on young people. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds may experience exclusion that hinders their development. Our latest programme, Denis Law’s Academy, aims to empower young people through personal, professional and wellbeing development to shape their aspirations. The programme has seen several successful pilots, and we look forward to further growing the programme.

Long-term, the active engagement of young people in decision-making processes is crucial in addressing these issues. Our youth forum, Granite City Speaks fosters a culture of youth empowerment by providing a platform for young people to voice their opinions, contribute to community projects, and lead initiatives that address the needs of young people and their communities.

As challenges grow for charities across the city so does the competition for funding and support. We simply couldn’t have the impact that we do without the help of likeminded organisations, such as Robert Gordon University who we work in partnership with. If you or your organisation would be interested in supporting us in helping young people to thrive, please get in touch with us here.