Our Development Manager Sarah, reflects on Together’s recent trip to Shetland to get involved with children’s rights discussions. 

We were delighted to be invited to Shetland recently to be a part of a series of events about children’s rights.  The event was hosted by Shetland Islands Council Youth & Employability Service, getting ready for the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024.

It was a whirlwind visit with lots of exciting discussions, connections and ideas for how we can keep learning from and supporting each other.  

On our first day there, Maria, our Legal and Policy Manager, and myself attended the Meids Group, formerly known as the Corporate Parenting Group. The word ‘meid’ is an old Shetland dialect term to do with wayfinding, with meids being landmarks used to help boats establish their position at sea. The Meids Group is inspired by this, changing their name from Corporate Parents to Meids, with their role being to support children and young people to explore where they want to go, and helps them to steer their way safely. 

The Group is made up of professionals from lots of different spaces, from housing to education, as well as Care Experienced young people, and is co-chaired by a young person. It was great to hear about some of the work they have done as a group, such as creating ‘welcome home’ boxes which complement the essential items by adding thoughtful touches to help decorate a new place to make it feel more like home. 

Maria spoke to the group about our upcoming State of Children’s Rights Report,  click here you will be able to view previous reports, and the ways children and young people can share their experiences and stories through words, photography, artwork or any other expression and we are looking forward to hearing more stories! 

We then went to the town hall event where we had a stall to chat to people about Together and how they could get involved in our work. Some of our members – the Scottish Youth Parliament, Children’s Parliament and Children in Scotland were also setting out their stalls, as well as our friends at the Improvement Service. The Children and Young People’s Commissioner, Nicola Killean also gave a keynote speech through video conference having experienced first-hand the ways the weather can change plans after flight cancellations. This gave us insight into how people in Shetland were accustomed to adapting and how important transport can be. 

The following day, I was delighted to be delivering a joint workshop with the Improvement Service where we explored children’s rights and what is happening in Scotland, as well as having discussions about what UNCRC incorporation means, for the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, for people in their roles. We had a fantastic time with really interesting discussions and reflections, and lots of ideas for moving forwards. 

Thank you so much to the fabulous Shetland team for having us, we hope to visit again soon! 

Read Hannah, Enquire’s Senior Advice and Information Officer, insight about the trip including acknowledging the unique challenges faced by our rural communities. Click here to view the article.

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