Every young Scot matters and deserves to have the chance to fulfil their potential.
Many teenagers move into adult life with relative ease.
Scotland needs the full contribution of all our young people, stemming the waste of underachievement, isolation and exclusion which blights many young lives. We have provided special programmes for the most disadvantaged young people, including the New Futures Fund to improve their employability. It is important that our policies are informed by the views of young people themselves. We are looking at ways of boosting direct consultation and heightening the profile of work with young people. We have helped to establish a Youth Parliament to let young people give their views on their needs and their aspirations.