Introduction

RASAC Perth & Kinross support women and young people (aged 12-18) who have experienced sexual violence at any time in their lives and are an organisation committed to challenging gender-based violence. They also run RASAC Youth Initiative, working with young people across Perth and Kinross delivering a series of prevention workshops in schools and community settings as well as deliver training to professionals.

We worked with the RASAC Youth Ambassadors, this group is open to any young person aged 14-18 who wants to make a difference. The Ambassadors meet regularly, help campaigning, are involved in awareness raising and generally use their individual talents to support RASAC. Through the project they were involved in Placemaking activities in Auchterarder.

Over 2022 we developed work with the RASAC Youth Ambassadors to look at safety in greenspaces and other areas. Young people attended a placemaking session in the Summer where we looked at safety and facilities in local greenspaces. Some of this session had been informed by work with Make Space for Girls who campaign for facilities and public spaces for teenage girls. Our group used some of this research to look at local greenspaces in Auchterarder and began to formulate ideas based on gender neutral facilities for young people to meet outdoors such as seating areas.     

Young Placechangers project in a nutshell

Meetings after the initial placemaking day focused on developing their place changing idea. The young people thought it would be a good idea to host an event to bring the wider community together so that they could share their ideas about installing a gender-neutral meeting space in their local greenspace to help them gain support from the community and key stakeholders. They also discussed some intergenerational focus where they would invite members of the community to share their memories of what it was like growing up in Auchterarder over the years.  We held several regular meetings with the Youth Ambassadors to develop a plan for Auchterarder – and the community event working alongside of two RASAC staff supporting the group.

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More Young Placechangers case studies

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greenspace scotland engages and empowers young people through the Young Placechangers programme.

Young Placechangers puts young people in the lead role – bringing together the wider community to look at local spaces and plan improvements. The Young Placechangers programme has used a co-production approach to develop and pilot a training and support programme enabling young people to transform both the place they live, their relationship to it and the wider community.

Young Placechangers