Including the voices of young people in the work of Waverley Care, Wave Highland and SX Scotland.
When we launched Wave in November 2017, we did so with a commitment to ensuring that young people had a voice in how sexual health education is designed and delivered in Highland.
We’ve been working to spread that ethos across the whole of Waverley Care, the charity that runs Wave and our colleagues at SX Scotland, to make sure that young people have a say in all of our work around HIV, hepatitis C and sexual health.
That has led to the establishment of the Waverley Care Young People’s Panel. Check out the sections below to find out more about the panel, its work, and how you can get involved.
About the Young People’s Panel
The Young People's Panel brings together a group of young volunteers from across Scotland, aged 16-25. Here you can meet the team...
Alice Murray – I’m Alice. I’m from East Lothian originally, but have spent the past five years living in Edinburgh. I recently graduated from Edinburgh University studying social anthropology. My passion for promoting positive sexual health grew when I began teaching sex education classes four years ago. I focused my dissertation on the failures of abstinence-based comprehensive sex education!
Catherine Kelly – I’m Catherine and I’m a student in Dundee. I enjoy playing sports and socialising with friends and am really looking forward to joining the Young People’s Panel!
Connor O’Neil
EJ Carroll – Hi there, my name is EJ, and I'm currently studying my HND in Legal Services. I’m very excited to be part of this project as it will give me an opportunity to share my own experiences as well as giving me a chance to learn from others!
Quentin Wallace – I’m a nonbinary man who’s very enthusiastic about affecting change when it comes to the way sexual health is taught and talked about in Scotland. I’m determined to help remove the stigma around taboo subjects as well as encourage more inclusive language. He/him pronouns please!
Rhona Gowans – Hey! I’m Rhona. I am from Galashiels in the Scottish Borders and currently live in Edinburgh while studying Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. I am incredibly passionate about the promotion of healthy, happy, and safe sexual and reproductive lives and I want to use my voice to advocate for a more sex-positive, inclusive society for everyone.
Seonaid More – I studied Psychology and Public Health at university and I chose to join the YP Panel as I have an interest in sexual health improvement and policy, and research experience investigating sexually transmitted infections and stigma in British young people.
The Young People's Panel provides a forum for our young volunteers to work together and highlight issues of importance to young people across Scotland.
The Panel have the opportunity to inform and influence our management team and board to ensure that the needs of young people are considered when we are planning our work. They will do this by:
- Developing and running campaigns to gather feedback and evidence from young people on issues important to them.
- Working with our Senior Management Team and board to ensure that the views of young people are reflected in our strategic planning.
- Working with our projects to ensure that young people’s voices are heard and represented across all areas of our work
- Working with partner agencies to represent young people across Scotland and influence policy and practice within sexual health and relationships.
The Young People's Panel is here to help engage with young people, and to give you a voice on issues around HIV, hepatitis C and sexual health.
If you have any questions, or ideas about what you'd like to see us doing, you can start the conversation by getting in touch.
We're always on the lookout for new people to join the Young People's Panel.
If you are aged 16-25, live in Scotland and are passionate about improving the health and wellbeing of young people, we'd love to hear from you.
Previous experience is not essential, and we may be able to offer mentoring and training to support you to develop your skills.
If you're interested in applying, or want to find out more about the Young People's Panel, check out our Recruitment Pack, or contact us on hello@wavehighland.com.
Across Scotland, there are lots of organisations, groups and businesses that young people come into contact with on a daily basis.
While lots of these services are aimed specifically at young people, many of them aren't. We are interested in building strong partnerships with organisations like this, to ensure that young people have a voice in how services are delivered.
If you are interested in finding out more about how we can work together, you can get in touch with us on hello@wavehighland.com.
If you have a specific project that you think the Young People's Panel could contribute to, please download, complete and return our Partner Enquiry Form.