Growing Up in Orkney website launches soon - and you're invited

A new website tailored especially to young people in Orkney will launch on 7 March (at 1pm).

Put together with detailed input from young people, the ‘Growing Up in Orkney’ website is aimed at highlighting the local and national services which can help young folk enjoy a connected, happy and informed childhood.

The website is focussed on young people and tailored to different stages in their life - as children, teenagers and young adults.

There are also areas for parents, carers, and professionals to find out about the services available for young people and who to refer to if needed. There is also a chat function available.

Commissioned by the Orkney Children and Young People Partnership (OCYPP) but developed by a wider project team, the website brings together a wealth of information from local services, groups, voluntary organisations, and charities.

The OCYPP works to make sure Orkney is a place where service providers and the community work together so that, as children and young people grow up, they get the right help, at the right time, in the right way.

Young people have been heavily involved in the Growing Up in Orkney website from the start, with members of the Orkney Youth Forum giving feedback on the design and content throughout - but the project team wants to ensure that process continues.

Andy Tait is Chair of the Orkney Youth Forum and sits on the new website’s project team. He said: “The Orkney Youth Forum was contacted almost exactly a year ago to take part in the development of this website.

“As part of the project team we’ve worked closely with partners to identify and pull in all the sources of information.

“We know we won’t have captured everything though - so we welcome any feedback and are keen to hear from any organisations or groups that would like to be included.”

Jim Lyon is Interim Chief Social Work Officer, Head of Children, Families and Justice for Orkney Health and Care (OHAC). He is also Chair of the OCYPP and has had oversight of the website project team alongside representatives from NHS Orkney, OHAC, Orkney Islands Council, Orkney Youth Forum, Police Scotland and Voluntary Action Orkney (VAO).

He said: “Orkney is a close knit community, and there are many services and organisations working hard to help young people have a great experience growing up in Orkney.”

“The flip side to that is there’s no doubt that living in Orkney has its unique challenges – we have a dispersed rural population and some of the lowest average earnings in the UK, poor digital connectivity for many households, and we simply don’t have the level of public transport options and range of leisure facilities many on mainland Scotland enjoy. This can all lead to feelings of isolation and frustration for young people.”

“Our hope is that this website will be a living, growing, source of help, ideas and information for young people and their families.”

Andy says working on the website has benefitted his role on Youth Forum: “I now have a better understanding of the different people working for the good of young people, their remits and how they work with each other – I have a really solid feel for where to go with ideas and questions now.

Kaydence Drayak is Secretary and Treasurer of the Orkney Youth Forum and is also a member of the Growing Up In Orkney website project team. She’s also one of the Orkney’s current serving MSYPs – Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament.

She says working on the project has demonstrated the importance and benefits of being involved in the Forum: “We’ve had opportunities to learn new skills – from working with local organisations, to helping add content to websites, to planning projects and publicity. It’s all skills we can use as we work on the Forum’s priorities for this year, which is housing and the environment.”

Andy agrees, and urges any young person with an interest in the Orkney Youth Forum to get in touch via the Forum’s website: “The Forum is a great way to have some impact – there’s lots of diversity and different backgrounds among our members but we’re all interested in improving Orkney’s future for young people. And working on this website has shown there are many willing hands to help make that happen.”

Take a look at the new Growing Up in Orkney website now by visiting www.growingupinorkney.co.uk.

Register for the online launch via EventBrite.

To make suggestions for the website, email the website project team.