Youth Actually is a Scotland wide network of young YMCA leaders who come together to influence the organisation and to take part in an advanced level of personal development. It is almost an "fast track for young leaders" across the organisation.
In every local YMCA youth workers are growing young leaders and there are loads of stories of vulnerable young people whose confidence has grown and whose potential has developed into active leadership.
As these young leaders aspire to mentor and support younger teenagers in their own community so they have an opportunity to aspire to even greater heights by joining Youth Actually.
Only one young leader from each YMCA can be signed up to Youth Actually although many YMCAs host youth events to feed ideas and information through their representatives.
As a member of Youth Actually you can access a number of exciting opportunities:
• Stand for election as a YMCA member of the Scottish Youth Parliament
• Represent young people from across YMCAs in Scotland as a member of the YMCA Scotland Executive Committee
• Travel all expenses paid as a member of YMCA Scotland delegations to the European Alliance ( 5 days in Czech Republic 2010) and the World Alliance (5 days in Hong Kong 2010)
• Act as lead person for your YMCA to channel young people's ideas to change the way YMCA works and to influence YMCA Scotland's future direction
• Be part of amazing Youth Actually residentials
• Access YMCA Scotland's International Learning Programme and choose to spend anything up to a year working with the YMCA in any one of 120 countries in the world
• Access a wide range of other exciting opportunities for young leaders that are offered to Youth Actually members
LATEST NEWS.......
M.A.P. (More Action Please) Global Youth Work Project supported by 
After our adventures at Lakeside YMCA the M.A.P project team are busy working away on the resource pack due at the end of the project about peer education- what is peer education, the benefits and challenges and how to put the Global angle into peer education providing practical ways to develop global youth work using a peer educative and youth leadership approach The resource toolkit will showcase the work they have done not just to other YMCAs in Scotland but to other youth work organisations.
The Youth Actually reps involved in the project have split themselves up into teams we have an editorial team and a creative team, with everyone having individual tasks to keep them going until the next residential including choosing a designer and inviting them along to the next residential -lots of fun was had making mood boards at the residential to give prospective designers an idea of the style and feel we are looking for and the young people are keen that they find a designer that is able to deliver this!
The M.A.P project have been out on the road again the latest stop was to help mark World AIDS Day, 6 peer educators demonstrated how they use games and information to teach other young people about HIV and AIDS, they did this as part of an evening of music and reflection partnering with Waverley Care, Edinburgh Inter faith Association, Firrhill High School Braidburn School and Colinton Parish Church.
Next stop Cumbernauld YMCA-YWCA.....watch this space
