About

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

*Whilst 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 P7's (Junior Groups) to support their transition from Primary to Secondary school. 

The types of programmes and services we offer include:

Youth Groups 

We deliver a wide range of groups for young people after school, in the evenings and at weekends. This includes groups focussed on different skills (cooking, gaming, volunteering, sports, arts etc.) and targeted groups for young people with additional support needs or disabilities, experience of care, LGBT+ identities and their allies. Youth groups take place in secondary schools (during lunch or afterschool) and in community venues (evenings and weekends) throughout the region. We also run issue based groups for young people exploring topics such as sexual health, healthy relationships, body image and confidence. 

We also deliver Drop In's which are places for young people to come together with their friends, take part in activities and grab something to eat! 

If you want to know what's on in your area, check out the 'What's On' section of our website. 

Holiday Programmes

We run a range of varied and exciting programmes during the school holidays for young people in towns and villages across Dumfries & Galloway. Holiday programmes can include youth groups, events, workshops, excursions and expeditions. To find out what's on this Spring, check out this page. 

Accredited Youth Awards inc. Duke of Edinburgh's Award 

We deliver accredited Youth Awards through our youth work programmes through community and school based youth work opportunties. Informal learning awards are an excellent way to recognise young people's efforts and learning out-with a classroom environment, focussing more on achieving their personal development goals and recognising the impact of their involvement in projects.  These awards include: 

• John Muir  
• Saltire 
• Hi5, Dynamic Youth & Youth Achievement (Youth Scotland Awards) 
• Heritage Hero 
• Participative Democracy Certificate (PDC)
• Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE)

Youth Awards are tailored to each individual with targets set by young people themselves. Recognised nationally, and internationally for some, the above Awards support young people to make their transition into further education, employment or work placements, giving them valuable skills and experiences. 

Please get in touch if you would like to know more about the Awards and accreditation available to young people. 

Mental Health Support

One-to-One support is available to young people who are going through a difficult time in their lives or need help with a specific issue. Youth work staff are experienced and trained to offer support, advice, and guidance. We do this through our Youth Information Project that runs in the community and across all 16 secondary schools delivering low-level mental health support for young people. 

More information about the Youth Information Projects, including how to get support, can be found on the Youth Enquiry Service website here.

Issue-Based Youth Work

We deliver a range of issue-based programmes and sessions through our community-based youth work. These include sexual health, healthy relationships, body image and confidence. Please speak with a member of the Youth Work team for more information. 

Volunteering Opportunities inc. Youth Democracy 

We are responsible for providing support to young people involved in youth democracy structures such as Dumfries and Galloway Youth Council, Champions Board and Listen2Us project that support young people to engage with decision makers locally and nationally on the issues that are affecting young people. Our role is to support young people to have their say in the decisions that affect them. To find out more about these opportunities, check out this page. In addition, we also provide support to a wide range of steering groups and networks including the Chameleons Steering Group, 10,000 Voices in Action and Young Women's Network. 

There are a range of opportunities for young people and adults interested in developing their skills or giving back to their community through volunteering. We deliver a Young Leader programme aimed at young people aged 14+, and an Adult Volunteer programme aimed at adults 18+. Full training is provided, appropriate to the volunteer role you would like to take on. If you would like to know more about volunteering in your local area, register your interest here. 

Youth Events

We plan and organise many events in our region including Youth Beatz, which is the UK's largest free music festival for young people. We also organise local and regional awards ceremonies in order to celebrate and recognise the talents and achievements of our young people including the annual D&G Youth Awards.

Support to and Collaboration with the Third Sector

We also provide training, support and development opportunities to Third Sector organisations across the region, who work with young people in relation to National Youth Work Outcomes. There are 4 Youth Work Partnerships across the region (Wigtownshire, Stewartry, Nithsdale, Annandale & Eskdale) for organisations to come together to work in partnership, secure funding and deliver as many opportunities for young people as possible in their locality area! 

If you'd like to find out more about the Youth Work Partnerships, please contact us on youth.work@dumgal.gov.uk

Youth Work Priorities

YW Priorities 2024 (PDF) [248KB]

Youth Work Strategy

YW Strategy 2024-2029 (PDF) [19MB]

Our Mission, Vision and Values

YWDG Values, Mission and Vision PDF (PDF) [531KB]

Youth Work Bases

We deliver youth work across the region in variety of locations including community buildings and schools. We also have our own youth bases in the following towns:

• The Oasis Youth Centre in Dumfries
• The Youth Enquiry Service in Dumfries (Top floor at DGOne)
• The Youth Base, McMillan Hall (Newton Stewart)
• Kaos Café, Wigtown County Buildings
• Agnew Park, Stranraer
• Lockerbie Youth Room, Town Hall

My-Pod (Mobile Youth Centre)

My-Pod is our mobile youth bus which is used to provide Youth Work across the region during school holidays and for events. It is kitted out with games consoles, youth information, and outdoor games equipment. The My Pod can also be booked on request for events such as galas, fun days, music festivals etc.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, or would like to get in touch, please contact us by: 

E-mail: Youth.Work@dumgal.gov.uk 

Phone: 01387 260243

Or through our social media channels which can be found by searching @YOUTHWORKDG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.