Planet Youth

About Planet Youth

Highland is one of 7 areas across Scotland that are delivering the Planet Youth model in partnership with Winning Scotland.

Thirteen Secondary Schools and their communities are now delivering this early intervention and prevention focused health improvement model for children and young people:  Thurso High School, Wick High School, Golspie High School, Dornoch Academy, Tain Royal Academy, Nairn Academy, Culloden Academy, Inverness High School, Invergordon Academy, Alness Academy, Dingwall Academy, Lochaber High School and Plockton High School.

Planet Youth originated in Iceland.  In the 1990s,  Iceland had the highest rates of teen smoking and drug use across Europe.  Now they have the lowest.

To address the situation, they looked at the risk and protective factors for alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in young people, across four areas of young peoples’ lives: family, peers, school and leisure time.  They used local, anonymous, survey information from young people to increase protective factors, and reduce risk factors.

The evidence-based, international programme, has now been adopted in many other countries around the world.

There are other benefits associated with this approach, including that it can improve mental and physical wellbeing of young people.

This short video gives an overview of the model: An introduction to Planet Youth in Scotland on vimeo

For more information please visit our Facebook page: Planet Youth in Highland-Facebook