EAST AYRSHIRE HOPE HACKATON

On Monday, 12 June 2023, we hosted the East Ayrshire Hope Hack where over 100 young people from the local community came together at Ayrshire College in Kilmarnock to initiate positive change and articulate a vision for a brighter future for East Ayrshire and Scotland.

Plans for the Hackathon initially started in February, when a working group was formed which reached out to partners to involve young people from a diverse range of backgrounds between 14 and 24 years old. Third sector partners and schools, including Who Cares Scotland, Barnados, SL33, Yipworld and secondary schools from across the community, worked together to find aspirational young people to form a young person’s Hackathon team.

A Hackathon provides an opportunity for young people, who are experts in their own lives, to create a collaborative environment for solving problems, which they feel are key in today’s society. It was also an opportunity for East Ayrshire to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that children and young people felt empowered to participate in planning services. To help us achieve this, we recruited two wonderful young ambassadors, Jasmine and Ryan, to be our inspiring hosts for the day. Our young presenters compered the day in an inspirational way with the support of 14 facilitators who worked with young people in discussion groups to analyse a range of topics that directly impacted them. They included education, employability and skills, youth work and transformation, violence reduction, physical and mental wellness, housing and social mobility, and environmental issues.

Young people were encouraged to think big and to ask themselves questions about what they would do if they had a magic wand, what matters to them, their hopes for their community, as well as their fears.

The day was filled with enthusiasm, creativity, and motivation. Starting with breakfast rolls from the Scran Van, the inspirational conversation with John Loughton and a live DJ set from Robbie Tolson.

Following the success of the day, we will now turn our attention to building on the energy and enthusiasm shared by young people and bringing together a smaller group to harness the themes. Up to 14 young people will be invited to work alongside our key partner, Columba 1400, to explore the themes and focus on actions that young people feel are important to them. Thanks to the support of key partners, the Violence Reduction Unit, Hope Collective, East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, The Promise Team, Columba 1400, and Tigers UK, we look forward to sharing the journey of planning and involving young people in the East Ayrshire Hackathon to a wide range of key stakeholders.

We cannot wait to bring the vision for East Ayrshire held by young people to life. Communicating the importance of youth voice is as important as the actions we associate with it.