Youth Guarantee - No-one Left Behind: initial report

Why Is This Important to Me?

Throughout my career I have been deeply passionate about giving everyone a chance in life, an opportunity to fulfil their potential as an individual, regardless of their background. I simply believe everyone should have the same opportunities in life. I have been incredibly fortunate in my life and career to have been given opportunities and met some incredible role models whether they be school- teachers, my Boys Brigade officers, in my corporate career and through my charity work. I was brought up in a working class family environment on a run-down council estate in Musselburgh and really should not achieved what I have, the statistics were stacked against me but I was lucky to meet people who believed in me and gave me opportunities.

In many ways that captures why I believe a Young Person Guarantee is so important for our young people in Scotland. No one should have their future and opportunities dictated by the post code they are born in. Young people are the future of Scotland, they are an asset to this country and now more than ever, we need to ensure they are given every opportunity to fulfil their undoubted potential in life. Our young people can help Scotland recover from the impact of Covid if we just give them the same chance as I was given all those years ago.

So that is why I did not hesitate in accepting this challenge, an opportunity to shape a Young Person Guarantee for Scotland.