Young people colour their community
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A COMMUNITY initiative empowering young people in the town is transforming Wick's riverside boating shed.
As townsfolk basked in the warm weather on Tuesday, a team of charity workers and local children were finishing the first stage of a mural depicting silhouettes of famous landmarks around the town.
Clair Nichols, chief officer with Youth Highland, said: "Young people have driven this completely. If young people are offered the opportunities, you'll get the best from them. If they feel marginalised or ignored then you don't get the best from them."
Youth Highland supports a network of voluntary organisations and groups to help young people to bring about positive change in their lives and communities using youth work methods and principles.
Clair is one of a team who have taken the ideas and opinions of local youngsters on board as part of this initiative to create a striking mural on the boating shed.
Benny Douglas is another integral part of the project and communicated the ideas formed from his Step Forward Wick Youth (SFWY) group, which has been running for six months at the high school.
He said: "Everything we do has come from the kids, whether it's an arts club or a drama. One of the things the kids wanted to do was a community arts project and they wrote to Highland Council saying what they wanted to do and get the permission."
The SFWY group was established to ensure young people have their voices heard and are included in decisions about the issues affecting them.
The project, funded by the Scottish Attainment Fund, seeks to ensure every young person can gain confidence, skills and new experiences by engaging with youth work learning programmes.
Over the summer there has been a focus on delivering a community project in partnership with Youth Highland and the Highland Voluntary Youth Network.
The community mural being worked on came about through discussions with children who were keen to improve the reputation of young people in the town.
They recognised there were opportunities to brighten up Wick and took the lead in planning and completing the community mural, Clair explained.
"Young people attended a public meeting last week and presented their ideas to the gala committee who are current tenants at the boating shed," she said. "The committee were unanimous in their decision to allow young people to carry out the project."
As the sun beat down on Tuesday, six youngsters took part in painting the base coat – a simple monochrome skyline with local landmarks and buildings in silhouette. Next week they will return to finish the project and will paint positive phrases on the wall using a graffiti style.
Rhiannon Elder, participation officer from Youth Highland, said: "The design seeks to show the heritage of Wick in the buildings and background, with the bright and modern detail and words symbolising the hopeful future which is the potential of young people."
Clair added that the project seeks to include more youngsters and volunteers to ensure that young voices continue to be "meaningfully included" in community projects in the town.
For more information check the group's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/youthhighland
Step Forward Wick Youth delivers regular after-school youth work activities and new opportunities for young people in Wick. Details can be found at www.facebook.com/Step-Forward-Wick-Youth-554541571729782
