19 Jan 2009
The Secretary of State for Scotland told young Scots that it is 'an exciting time to be Glaswegian' as he visited an East End youth project this afternoon to share their experiences of growing up in Glasgow.
Jim Murphy visited the Youth Involvement Project in Easterhouse, run by Barnardo's, where he met project workers and young people living in local communities. The Youth Involvement Project offers individual support, mentoring and 'streetwork' sessions that aim to engage with hard-to-reach young people who may be at risk of becoming involved in anti-social behaviour or offending.
Jim Murphy said:
"This is a great project. It's a breath of fresh air to meet young people who are visibly benefiting from a project like this which offers both guidance and inspiration. We don't kid ourselves that there aren't problems and challenges facing young people as they grow up in our cities, but there is so much potential here and a well-run project like this can make a huge difference in unlocking some of that potential.
"I was born and brought up south of the Clyde rather than in the east end but I know how far Glasgow as a city has come in recent years. There is still a great deal to do but it's clear from projects like this that there is a real sense of optimism about the way forward and that now is an exciting time to be living in Glasgow. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will play a vital role in further revitalising this part of Scotland by encouraging investment, enhancing people's sense of pride in their neighbourhoods and maybe even inspiring some of these young people to get involved in sport as a result."
Earlier the Secretary of State met representatives from three of Scotland's leading anti-poverty organisations – Barnardo's Scotland, Save the Children Scotland and the Child Poverty Action Group Scotland – to hear their concerns and to provide an update on the UK Government's plans to tackle child poverty. The Queen's Speech included proposals for a Child Poverty Bill that will put a target for reducing child poverty into statute.
Jim Murphy added:
"In the 21st century Scottish children should not be living in poverty. There can be no doubt that tackling child poverty remains a problem that we face across the entire UK, and our Child Poverty Bill is both an acknowledgement of this and a bold measure which will enshrine in legislation our commitment to eradicating this blight on our communities.
"We'll be working closely with the Scottish Government to tackle this wherever it crosses over into devolved areas, but the first step is for us to publish a consultation on the Bill, which we'll be doing very shortly. Taken alongside other measures to such as action to enforce the national minimum wage; action to address fuel poverty; and a Welfare Reform Bill that offers a major step forward in rights for disabled people, it should be very clear that we won't take our eye off the ball when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable in Scottish society."
Notes to editors:
The Barnardo's Youth Involvement Project is a service that works with children, young people and families who are affected by a variety of "risk-related factors". Their work includes:
Contact:
Clark Dunn - 0131 244 9053/ 07917 084371
Nathaniel Mumford - 0207 270 6875/ 07771 938878
News Release: SS1466
Date: 19 Jan 2009