Young Scot (

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

: Òigridh na h-Alba) is a national youth information and citizenship charity for 11 to 25 year olds living in Scotland.

Information for young people

Young Scot is the national youth

information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

charity in Scotland. Their website has quality-assured information for

young people Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

. Information is published in both English and Gaelic. Young Scot works with partners and experts to develop

on important issues for young people. They also hold the

European European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

Youth Information and Counselling Agency's

Quality Label for youth information. This certifies the quality-assurance processes in place when creating information. Young Scot is also the Scottish member for the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency – part of a

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

of 42 national and regional youth information coordinating bodies from 26 countries across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Their declared mission is to build a society where young people have access to youth-friendly, reliable and comprehensive information that promotes their autonomy and well-being, while encouraging their active participation in society.

Volunteering and survey opportunities for young people

Young Scot offers young people opportunities to take part in surveys or volunteering. Volunteering opportunities have been offered in partnership with

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

divisions and public bodies, including Nature Scot,

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

Scottish Qualifications Authority The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA; Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Ùghdarras Theisteanas na h-Alba'') is the Scottish public bodies, executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for accrediting educationa ...

, Co-op Foundation,

Carnegie UK Trust The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust is an independent, endowed charitable trust based in Scotland that operates throughout Great Britain and Ireland. Originally established with an endowment from Andrew Carnegie in his birthplace of Dunfermline ...

, Glasgow City of Science & Innovation and 5Rights Foundation. Young people can also use their Young Scot National Entitlement Card number for

participatory budgeting Participatory budgeting (PB) is a type of citizen sourcing in which ordinary people decide how to allocate part of a municipal or public budget through a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making. These processes typically begin ...

and

e-voting Electronic voting is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or handle casting and counting ballots including voting time. Depending on the particular implementation, e-voting may use standalone '' electronic voting machines'' (also ...

in their local communities.

Young Scot National Entitlement Card

Young people in Scotland get a free Young Scot National Entitlement Card. They can use their card for discounts at local and national outlets in Scotland and across Europe. Young people can also use their cards for discounted public transport and other local services. The card is also part of the

Scottish National Entitlement Card The Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC) is a Scotland-wide smart card scheme run by Scottish Local Authorities on behalf of the Scottish Government. It is predominantly operated as a concessionary travel pass, but can also act as Proof of Ag ...

programme that runs in Scotland. It is also a proof of age card accredited by the

Proof of Age Standards Scheme PASS (the Proof of Age Standards Scheme) is a government-backed scheme in the United Kingdom that gives citizens a valid and accepted form of proof-of-age identification. The scheme is supported by the Home Office, the Chartered Trading Standards ...

(PASS) scheme which applies across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Young Scot is the only Scottish member of the

European Youth Card The European Youth Card (also known as EURO<26) allows reductions on cultural activities, shops, transport, eating out, and accommodation, and can be used in 38 European countries. Most countries make it possible to buy and use the card up to the a ...

Association. The European Youth Card offers discounts on travel, culture, accommodation, education, services and products in 36 countries across Europe. Six million young people are eligible for a card. Young Scot also has a Young Scot Rewards scheme where users can earn reward points and then in turn collect rewards. The programme encourages young people to be active citizens by rewarding them for taking part in positive activities. Young carers are also eligible for support too.

Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel

Young people aged 5–21 years old can apply to access the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel Scheme, which began on 31 January 2022. The scheme is run by

Transport Scotland Transport Scotland () is the national transport agency of Scotland. It was established by the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, and began operating on 1 January 2006 as an executive agency of the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland, an execut ...

. Young people need a

or Young Scot National Entitlement Card with the valid free travel entitlement to take the bus for free. The Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme lets young people travel for free on any bus in any part of Scotland on registered bus services. Only a few services, such as premium-fare night buses and City Sightseeing buses, are not included.

