Isles youngsters to head to Australia for Global Classroom conference

A group of young people from Shetland will represent Scotland at the 2017 Global Classroom conference in Australia, thanks to Commonwealth Games 2014 Legacy funding.

Six young people aged between 17 and 20 will travel to Canberra at the end of March, where this year’s conference theme is “Wellbeing and Education”.

The six are Sarah Maguire from Hillswick, Louise Nicholson, Holly King and Stewart Hornal, all from Lerwick, and Ceileidh Mercer and Luke Smith from Bigton.

The Shetland participants will prepare presentations on the subject of physical and mental health in Shetland and Scotland, and learn more about approaches taken elsewhere.

With Australia hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, it is also hoped that the group will be able to find out more about preparations for next year’s event.

On return from the conference the group will report their findings to the Scottish government and share their stories with other young people, with support from Young Scot, the national youth information and citizenship charity.

Shetland Islands Council convener Malcolm Bell said it was a wonderful opportunity for young people to represent not just Shetland but Scotland at the conference.

Mr Bell said: “The Global Classroom provides valuable life experiences to help young people learn more about different communities and cultural viewpoints.

“I am particularly pleased that this trip has been made possible by the Commonwealth Games 2014 Legacy fund, demonstrating the lasting impact that Glasgow 2014 has had across Scotland.”