Scotland’s third largest council area faces an exodus of young people after more than half of those questioned said they planned to leave the region.
The survey of 10,000 under 25s was part of activities in Dumfries and Galloway to mark the Year of Young People 2018. Events were held to highlight “the personalities, talents and achievements of young people in the south west of Scotland”. However 55 per cent of those questioned said they intended to leave on leaving school or in the future.
Geographically Dumfries and Galloway covers the third biggest area of any Scottish council. But while it is 14 times the size of North Lanarkshire, it has less than half the population with 149,000 residents.
Councillor Adam Wilson – the council’s Young People’s Champion – said the survey’s findings were a “warning shot” to local employers and to the council itself and admitted the region faced a potential crisis.
Calling for more to be done to make staying in Dumfries and Galloway attractive to young people, he said there are opportunities, as both public and private sector employers have struggled to fill vacancies. He said: “I think there is a warning shot because if a number of young people leave and do not come back, we will see a number of crises across our region.”
Like most of Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway faces a huge increase in demand for social care, over the next decade, he said, and the economy would face major challenges if thousands of young people choose to move away.
Mr Wilson said it was important officials and a range of local bodies act on the findings of the report, including the staff of a planned new enterprise agency.
“We are going to have a huge demand on social care over the next decade and beyond,” he said “If we do not keep our young people here, or attract young people to stay here and to grow their families and to work, we are going to face these difficulties. We have that warning shot today and we can start to take meaningful action to address that.”
As part of Scotland’sYear of Young People last year, Dumfries and Galloway held a free two-day festival for 40,000 young people. YouthBeatz was designed to give young people who live in largely rural communities the chance to attend a free high quality festival without the cost associated of travelling to cities or the central belt.
The event’s line up included Sigala, Jax Joneas and Lucy Spraggan and it incorporated an interactive theatre production The Toon designed to raise young people’s awareness of a range of topics including; sexual health, drugs and alcohol, suicide, domestic violence etc. More than half of the young people attending had not previously engaged with youth services, while Police Scotland reported a 76 per cent drop in anti-social behaviour among those taking part in The Toon.
The events were nominated for the Herald Society Awards 2018, and judges awarded them the prize for best youth project. This year, the event will be run again with a line up so far comprising Louisa, Professor Green and Sigma.
Cllr Wilson said the council would continue to try to discourage young people from leaving the region. “It is essential we explore new and innovative ways of keeping our young people in Dumfries and Galloway as well as ways of attracting young people from out with the region into the area to work, start families and build their futures here on our doorstep. “ he said. “Our Youth Work Service work tirelessly to provide a diverse range of activities right across the region for children and young people. There are a lot of ways in which we can try to grow our economy but make sure that we deliver for our young people.”
The youth survey findings will be used to craft a new 5-year strategic plan for young people’s services in the region. Council leader Elaine Murray said “It will be invaluable in shaping appropriate region-wide services for young people.”
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