Commenting after a study for Action for Children Scotland found that one in five young Scots believe they have little chance of making a success of their lives, Liz Smith MSP, Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Skills, said:
"This is a disturbing report because it reflects the fact that one in five of youngsters in Scotland feel they have little chance of making a success of their lives.
"Action for Children is absolutely correct to say that we need to do much more to provide more positive opportunities for young people to realise their potential."
The Scottish Conservatives believe there are many ways we can address this issue but three of the most important are as follows:
- Spread the first class expertise of the many voluntary and private sector groups who do such outstanding work to re-engage these young people. Too often these groups are not fully recognised for the work they do or, in a few cases, schools are unaware of the support services they provide.
- Provide more opportunities for all pupils, whatever their background, to participate in fully funded extra-curricular activities which allow them to learn new skills and develop confidence and self-esteem. That is why the Scottish Conservatives are committed to a policy of delivering one full week of residential outdoor education for all pupils at least once between the ages of 12 and 15.
- Ensure there are proper investment incentives for charitable trusts and philanthropists to assist with the funding of these projects. The severe tax burdens imposed by Labour, including those which have come about because of the replacement of advanced corporation tax with new taxes on the income revenue of charitable trusts have been very damaging.
Liz added, "The bottom line is that they have far fewer funds to be able to give away to or invest in good causes and therefore this is putting considerable financial pressure on the many groups who are best placed to address this problem."