Amplify: A New Era for Youth Participation

Youth Scotland, the country’s largest national youth work organisation, has unveiled Amplify – Supporting Youth Voice, a three-year initiative that will begin delivery in December 2025.

The programme is backed by more than £1.5 million in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. Its aim is to ensure that young people—particularly those furthest from their rights and whose voices are often underrepresented—are placed at the centre of decisions that affect their lives.

Amplify builds on Youth Scotland’s strong track record in youth participation. In 2024–25 alone, 4,803 young people engaged in leadership and participation programmes such as the iLead Pathway, Young Grantmakers, the Young Islanders Network (YIN), and the Rural Youth Action Network (RYAN). Hundreds of youth workers also developed skills to involve young people in decision-making. Amplify will expand this work by connecting young people, youth workers, and community stakeholders through training, youth-led social action, and opportunities to influence local decisions.

The funding comes from The UK Fund, one of The National Lottery Community Fund’s first major commitments under its new strategy, It starts with community. This strategy focuses on four missions:

• helping communities come together
• supporting environmental sustainability
• enabling children and young people to thrive
• and promoting healthier lives.

Amplify directly contributes to these goals by embedding youth voices in community decision-making and empowering young people to design and deliver change.

Mike Strang, Chief Executive of Youth Scotland, emphasised the importance of the programme:

“Amplify is about making sure that young people who are furthest from their rights are front and centre in the decisions that affect them. Across our network we see every day how powerful it is when young people are given the skills, support and trust to lead. Thanks to National Lottery players and The National Lottery Community Fund, we can build on the success of programmes like iLead and create new opportunities for young people to shape their communities.”

Strang added that the initiative will not only strengthen youth voice but also help youth workers and partner organisations embed participation into the way they design and deliver services.

Youth Scotland currently supports 113,100 young people, 2,400 youth groups, and over 11,700 youth workers across Scotland. Its diverse membership ranges from small rural youth groups to large urban projects, all united by the goal of achieving better outcomes for young people. Amplify is expected to deepen this impact by ensuring that youth perspectives are consistently integrated into community development.

With delivery set to begin in late 2025, Amplify promises to be a transformative programme for Scotland’s youth sector. By combining training, social action, and decision-making opportunities, it aims to create a culture where young people’s voices are not only heard but actively shape the future of their communities.

Read more HERE