Youth Work Conference & Young Volunteer Gathering 2023

The conference is open to Youth Work practitioners from organisations who attend the local youth work practitioner forums and is by invite only to ensure that the focus remains on the core values and principles of youth work. The Young Volunteer Gathering is open to any young person aged 12+ who volunteer their time to support the delivery of youth work opportunities in their local community.

Working at the Coalface and the Young Volunteer Gathering will run alongside one another with all participants coming together to hear the Keynote Speaker, Iain Corbett, a youth worker and community development practitioner who is passionate about amplifying the voice of young people in processes, policy and decision making in which they are regularly overlooked. For the last few years Iain has worked at the University of Glasgow, most recently as a research assistant on the ESRC-funded Public Health, Youth and Violence Reduction (PHYVR) and previously as a coordinator with Children's' Neighbourhoods Scotland (CNS). Iain is also a Programme Outreach Lead at Neighbourly Lab, a UK-wide non-profit exploring social connection. In addition, attendees from both events will participate in a joint session focussed on 10,000 Voices.

Working at the Coalface Workshops include:

• Consent, misogyny and porn, a workshop focussed on the current issues facing young people in 2023 led by Vanessa Rodgers
• Understanding substance use, a workshop focussed on understanding the use of ketamine, ecstasy and weed by young people led by LANDED Peer Education Service
• Working for young people, a workshop focussed on young people, employability and their next steps led by Dumfries and Galloway Council's Employability and Skills Service

The Young Volunteer Gathering include:

• Leadership and communication
• Activism and empowerment
• Mental health and art for well-being

Attached is further information, and registration is required in advance for both events: https://forms.office.com/e/xsijBDBgrT

These events are free to attend, with lunch and refreshments provided. There is also the option for organisations to have a stall in the lunchtime marketplace.

If you require any further information, or have any questions on the conference, please do not hesitate to contact youth.work@dumgal.gov.uk or call 01387 260243.