Entrants to Scottish Youth Parliament competition met at the national stadium to get their creative juices flowing

A competition to find new creative waves to tackle problems caused by violence in local communities is bringing young people together from across the country.

Entrants of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) and No Knives, Better Lives run We-CTV competition met at Hampden Park this week to learn about how violence is blighting society.

While at Scotland’s national stadium, they heard from a number of experts from the police, medics, lawyers and even someone who had gone to prison because of knife crime.

The aim of the day was to provide inspiration for the competition which asks those aged between 11-18 to create artwork, literature or multimedia content to educate their peers on issues such as knife crime, abuse or online bullying.

Speaking about the day, David Stewart, MSYP and We-CTV champion, said: “I am delighted to have witnessed such fantastic energy and enthusiasm today from young people across the country who have entered the Scottish Youth Parliament’s We-CTV competition.

We know that young people are concerned about knife crime and interpersonal violence

“Through our consultation work, we know that young people are concerned about knife crime and interpersonal violence, and they value the importance of researching and promoting solutions. The young people across Scotland participating in the We-CTV competition want to make a difference in their local community and shape discussions that can pave the way to a safer and fairer society.”

To help them further the young people also heard from experts in video production, writing and art on how to make their ideas have the biggest impact.

Sulayman Tabassam, 14, from Castlehead High School in Paisley, who won the competition in 2013, said: “The great thing about We-CTV is that young people take part in every aspect of creating their ideas and turning them into a professional video for our peers. From developing storyboards, filming and then editing the finished video it means that we have had a chance to increase our knowledge and creative skills.”

The groups participating in the competition will submit their final creative solutions by 16 January. The shortlisted submissions will then go to an online vote from 26 January – Sunday 8 February , where the public will be able to decide the winner.