A rose by any other name…
A name may be just a name but words matter. What we call ourselves reflects how we think about ourselves, how we communicate to others, where we focus energy and how we are held to account. It’s my pleasure to announce that CYCJ’s name is changing and we are becoming the Children and Young People’s […]
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Music matters
“Music can give young people a way to open up”. With the recent ‘Ban Drill’ debate linking drill music to violence and crime, Amy blogs about the importance of this music to young people – and why we should listen (both to what the music and the young person is telling us). Drill music often […]
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Good deeds from the Good Shepherd Centre
“It was nice to feel you have done something for someone who’s struggling at the moment and to make someone’s day.” It’s been inspiring to hear about what children and young people are doing to help others during COVID-19 – and none more so than William, Shannon and Alicia at the Good Shepherd Centre, who’ve […]
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You’re never too young to receive support
Although young people are less at risk when it comes to substance misuse related deaths, those who are struggling and seeking recovery still deserve our attention, support and compassion. Claire* shares her experiences of alcohol abuse from a young age, and why receiving support at an earlier stage might have avoided years of pain and […]
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January feels like another world…
Claire Lightowler, CYCJ’s Director and author of ‘Rights Respecting? Scotland’s approach to children in conflict with the law’, reflects on the challenges of maintaining a long-term vision during the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic – and why she’s more determined than ever to keep children’s rights at the forefront of the youth justice agenda… […]
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The spirit of the Youth Justice Conference
When I first took this job at CYCJ, I learnt that one of my duties would be the organisation of something called the National Youth Justice Conference, held jointly with the National Youth Justice Advisory Group (NYJAG) and the Scottish Government. Despite knowing precisely nothing about youth justice, I figured ‘how hard can it be?’ […]
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A space to be heard
What happens when a global pandemic gets in the way of youth participation work? Kevin Lafferty, participation consultant at Staf, talks us through the work he has been involved in with Staf and CYCJ’s Youth Justice Voices project during lockdown. Just as our Artivism project was about to end and our steering group Youth Just […]
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Keeping The Promise
In February 2020, Scotland’s Independent Care Review shared its findings. At its heart was The Promise, a commitment towards building the care system on a foundation of stable, nurturing and loving relationships. In the first of a four part blog series, CYCJ’s Ross Gibson considers what must happen next to ensure The Promise becomes a […]
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Home sweet home?
Can you imagine having the place you call home pulled away from you without any notice? That’s often been the experience of young people involved in the justice systems, many of whom have lived in multiple places during childhood. In this blog, Charlie McKenzie-Nash explores their feelings around home, and how this brought them into […]
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