Ideas Hack
I was delighted when the Rural Youth Project contacted me to ask if I would join in their Ideas Hack in Huntly in March 2022. I had read a little about the Rural Youth Project on the publication of the Rural Youth Project Manifesto in October 2021 and I felt that this would be a great opportunity to learn more.
The RYP Manifesto for Scottish youth is a document that highlights the key issues facing young people in the rural areas and islands of Scotland. It concentrates its attention on nine key areas; enterprise, connectivity, housing, transport, rural learning, employment, community, society, representation and mental health. It is an extraordinarily powerful manifesto that has the aim to raise awareness of these key issues and their importance to young people by inspiring others and influencing decision makers.
Young people face huge challenges all over the country, but in rural areas these problems are magnified and exacerbated by things like depopulation, extremes of environment, and by diminished work opportunities. For the sake of our young people, and for the future of our communities it is vital that we have groups and documents like this working towards framing a better future for all.
The Rural Youth Project wants to amplify the voices of young people and to help them gain more agency in their communities. To that end they have created the Ideas Hacks. These are fully funded* weekends where young people (aged 18-30) can come together and hack out some ideas for the future. These are held right in the heart of our rural communities and, as well as bringing together young people, they also engage with other organisations (public, industry, arts etc) to create a lively and useful dialogue.
I was invited to chat to the Huntly Ideas Hack attendees, and I cooked lunch, and we all cooked supper together. I used as much local produce as I could, and we cooked a healthy vegan meal as we chatted. We chopped veg and cooked chilli and made a huge meal together, not stopping until the table was covered in dishes and everyone was clearly very ready to eat.
The Huntly Ideas Hack was based at the Greenmyres Eco Bothy and it was my first visit there. The Eco Bothy itself was the ideal place not just for the wonderful community space, but because the organisation, the building and the windfarm stimulated conversation about green energies and environmental responsibility. As Greenmyres is part of a 63 acre site owned by Huntly Development Trust (itself a community organisation with an environmentally responsible ethos) this generated a lot of talk about the future of communities and a new way of improving the lives of rural dwellers.
It was a very rewarding experience to be able to engage with the group and my head was buzzing with their enthusiasm. I have been an activist since my teens (over four decades ago!) and I must confess that I was a very angry youth and did not have much optimism for the future. On reflection I think a good part of that came from not being listened to, and from my opinion not being respected or heard. While I was chatting to the attendees of the Ideas Hack it occurred to me how well-formed and solid their ideas and arguments were and it was great that they were able to confidently express those ideas in this safe environment.
We have a great deal to learn from young people and this event left me feeling hopeful for the future.
Dawn McLachlan, author, activist, community cook
To find out more about the RYP Ideas Hacks, or to apply for the April Ideas Hack in Orkney, click here.
To find out more about Huntly Development Trust (including about the Greenmyres Eco Bothy), click here
*These are fully-funded weekends, kindly supported by Scottish Rural Network, Scottish Government and Jane Craigie Marketing,
