£2m line-up of events for Scotland's Year of Young People

A year-long celebration of Scotland's young people will see them help design and plan the opening of Dundee's V&A Museum, stage a take-over of the Georgian house that inspired JM Barrie to write Peter Pan and enter a 'school of stand-up at Glasgow's annual comedy festival.

One of the signature events of the Year of Young People will be the opening of Dundee's V&A Museum.

A special “after-hours” experience around Edinburgh Castle, a “science in the park” event in the shadow of The Kelpies in Falkirk, and a dedicated showcase at the Tiree Music Festival programmed entirely by young people were all unveiled today.

A £2 million programme has been developed to mark the Year of Young People, which has been instigated by the Scottish Government to put 8-26 year-olds centre stage throughout 2018.

A team of young ambassadors has joined forces with national events agency EventScotland and nearly 40 festival and event organisers to create the line-up.

The 12-month programme, which will get underway on 30 December with a spectacular curtain-raiser for Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations will see young people join forces with the National Theatre of Scotland to create a country-wide festival.

The opening of Dundee's V&A will see a team of people aged 16-24 from across Dundee will help mastermind "a celebration of design creativity" both inside and outside the museum, including on the city's waterfront park, Slessor Gardens.

Moat Brae in Dumfries, the mansion house where JM Barrie lived as a child, will the centrepiece venue for a three-day celebration of the building’s planned reopening next year.

Knight at the Castle will see Edinburgh’s most celebrated landmark host a special event created by and for young adults, featuring live performers, themed food and drink, and hands-on activities.

The Edinburgh International Film Festival will launch a search for a filmmaking star of the future at next year’s event, while the Edinburgh International Book Festival will have a programme of events, including Q&As, interviews, debates and workshops, created by young people.

The Royal National Mod in Dunoon, Glasgow Comic Con, Taste of Grampian, the Orkney International Science Festival and the Findhorn Bay Arts Festival are among the other events receiving funding to stage special initiatives.

Paul Bush, chief operating officer at EventScotland, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Scotland’s Year of Young People with a year-long programme of events that will celebrate our amazing young talent and provide opportunities for young people to express themselves through culture, sport and a range of other activities.

“Working with the events and festivals industry in Scotland, 2018 provides us with a special opportunity to showcase both our rich annual events programme and a host of brand new events which will bring the themes of the year alive.

“The programme, which is entirely co-designed with young people, will further reinforce Scotland’s position as the perfect stage for events, putting young people in the driving seat and giving them a wonderful opportunity to show the world what they are made of.”

The Year of Young People is being delivered in partnership between the Scottish Government, EventScotland, Young Scot, Children in Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament, YouthLinkScotland and Creative Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who launched the Year of Young People programme in Dumfries today, said: “The Year of Young People will give young people a new platform and new opportunities for their voices to be heard in all parts of our society and hopefully help to foster a better understanding, co-operation and respect between generations.

“The talents of our young people span the length and breadth of the country – evident in the great programme they have helped to put together. I want to thank all of the partners involved in supporting this initiative, who have helped to put together what I am sure will be a wonderful celebration of young people in 2018.”

Louise Macdonald, chief executive of Young Scot, added: “The events programme for the Year of Young People 2018 is looking phenomenal.

“Thanks to the support of EventScotland and all the young people involved in deciding the programme, it’s clear it’s been created with young people at its heart.

“There are so many different opportunities in 2018, right across the country, to celebrate young people, develop their interests, put power into their hands and bring different generations together."