Lochgilphead’s future is in the youth of today
YOUNG people from Mid Argyll Youth Forum have come together to showcase their ideas for the future of Lochgilphead.
The discussion took place at a pop-up exhibition at the town’s community centre.
The young people participated in the ‘Footsteps of Geddes’ project delivered by Planning Association Scotland (PAS) and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The project involved a two-day workshop during the summer last year about how they would like Lochgilphead to look in the future.
In the ‘Footsteps of Geddes’ is a project that encourages and equips young people with the tools, resources and capacity to celebrate the heritage of their local area.
The inspiration is taken from the work of the Scottish thinker and town planner Patrick Geddes.
Speaking about the exhibition, PAS chief executive Petra Biberbach said: ‘The young people in the Mid-Argyll Youth Forum have demonstrated how digital technology can empower local people to help creatively shape great places, and their work throughout this project can be a source of inspiration for the wider community.
‘At PAS, we believe it is especially important that our young people are engaged in the places in which they live and work.
‘As the future generation, they have a fundamental right to shape the environment in which they live their lives.
‘We want to congratulate the young people from Mid-Argyll Youth Forum on their work on the future of Lochgilphead.’
The exhibition included a mixture of photos, panoramas, 3D models and handmade posters, and a Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer which showed the project’s field trip to Arichonan clearance village.
Alongside members of the Mid Argyll Youth Forum, planners, councillors, PAS volunteers and the public also attended.
Raymond Flanagan, co-ordinator of Mid Argyll Youth Forum, said: ‘The Footsteps of Geddes project went a long way to inspire digital creativity in young people who would not have had the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful and innovative project. Through a series of workshops delivered by PAS the young people were able to express themselves succinctly both in nonverbal actions and through the imagery of text and drawings.
‘Through attending this project, five of the young people have attained their Youth Achievement Award Bronze Certificate at National 4 level and three young people have achieved their Silver Youth Achievement Award at National 5 level.’