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Innovative youth in action
Young people lead £19k boost for community projects across Forth Valley and Lomond
A new village pump track, music workshops in rural primary schools and a community food initiative that has already helped deliver more than 3,000 meals were among thirteen youth-led projects celebrated at Callander Youth Project last week.
The projects were supported through the Youth Impact Fund, with funding decisions made by the Forth Valley & Lomond Youth Local Action Group (YLAG), a panel made up entirely of local young people.
Young leaders, community groups and local partners gathered in Callander on 11 March to showcase the projects, which aim to tackle issues ranging from rural isolation and mental health to creative opportunities, food sustainability and youth facilities.
One of the initiatives, Fintry Wheelers, is developing a new community pump track designed by and for local residents. The facility will provide a safe, all-weather space for cycling, skateboarding and outdoor activity for young people in the village.
At the University of Stirling, a community food initiative funded through the programme has helped expand a student-run community fridge scheme. The project redistributes surplus food from local supermarkets, runs cooking classes and has already helped provide more than 3,000 meals, while also reducing food waste.
Creative opportunities for young people were also a strong theme. The Trossachs Sound Project saw McLaren High School pupils create original musical compositions using sounds recorded from the surrounding landscape, developing recording and sound-editing skills while exploring the natural environment around them.
Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old musician Deia Wilkinson from Thornhill delivered hands-on music workshops in four rural primary schools including Kincardine of Menteith, Thornhill, Gartmore and Port of Menteith.
She said:
“We had loads of fun singing, clapping rhythms and playing boomwhackers. Music helps children build confidence and creativity, and it’s really important that rural schools get those opportunities too.”
The funding has also supported a wide range of other community initiatives, including new intergenerational art classes in Callander, the creation of a new rural after-school club in Thornhill and a youth-led tea project by charity Green Routes using herbs grown locally to promote healthy lifestyles and practical skills.
Speaking at the event, Youth Local Action Group member Ben Walker said giving young people responsibility for funding decisions was key.
He said: “The Youth Impact Fund shows what happens when young people are trusted to lead. These projects prove that even small investments can make a big difference when young people are shaping the ideas.”
The celebration event also featured a performance by the Balquhidder Pipers, who received funding for a portable PA system to help them perform outdoors and at more community events.
A total of £19,000 was distributed to thirteen projects including:
- Mental health and wellbeing workshops for young people in Clackmannanshire and Stirling (Action in Mind).
- Widening access to traditional music for rural children in Killin and Crianlarich (Balquhidder Pipers).
- A new creative community for young people in Clackmannanshire (Speak Forth).
- Intergenerational art classes in Callander, Create at Connect (Callander Development Trust).
- Hands-on music sessions in rural primary schools (Deia Wilkinson).
- A new community pump track for cycling and skateboarding in Fintry (Fintry Wheelers).
- A project teaching recording, improvisation and composition skills (Trossachs Sound Project).
- A student initiative redistributing surplus food and running cooking classes (Stirling University Community Fridge).
- Helping young people learn healthy lifestyle and practical gardening skills (Green Routes Tea Project).
- A programme delivering mental health support in rural schools (The Canmore Trust).
- The creation of Village Greens Youth Action Teams (The Conservation Volunteers).
- Establishing new rural childcare provision in Thornhill (Thornhill Afterschool Club).
- Providing specialist bowling equipment for international competitions (Zak Simpson).
More information about the Youth Local Action Group and the funded projects can be found at: www.fvl.org.uk/ylag
Young people interested in applying to the Youth Impact Fund 2026 should contact Youthimpactfund@fvl.org.uk
