Stirling Council – along with all other local authorities in Scotland – provide ‘Activity Agreements’ for young people who may not, without additional support, make a successful transition to work or further education.
These Activity Agreements support young people aged between 16 and 20 years old into learning, training or employment. It can help build the skills, confidence and self-esteem of young people to achieve their goals.
Each year a ‘Trusted Professional‘ Annual Conference is hosted to share good practice from across the country, and this year provided some great opportunities for Stirling Activity Agreement participant Sean Kennedy.
Prior to the event, Sean took part in a work taster at Youthlink offices in Edinburgh. On the day, he honed his customer service and communication skills by welcoming delegates to the event, handing out information packs, taking photographs and collating delegate’s comments using a roving mic.
Sean said: “I challenged myself to be involved in everything I was asked to do. I felt nervous answering the questions but did it. This is something I wouldn’t have been able to do before coming on an Activity Agreement. At first I was nervous about the volume of people but I could move freely taking photos without any attention focussed on me. Doing something that made me nervous at first and overcoming it made me feel like I am capable of challenging myself more in the future. I can use these skills again in other challenging situations’.
Stirling Council’s Education Convenor said: “One of Stirling Council's top properties is to ensure as many school leavers as possible go on to a positive destination. This scheme supports that objective and I wish all or school leavers every success."
Sean is now looking for more volunteering opportunities and hopes to gain employment soon. For further information on Activity Agreements, please contact Stirling Council on 01786 404040 (mobile) or 08452777000 (landline).