International Youth Day is an annual United Nations observance which brings attention to issues affecting young people and recognises the important role they play in communities and society.

Together is an alliance of charities working to advance children’s rights in Scotland. Its work focuses on improving awareness, understanding and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), supporting organisations to embed children’s rights in their work and monitoring progress in Scotland and across the UK.

Becoming a member reflects our commitment to making sure children and young people have meaningful opportunities to have their voices heard in decisions about the places where they live and spend time.

We believe planning and placemaking should involve people of all ages, including children and young people. Our work helps young people to share their ideas and have a say in how their communities could develop in the future. Planning Aid Scotland volunteers are currently supporting Play Scotland to gather feedback on local play parks.  

Through our Stonehaven – Past, Present, Future project, we also used creative activities with local schoolchildren to hear what they noticed and valued about their town. Their ideas showed just how important it is to include young people’s views in engagement processes.

Joining Together will give us opportunities to learn from and connect with organisations working across children’s rights in Scotland, share our experience of participation and placemaking, and strengthen the way children’s rights are reflected in our work.

We look forward to being part of the Together network and continuing to create opportunities for children and young people to influence the future of their places.

Read our member spotlight on the Together website