Young Programme

The charity-run Young Programme sets out to stretch minds, broaden horizons, develop communication skills and build confidence. The minimum age for delegates is 18; there is no upper age limit. The programme was created in 2002 by Scottish journalist and author Kenneth Roy, with the aim of recapturing the spirit of Inveramsay - a remote railway station in Aberdeenshire where young people in the 1920s created an informal library and meeting room in a shack on the station platform, and engaged in long debates and discussion. It is their idealism which inspires our events. The programme began with the first Young Scotland Programme in 2002. We expanded to England and Wales in 2004, and to Ireland in 2005. All events are residential and typically held over three days; all are committed to freedom of expression in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.