Youngsters hail reward scheme as it marks milestone
Young Scot Rewards has reached a landmark 100,000 users in its fourth year.
And youngsters from East Renfrewshire have been reaping the benefits.
They are among the 11 to 26-year-olds in communities across Scotland who are accessing the pioneering digital programme through their Young Scot National Entitlement Card.
They are rewarded with points for making choices that have a positive impact on themselves, their communities or the environment.
Activities which earn points can range from volunteering, being more active, learning a new skill, such as CPR, and sharing their opinions or voting on important issues.
Since the programme launched, young people have completed more than 200,000 activities and earned over 49 million points.
Michael Inglis, 12, said:“I really like Young Scot Rewards because of the variety of opportunities.
“I especially like the Connect Your Tech service because you can push yourself and reach an exercise goal. You can receive points by connecting to a fitness service, like Strava and Fitbit.
“I applied to receive a Raspberry Pi because it could help me with my programming skills and inspire other people like my friends and classmates.
“I have been attending a weekly coding, club which has improved my technical skills and increased my confidence.”
Rewards user Michelle Latter, 22, added: “I love Young Scot Rewards because it allows me to find out about so many different things, while earning points that I can trade in for amazing prizes.
“While some tasks are quicker to complete as they can be carried out online, others involve visiting tourist attractions, such as heritage sites, which has proven useful when planning days out with family and friends. I find it particularly rewarding when I can exchange my reward points for donations to charities.”
Rachel McGhee, 16, is a great fan of Young Scot Rewards as she says it gives her so many opportunities.
“I did an abseil for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland through the rewards programme and I would urge others to sign up as it gives you great opportunities that are great fun,”she explained.
Organisations interested in becoming Young Scot Rewards partners can get more information at youngscot.net/rewards
To sign up or access the Young Scot Rewards platform, young people should visit the young.scot website.