Youth work offers learning experiences that nurture learner engagement, improve social and emotional health and wellbeing, and enable skills development. Targeted programmes tackle literacy, numeracy and employability and create opportunities for young people to step up to leadership roles and make change happen in their schools and in their communities.

In 2023-24 a group of youth work practitioners and young people from a range of youth work settings across Scotland worked collaboratively to articulate the value and impact of a youth work approach to volunteering. We particularly focused on the volunteering experiences of young people affected by poverty, because research suggests they are traditionally less likely to access these opportunities .

The Youth Work Education Recovery Fund was established to enable the sector to engage young people in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities and support their educational, social and emotional recovery in the wake of the pandemic.

Projects were awarded funding across all of Scotland’s 32 local authorities and were designed to support effective partnership working between youth work organisations (statutory and third sector) and formal education. Many projects also included elements of outdoor learning and creative arts.

As a result of the fund:

• 82% of participating young people developed their skills
• 79% of participating young people experienced improved physical health and wellbeing
• 78% of participating young people overcame barriers to learning
• 61% of young people were more engaged in learning

Over 8,500 young people benefited from the Outdoor Education Recovery Fund, with 12,000 hours of outdoor learning experiences provided across Scotland. 

The fund was launched in 2021 by the Scottish Government to widen access to outdoor learning and offer vital support for Scotland’s education recovery. 

As a result of the fund:

• 87% of participating young people experienced improved physical health and wellbeing
• 83% of participating young people had a stronger sense of connection with, and appreciation of, nature and place
• 95% of participating young people developed their skills
• 83% of participating young people were more engaged in learning

YouthLink Scotland’s National Case Study evaluation encompassed examples of youth work from across Scotland, involving 3000 young people.

• 86% of young people improved their health and wellbeing
• 85% developed their skills
• 77% became more engaged in learning
• 72% took steps to overcome barriers to learning
• 65% improved their literacy and numeracy

YouthLink Scotland worked with the West Partnership Regional Improvement Collaborative in 2022 to facilitate a practitioner enquiry involving youth workers and formal educators from seven youth work and schools partnerships across the West region.  More on the enquiry can be found here.  Case studies focused on each participating youth work and school partnerships are below.

For more case studies, please visit our Resource Library.