Meeting of the Parliament 21 January 2016
I do not consider it a criticism that aspects for further development are mentioned in the report. It is an opportunity that we can use. We must try very hard to take the best opportunity that we can to reach as many people as we can.
In that—[Interruption.] You’re fine, Mr Dey. Thank you for offering me a torch, but I am just yapping; I am terribly good at rabbiting on.
I note that under the heading “Aspects for further development”—I can see this—the report says:
“There is an incomplete statistical picture that details the totality of participation, progression and completion in the full range of youth awards across Scotland.”
We have to look beyond that. Although I think that we are doing wonderful work in aiming at youth awards and so on, we sometimes miss the follow-on stuff or the stuff that can happen round about that. In my area, there are wonderful examples of schemes funded through the cashback for communities programme that try to get hold of people and give them a different path in life. Of course, that is all about the prevention agenda, but I sometimes worry that all of a sudden the people in question are not deemed as youths any more and are left with no other support. It is far too easy for them to fall back. I would like more of a build-up on the follow-on activity from youth awards.