“Hurt people hurt people – but…”
The phrase ‘hurt people, hurt people’ is one we are familiar with – but, asks EGG’s newest member Iain Corbett, is this too simplistic a way of looking at a complex issue? I recently posted a poem on Twitter called “hurt people, hurt people, but…” and I received a few messages about it, each of […]
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How Venture Trust is helping young people achieve their potential
Venture Trust have been making a big difference to young people in conflict with the law – or at risk of being so – through its person-centred criminal justice programmes. Mike Strang, Venture Trust’s Chief Operating Officer reflects back on what has worked, and why it’s helping change lives. “I used to think that people […]
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This is about all of us, not some of us
As participation further embeds itself into practice, organisations are reflecting on their responsibility to compensate people with lived experience for their time and effort. In this blog, Shumela Ahmed (Resilience Learning Partnership) does just that and calls on others to engage in a conversation about how we value the expertise and labour of those with […]
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Change is in the air…
“There’s something in the air…but we’ve got to keep going.” The words of defence lawyer Iain Smith could not have been more appropriate for this year’s rights-themed National Youth Justice Conference, at which he was a speaker. Charlotte Morris looks back at an event that saw delegates and speakers unite in a powerful desire for […]
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Youth work and the future: an interview with G20
Earlier this year Street Cones teamed up with the G20 Youth Festival based in Maryhill, Glasgow to create a documentary about their work. At CYCJ, we were so impressed with the documentary and the interviews that followed that we knew we had to hear more. We spoke with a member of the G20 about the […]
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‘Walking the walk’ – Participation and Engagement at CYCJ
Change is happening in Scotland’s care and justice systems – and increasingly, this is being driven by children and young people. As CYCJ publishes its first Participation and Engagement Strategy, Ross Gibson explains why we decided to ‘cede power to those who knows what works’ and encourages others to do the same. Over the past […]
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The reality of addiction
Studies over the years have shown the link between drug addiction and criminal behaviour. In this guest blog for CYCJ about heroin addiction, Amc speaks frankly about peer pressure and the impact addiction had on his relationships – and why jail wasn’t the answer. By the time l was 18 years old l had tried […]
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Speaking from the heart
As she prepares to leave her role as director of CYCJ, Claire Lightowler shares why she’ll never stop fighting for the rights of every child and young person in this candid and powerful blog. Dear friends and colleagues This has to be the hardest thing I’ve written because it means acknowledging that I really am […]
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From little acorns…
In this exclusive guest blog for CYCJ, Fiona Duncan (Chair of The Promise Scotland) reflects on Scotland’s care review journey so far, the thousands of voices that shaped this and the change that is happening to make sure The Promise to our care community is kept. “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, […]
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