Young voices bring the Glenkens to life
The Glenkens Community and Arts Trust (GCAT) is proud to showcase the breadth and talent of young people living and working in the Glenkens through a new project, Our Glenkens.
Hannah McQuaker, one of the featured young people making their life in the Glenkens, at work at her business H. McQuaker Landscaping.
The project features ten young people, each sharing their personal connection to the area and what life in the Glenkens means to them. Their stories mark the first step in an ongoing initiative to celebrate rural work, life and community in this active and beautiful part of the world.
Our Glenkens is part of GCAT’s broader work delivering the Glenkens Community Action Plan. It responds directly to the pressing issue of rural depopulation by showcasing the contribution young adults are making across the Glenkens. Drawing inspiration and support from CoDeL and their successful Uist Beò project in Uist, in the Western Isles, the aim is to shift the narrative away from decline and towards opportunity – showing that young people can and do thrive in rural places.
Helen Keron, GCAT Chief Executive, said:
“It’s been so great to be able to bring this fantastic project to life. Thanks very much to SOSE for the support that’s made it possible. We’ve worked with a great team of people from Uist Beò and across the Glenkens to showcase some amazing young people who are making their lives here. I’ve so enjoyed seeing their stories unfold, and we hope that other people do too – and maybe even feel inspired to make Our Glenkens Their Glenkens!”
Uist Beò, now in its fourth year, shares authentic stories of island life and reaches tens of thousands of people each month. It has contributed to more young people choosing to move or return to Uist than other Scottish islands. Our Glenkens follows in these footsteps by extending the Glenkens Hub website and launching new social media platforms that celebrate the rewards of rural living for all ages.
This first phase of the project has been supported by the South of Scotland Enterprise, aligning with their ambition to drive inclusive growth throughout the region. This funding enabled the creation of engaging new content and a dedicated web page featuring young working people from the Glenkens - resources that will also feed into wider regional research on effective strategies to combat depopulation.
Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of SOSE, said:
“It is vital we allow young people who want to stay and work in the South of Scotland to do so, rather than moving elsewhere. That is why this project by the Glenkens Community and Arts Trust is so important, letting us hear first-hand what young people think the opportunities are of living in a rural area such as Glenkens.”
You can explore the stories and meet the young people of Our Glenkens at https://glenkens.scot/our-glenkens.
Follow the journey on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (@OurGlenkens), launching on 23rd May.
There will also be a launch event at the CatStrand in New Galloway on the 23rd May at 7pm, where the videos will be shown for the first time. Come along for a free drink and nibbles and find out more about this exciting project.
Come and be inspired by the voices of the future of the Glenkens.