John Swinney to host THIRD summit on youth violence epidemic in Scotland
The move comes amid the Record's applauded youth violence campaign, Our Kids ... Our Future - launched two years ago after we highlighted a worrying trend.
John Swinney is to host a third summit on an epidemic of youth violence in Scotland.
The First Minister has announced that the latest event will take place on Thursday, June 12. It will include the Justice and Education secretaries, Ministers for Children and for Victims and Community Safety, cross-party MSPs, youth workers and community programmes.
The move comes amid the Record's applauded youth violence campaign, Our Kids ... Our Future, which was launched two years ago after we highlighted a worrying trend of violence among teens. As part of the campaign, we have demanded the Scottish Government to invest in young people and in initiatives to prevent violence.
Since its launch, we have reported on the untimely deaths of Kayden Moy, 16, Amen Teklay, 15, and Kayden Moy, 16.
Three teenage boys, aged 14, 15, and 16 years old have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen, an Eritrean refugee, in Glasgow on March 5.
In recent weeks, three teenage boys – a pair aged 17, and a 14-year-old – have appeared in court charged with the murder of Kayden, who was allegedly attacked on Irvine Beach, North Ayrshire, on May 17 and died in hospital.
And just last month, a 14-year-old boy was sentenced to five years detention after admitting culpable homicide following the death of Kory at Glasgow's Greenfield Park on May 31 last year.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'Scotland remains a safe place to live.
'But more needs to be done to change the attitudes and behaviours of some who are at risk of violence, or young people considering carrying a weapon.
'There is no place for violence in Scotland and anyone who commits a crime will face the consequences.
'Our work remains focused on ensuring our prevention and punishment measures respond to the changing behaviours of young people. This includes ensuring good school and community engagement with young people, appropriate police powers and tackling the root causes of violence.
'At this meeting we want to hear the views of the youth work and third sector representatives on what more, or different, can be done, within the current financial climate, to help address this issue.
'The role of youth work and grassroots community intervention is key.
'We all must work together to help young people feel safe and realise that carrying a knife is never the answer.'
Two previous summits have been held on the topic in recent months, however, the events were later slammed as "nothing but talking shops" by campaigners.
A monumental sit-down was secured with Swinney after 15-year-old Kaylynn Donald and her mum, Vicky, from Ladybank in Fife, wrote a letter to him following Kory's death last year.
Kaylynn, who was battered on a bus on her way home from school in October 2022, demanded the First Minister to act urgently to prevent further tragedies.
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In the letter, Vicky, 38, wrote: "How many more children have to die?
"Kayden Moy's death is not a tragedy - it's a failure."
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Daily Record
4 hours ago
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John Swinney to host THIRD summit on youth violence epidemic in Scotland
The move comes amid the Record's applauded youth violence campaign, Our Kids ... Our Future - launched two years ago after we highlighted a worrying trend. John Swinney is to host a third summit on an epidemic of youth violence in Scotland. The First Minister has announced that the latest event will take place on Thursday, June 12. It will include the Justice and Education secretaries, Ministers for Children and for Victims and Community Safety, cross-party MSPs, youth workers and community programmes. The move comes amid the Record's applauded youth violence campaign, Our Kids ... Our Future, which was launched two years ago after we highlighted a worrying trend of violence among teens. As part of the campaign, we have demanded the Scottish Government to invest in young people and in initiatives to prevent violence. Since its launch, we have reported on the untimely deaths of Kayden Moy, 16, Amen Teklay, 15, and Kayden Moy, 16. Three teenage boys, aged 14, 15, and 16 years old have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Amen, an Eritrean refugee, in Glasgow on March 5. In recent weeks, three teenage boys – a pair aged 17, and a 14-year-old – have appeared in court charged with the murder of Kayden, who was allegedly attacked on Irvine Beach, North Ayrshire, on May 17 and died in hospital. And just last month, a 14-year-old boy was sentenced to five years detention after admitting culpable homicide following the death of Kory at Glasgow's Greenfield Park on May 31 last year. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'Scotland remains a safe place to live. 'But more needs to be done to change the attitudes and behaviours of some who are at risk of violence, or young people considering carrying a weapon. 'There is no place for violence in Scotland and anyone who commits a crime will face the consequences. 'Our work remains focused on ensuring our prevention and punishment measures respond to the changing behaviours of young people. This includes ensuring good school and community engagement with young people, appropriate police powers and tackling the root causes of violence. 'At this meeting we want to hear the views of the youth work and third sector representatives on what more, or different, can be done, within the current financial climate, to help address this issue. 'The role of youth work and grassroots community intervention is key. 'We all must work together to help young people feel safe and realise that carrying a knife is never the answer.' Two previous summits have been held on the topic in recent months, however, the events were later slammed as "nothing but talking shops" by campaigners. A monumental sit-down was secured with Swinney after 15-year-old Kaylynn Donald and her mum, Vicky, from Ladybank in Fife, wrote a letter to him following Kory's death last year. Kaylynn, who was battered on a bus on her way home from school in October 2022, demanded the First Minister to act urgently to prevent further tragedies. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. In the letter, Vicky, 38, wrote: "How many more children have to die? "Kayden Moy's death is not a tragedy - it's a failure."
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