Young Scot Awards

The Young Scot Awards or #YSAwards is an awards ceremony hosted by Young Scot to honour young people in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

for considerable achievements and positive contributions to charity or their community. The first ceremony was held in 2006, and was hosted by Andrea McLean. Between 2015 and 2017, the awards were hosted by Edith Bowman. In 2018, the event was hosted by

Iain Stirling Iain Andrew Stirling (born 27 January 1988) is a Scottish comedian, writer, television presenter, narrator and Twitch streamer from Edinburgh, Scotland. Stand-up career Having started stand-up whilst in his final year of Law at the Universit ...

at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow. No event was held in 2019 and the 2020 event was hosted by

Gemma Cairney Gemma Cairney (born 19 March 1985) is an English television and radio presenter best known for her work on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 Music. She most recently presented ''The Leisure Society'' on BBC Radio 6 Music where she interviewed cultural ...

online due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Capital FM Scotland DJ Katy J hosted the 2023 event at Platform in Glasgow.

Annual ceremony

The ceremony is annually attended by celebrities and prominent politicians, who will present awards or perform. Guests at past ceremonies have included

Humza Yousaf Humza Haroon Yousaf (; born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish ...

Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) sin ...

Alesha Dixon Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978) is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B / UK Garage group Mis-Teeq, who had seven UK top 10 hits, ...

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2009, where he finished as runn ...

Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second series of ''The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2005 a ...

Jack McConnell Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician who served as first minister of Scotland and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 2001 to 2007. McConnell served as the Minister f ...

, Elaine C.Smith,

Conor Maynard Conor Paul Maynard (born 21 November 1992) is an English singer. Born and raised in Brighton, he signed a recording contract with Warner Music Group in 2011. Maynard rose to fame in 2012 when he was nominated for, and subsequently won, MTV's ' ...

, Stevie McCrorie,

Ross Murdoch Ross Murdoch (born 14 January 1994) is a Scottish competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in 2016 and 2020, the FINA World Championships and the LEN European Championships, and Scotland at the Commonwealth ...

, the cast from

River City ''River City'' is a Scottish television soap opera created by Stephen Greenhorn which has been broadcast on BBC One Scotland since September 2002. Since 2019, the show has aired episodes a day earlier on the new BBC Scotland channel. Set in ...

and

Nicholas McDonald Nicholas "Nicky" McDonald (born 23 November 1996) is a Scottish singer–songwriter and recording artist. He was the runner-up of the The X Factor (UK series 10), tenth series of ''The X Factor (UK), The X Factor'' in 2013. After the show, he ...

Young Scot Awards categories

Notable winners and finalists

Past Young Scot Awards winners include

Amy Macdonald Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, ''This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album), This Is the Life'', which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This ...

Karen Gillan Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress and filmmaker. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the scien ...

Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...

Paolo Nutini Paolo Giovanni Nutini (born 9 January 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Nutini's debut album, ''These Streets'' (2006), peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-u ...

Martin Compston Martin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He played Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in the BBC drama ''Line of Duty'', Liam in Ken Loach's '' Sweet Sixteen'', Paul Ferris in '' The Wee Man'', ...

Nina Nesbitt Nina Lindberg Nesbitt (born 11 July 1994) is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She is best known for her UK singles chart, UK and Scottish Singles and Albums Charts, Scottish top 40 hit singles "Stay Out" and "Selfies (song), Selfies". She also ...

, Lewis MacDougall,

Paul Brannigan Paul Brannigan (born 14 September 1986) is a Scottish actor best known for his roles as Gareth O'Connor in Scottish soap opera ''River City'' and as Robbie in the film '' The Angels' Share'' (2012). Brannigan also appeared in the 2013 movie '' ...

Laura Muir Laura Muir (; born 9 May 1993) is a Scottish Middle-distance running, middle- and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She is the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 metres, having prev ...

Iona Fyfe Iona Fyfe (born 16 January 1998) is a Scottish folk singer from Huntly, Aberdeenshire. In 2016, she was a semi-finalist of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award and, in 2017 and 2021, was a finalist of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Music ...

Ncuti Gatwa Mizero Ncuti Gatwa ( ; born 15 October 1992) is a Rwandan-Scottish actor. After a screen Breakthrough role, breakthrough portraying Eric Effiong in Sex Education (TV series), ''Sex Education'' (2019–2023), he rose to further prominence as the ...

and Jamie Genevieve.

Events and venues

References

External links

*{{official website, https://young.scot/
Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards
Youth employment Youth organisations based in Scotland