What is the Truth about Youth in Glasgow? This is the question Young Scot are tackling through The Patter ! I went along to the launch last weekend to meet the team and the young people who are going to make this happen.

‘Hoodie-wearing, disrespectful, uninterested, ignorant, anti-social delinquents. Does that sound like you? Thought not! But far too often these days others seem to talk about young people in these ways. And we want it to stop.

“Truth About Youth” is a brand new project run by Young Scot which will challenge negative perceptions about young people in Glasgow. The Co-operative Foundation are working with seven charities in cities across the UK to deliver programmes aimed at changing these prejudiced opinions, by supporting young people to work with adults, the media and the wider community. And Young Scot is implementing the project in Glasgow.”

Truth About Youth will give young people a platform from which to show the positive influence they are having in their communities. The project will do this in three ways.

• A training programme will see young people delivering workshops to people from different generations to effectively challenge existing negative perceptions of young people.

• An online blogging website will also be set up and a group of people, young and old, will openly and honestly discuss the key issues that affect you.

• And thirdly, young people will have the chance to work with the media to help communicate the positive messages of the project to the wider public and challenge the existing views that all young people are involved in crime, violence, alcohol, drugs misuse, etc.

The team are also inviting guest bloggers to be part of the initiative and I am proud to be the very first one…read more here.

Let’s hope The Patter can help ‘make it cool to contribute to society’ ! Really looking forward to meeting the rest of the bloggers at the Patter’s Studio Unbound session. Great stuff!