Working with young people

Young people have it within them to be the change they want to see in the world. Working alongside young people, and their key adults, to support them on a journey of self-discovery is the core of what we do.

Our Young People’s Leadership Academies

Our Young People’s Leadership Academies (YPLAs) are held at our purpose-built Columba 1400 Community and International Leadership Centre in Staffin, Isle of Skye, as well as in community settings throughout Scotland.

What happens on a leadership academy?

Columba 1400 works alongside young people and key adults, in groups of up to 20 individuals over a period of around 6-9 months. We facilitate, elicit and catalyse a journey of individual and collective discovery. We call these Values-based Leadership Academies. They can broadly be described in terms of the following phases:

Phase One – Activation: unlocks awareness of self and others. It introduces values and how these underpin and shape who we are and what we do. The group begin to explore their own values.

Phase Two – Mobilisation: the immersive phase (residential or place-based in their own community) which draws out their strengths and values, all the time encouraging them to think about how they want to live and be in the future.

Phase Three – Sustainable Change: we support our participants back in their community as they continue their individual and collective journey to be the change they want to see, all underpinned by their confirmed personal values.

Our Young People’s Leadership Academies have made a huge difference to more than 16,000 young people and their key adults in Scotland. But we’d like to reach even more – you can help us by supporting our work. Find out more here or email us at: [email protected]