Inside Out - Staf/CYCJ: Youth Justice Voices and Barnardo's Scotland: Outside In HMP&YOI Polmont

Inside Out "Keeps young people in the loop. Gives them a voice and makes them feel listened to." They volunteer their time because they want to ensure that children who come into contact with the care and justice systems do not have the same negative experiences they’ve had; demonstrating creativity, humility and a real desire for change. They have created essential guidance and have expressed themselves with activities, poetry and lyrics which they shared in their newsletter to help peers through the isolation of lockdown. This award would be a massive boost for the group, recognising their hard work.

Inside Out is a youth-led steering group for care-experienced boys and young men in HMPYOI Polmont and is part of Staf and CYCJ’s Youth Justice Voices project. Through pro-social and creative participation activities the boys “speak out" to improve the care and justice systems. With YJV’s and Barnardo’s support they created a national newsletter for the entire population of Polmont to beat boredom and isolation; they have worked collaboratively with the Children’s Commissioner to create Know Your Rights in Custody and are creating guidance and resources, based on their own experiences which will help young people entering custody.