Scotland 2005:
A Celtic Celebration
As 2005 was the international year of the volunteer, it was fitting that the 3rd WYC held in Stirling, Scotland received a huge number of applications:
- The WYC received 4000 applications from 150+ countries for the 600 delegate positions available.
This fact led Euan Robson, the then Deputy Education and Young People Minister, to comment that “one of the great early successes of this congress has been its global reach”.
Alongside the WYC itself, ran the congress’s sibling, Change ’05 campaign, which encouraged young Scottish people to undertake 5 simple actions that could make a difference.
Engagement with the community continued during the WYC, delegates worked on 40 practical action projects, throughout Scotland, ranging in focus from community regeneration to at-risk youth groups.
Scotland’s culture was to be seen everywhere during the WYC. The delegates were divided into groups along ancient clan lines and ceilidhs, powered by drummers from Burundi, offered a twist on a quintessentially Scottish experience.
Within the main “Young People Working for a Sustainable World Community” theme, 6 sub-themes were identified:
- Sustainability
- Poverty
- Education
- Equality
- Community
- Health
These themes formed the framework within which the congress was conducted, essentially providing a lens, through which the young people could analyse their world. This approach ultimately produced the handbook “Nothing for us Without us” that focused on youth-led development.