Rapper and best-selling author Darren McGarvey (aka Loki) is among those who will tell GWSF’s Regeneration Conference in Glasgow today about their experiences of growing up in Scotland.

The Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) Regeneration Conference has been organised to coincide with, and celebrate, Scotland’s Year of Young People.

It will discuss the challenges young people face and also highlight the many innovative projects they are involved in, often through community based housing associations.

Around 120 delegates at Cadder Community Centre will hear from a number of young people about the community work they carry out as both employees of, and volunteers with, local housing associations. They will also outline the many creative projects they are involved with.

Keynote speaker Ashley Duffy, Young Scot volunteer and housing trainee at Fife Council, said: “In the 2018 Year of Young People, it’s fantastic to see GWSF and its members firmly placing young people at the centre of their work.

“Many local housing associations are champions of young people as service users, change agents and active citizens of society and empower us with a stronger voice on local community issues.”

GWSF chair Helen Moore added: “It’s probably fair to say that some housing associations haven’t had a long history of working with younger people, but this conference shows that things have been changing more recently.

“The more we can engage with younger people, the greater our chances of providing responsive services, and we can also hope that, in some cases, it’ll lead to younger people being willing to be involved in governance. Traditionally our members haven’t found it easy to get younger people on to management committees and we know we have to approach this in innovative ways.

“Crucially, it’s also about giving young people in our communities opportunities to show off their talents and help them reach their full potential – whether that’s via training, employment, or creative pathways.”