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About the Youth Work Service

The Youth Work Service works with young people aged 12 to 25 to provide a range of universal and targeted youth work opportunities across Dumfries and Galloway for young people to get involved in.

Overview

We deliver a range of projects, programmes and services across our region to broaden young people's horizons, and to aid in their personal and social development to name a few. 

While the majority of services are aimed at young people who are in S1 or above, we do have several groups throughout the region aimed at P7s (junior groups) to support their transition from primary to secondary school. 

Our priorities

The Youth Work Service is an integral part of our education, skills, and community wellbeing directorate, and operates under 5 overarching service priorities: 

  1. Community based youth work.
  2. Youth work in schools.
  3. Youth democracy and participation.
  4. Wider achievement and accreditation.
  5. Support to and collaboration with the third sector.

Purpose of our work

The purpose of youth work is to:

  • build self-esteem and self confidence
  • develop the ability to manage personal and social relationships
  • create learning and develop new skills
  • encourage positive group atmospheres
  • build the capacity of young people to consider risk, make reasoned decisions and take control
  • develop a ‘world view’ which widens horizons and invites social commitment

It has three essential and definitive features:

  1. Young person chooses to take part.
  2. The work must build from where young people are.
  3. Youth work recognises the young person and youth worker as partners in the learning process.

Read more about our Youth work strategy, purposes and values for the next 5 years.

Key work areas

We provide universal provision with targeted work aimed at the most vulnerable young people across our region in response to locally identified needs and priorities.

Community based youth work

Delivery of universal and targeted youth work groups, projects, excursions and opportunities for young people in the evenings, at weekends and throughout holiday periods in local communities. This includes mobile, street-based (detached) and digital youth work opportunities for young people and youth events including Youth Beatz and Fringe Festival.

Youth work in schools

Delivery of the Youth Information in Schools Project (low level mental health support) and delivery of accredited programmes and Youth Awards in collaboration with schools during the school day.

Youth participation and volunteering

Delivery of opportunities for young people to get involved in decision making through projects including Dumfries and Galloway Youth Council, Scottish Youth Parliament, Champions Board, Young Women’s Network and Chameleons (LGBT forum). This work area includes the delivery of the Young Leader and peer education programme.

For more information, read Youth participation and engagement strategy 2022 to 2027

Wider achievement

We provide recognition and celebration of young people’s achievements through annual celebration of achievement and award ceremonies.

Creating opportunities for young people to achieve accredited and non-accredited youth awards.

Collaboration with the youth work sector

We provide training, advice and support to voluntary and third sector youth work partners and locality youth work partnership forums.