Venture Scotland believes in empowering young people who are facing challenges in their lives to first understand and then improve their mental health and emotions and, in doing so, change the course of their lives.
Through the power of the outdoors, we change, improve and often save the lives of young people across Scotland. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people in Scotland, and we hear first hand from the young people we work with that our programme is what turned their lives around.
For the first time in my life, I’m feeling excited about something. I know what I want to do in life now, and that’s massive for someone who was planning not to see their 30s...
This isn’t just a course I did. This is the thing that turned my life around. I’m not the same person who walked in here feeling aimless and worthless. I’m someone with a purpose, with plans, and with hope for the future.
That’s what Venture Scotland has given me – my life back.
You can read more about Richard’s experience on the Venture Scotland blog here: https://venturescotland.org.uk/2025/07/02/from-despair-to-purpose-how-venture-scotland-saved-my-life/
The Pixel Fund is supporting Venture Scotland with our ‘Challenge Yourself, Discover Yourself’ Programme.
Our ‘Challenge Yourself, Discover Yourself’ programme offers around 300 hours of support in a combination of group and individual settings. We empower young people to come together to overcome physical outdoor challenges, whilst simultaneously improving their social and emotional skills and wellbeing by drawing on the lessons learnt in outdoor environments, back into conversations and use them to understand what they teach us about our daily lives; coping strategies, helpful habits and ways to support ourselves and others.
Over the last 2 years, we have started to monitor our long-term impact through interviews with participants from 5,10 and even 25 years ago! From these interviews, we know that the things young people learn on Venture Scotland programmes stay with them, supporting them to overcome life's challenges years on from their time with VS.
Thanks to The Pixel Fund’s support again this year, Venture Scotland can continue to offer our outdoor-based personal development programmes, giving young people the opportunity to build belief in themselves, trust in others, understand their emotions, create positive relationships, and ultimately find hope for their future. Pixel Fund’s support will impact these young people in 2025/26 and for years into the future.