Young people
Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to alcohol harm and alcohol marketing. Alcohol Focus Scotland works with children and young people to ensure that youth voices are heard in alcohol policy formation in Scotland and internationally.
On this page, you can find out how as a young person, you can support our work at AFS. There is also information on how youth workers, youth groups and schools can get involved too.
For young people
Youth Philanthropy Initative
Want to help Scotland deal with the problems caused by alcohol? Choose AFS as your charity for your YPI project. Your support and the £3000 investment could go a long way to help us make a difference in Scotland.
Download our YPI information leaflet to learn more about AFS, why you should choose us, and how we could use the investment.
If you’d like to chat with us about your YPI project or need to get in touch for an interview, send an email to involvement@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk.
Thank you to all the young people who have chosen us so far!
Become a youth advocate
What young people think about alcohol, our work, and Scotland’s future is extremely important to us at AFS. Often, we have opportunities for young people to share their views with us, speak at events, or advocate on behalf of other young people on reducing alcohol harms.
If you would like to speak to us about becoming a youth advocate, contact us at involvement@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk.
For youth groups, youth workers and schools
Workshops and sessions
Our involvement team can deliver workshops for schools and youth groups, tailored to inform and engage children and young people on alcohol-related topics, and free from the influence of the alcohol industry. We can:
- Work with a range of age groups, from primary to secondary.
- We can tailor sessions and workshops to your needs.
- Explain and discuss policies, the impact of alcohol, and what we can do to create change with your group or class to foster understanding and engagement.
- Work with you and your group or class on addressing local alcohol-related issues. We can take the insights gained from local collaborations to benefit other parts of Scotland and identify where national action is needed.
- Have a project coming up? We’d be delighted to be involved!
Please get in touch with us at involvement@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk with any questions, or to build and arrange your session.
Alcohol digital marketing – co-production project
In 2023, AFS worked with the World Health Organisation and nearly 70 young people across Scotland on a project exploring alcohol digital marketing and its impact on young people.
Young people told us they see alcohol adverts everywhere they go online, and this can have an influence on how they perceive alcohol. We also identified that covert tactics were being used to integrate digital alcohol-related content seamlessly into everyday life, making it challenging for young people to distinguish between advertising and genuine content.
Work on this project is still ongoing. The next phase involves creative co-production with young people. Please get in touch with us at involvement@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk if you, your youth group or school would like to get involved!
Exploring Alcohol Marketing with Young People
YPI information leaflet