Inaugural Rural Youth Action Network Gathering in Inverness

Between 28 February and 02 March, Scottish Rural Action and Youth Scotland co-hosted the inaugural Rural Youth Action Network (RYAN) Residential in Inverness.

The event, funded by Scottish Rural Network, was co-designed by a youth-led RYAN Residential Steering Group of 18 people, who determined together the key logistics, aims, format, themes, and desired outcomes of this event. Participants included over 60 young people aged between 16 - 30 years old and their allies, together representing at least 26 groups and organisations across rural and island Scotland.

The participants were joined by MSPs, guest speakers, local hosts, and experts from Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament while enjoying a packed programme of interactive group activities, workshops, presentations, discussions and study trips. The event sought to be a platform for new connections and networking, as well as: 

• Encourage action in furtherance of youth-led priorities and projects at individual, local, and collective levels.
• Empower young people to build relationships with decision-makers.
• Increase understanding of how young people can support Scotland’s policymaking process.

RYAN Youth Development Worker Joshua Juanatas (Youth Scotland) said:

“The residential aims were for groups to connect and get to know each other over the weekend. Much more to introduce who and what RYAN is. I must say that those aims were met. It was really great to see how everyone got along and were hands on with the sessions. In my point of view, the young people make RYAN and we are here as an amplifier for their voice to be heard.”

Mollie Saunders (Affric Highlands) said:

“The A in RYAN stands for “action”, where we follow through what we discuss with decision-makers. Taking action by yourself is challenging, it can be difficult on your mental health and wellbeing because it can feel isolating and frustrating when progress is slow. So this residential was an amazing opportunity for us young people to come together from across Scotland and bring in elements of fun, of peer support, of collaboration, and of resilience as we figure out our next actions together.”

Groups and organisations represented by the participants included the Young Islanders Network and the Youth Local Action Group (YLAG) network, as well as Connecting Young Carers, the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, the Climate Action Hubs, LGBT Youth Scotland, Affric Highlands, OPEN Shetland, and many more.

Participants also welcomed Jake MacCulloch MSYP as the keynote speaker, who further encouraged his young constituents and others in the room to continue pushing through barriers and connect together to create real change.

Robert Punton (Borders YLAG) said:

“During this weekend I got to know some other young people from all across Scotland. On Saturday we all went onto different study trips, my trip was a Health and Art Walk which was really nice. I had a good chat with a few members and team leaders who also attended the walk. When we got back to the hotel we got ready to introduce some MSP’s to our ideas and to do some work with them. I really enjoyed myself and I would definitely recommend it to others and of course I would love to go again.”

Other highlights from the weekend included a study trip to Knockfarrel Croft for a guided farm tour and workshop about supporting new entrants to farming and crofting, with Harris the very friendly dog stealing the show. Also highly anticipated was the in-person session with Cabinet Secretary of Rural Affairs, Land Reform, and Islands Mairi Gougeon MSP, to discuss follow-ups from her previous meeting with RYAN on 20 November 2024. 

Key projects discussed with Ms Gougeon included improving the community benefits received from local rural energy developments and from taxation to second homes, and improving the current policy consultation process to be less hostile and unapproachable for young people. 

Participants also valued the opportunity to speak with regional MSPs Ariane Burgess, Rhoda Grant, and Emma Roddick. Participants received expressions of support in pushing for new legislation to require employers to make reasonable adjustments to working patterns to allow young carers to enter stable employment, and in leading the development of peer-led harm reduction programmes in schools. Participants from different corners of Scotland also came together to research and suggest approaches for delivering new practical education courses in schools to introduce young people to rural industries and local career opportunities from an early age.

Wallace Currie (Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs) shared: 

“One of the most valuable aspects of the event was the engagement with policymakers. We had conversations with politicians, including Mairi Gougeon, who has been a strong advocate for SAYFC. These discussions reinforced the importance of creating direct lines of communication between rural youth and decision-makers. There is real opportunity here to collaborate, strengthen rural youth representation, and drive meaningful change.”

Another hot topic during the Residential was the participants’ request to the Scottish Government for long-term and ring-fenced funding towards youth-led initiatives across rural and island Scotland. Hannah Downey and Stephanie Ross, rural policy managers from the Scottish Government’s Rural Communities team, were on hand to record this request. They also offered to lead a deeply appreciated workshop explaining the rural policy co-production landscape, sharing valuable insight on where the current government’s priorities already aligned with the collective Ten Youth Priorities, which lie at the core of RYAN. 

The 10 Youth Priorities were developed during the 2023 Scottish Rural and Islands Youth Parliament and later presented by Ms Gougeon in a Meeting of the Scottish Parliament, where the Priorities received cross-party support. Participants during the Residential took the opportunity to revisit those collective Priorities, and identify potential actions, partnerships, and processes to take them forward. It was widely agreed that multilevel and cross-sectoral support was urgently needed to see progress in this regard. Many participants headed home with newfound inspiration on how to grow their own networks towards uplifting the rural youth voice.

RYAN Project Lead Mia Lalanne (Scottish Rural Action) said:

“During this weekend we sought to develop RYAN further as an interconnected network while also self-organising around priorities and projects to take forward with decision-makers’ support –– and hopefully while having some fun and making new friendships too, I know I did! I encourage anyone reading this to spread the word about RYAN to at least one new person, as many hands, voices, and allies will make light work of the significant tasks ahead of us. Together, as Mollie from our steering group said perfectly during our

RYAN Residential opening plenary, we are even greater than the sum of our parts.”

Want to get involved? For enquiries, suggestions, or questions about RYAN, please contact Mia at mia@sra.scot