Voices of Support
The CYAA Pledge is gaining support from people across the arts, education and beyond. Their words reflect the importance of protecting every child’s right to access the arts, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which is now incorporated into Scots law.
Sign the pledge today and add your voice to a collective working to secure young people’s access to the arts in Scotland.
"We are proud to be a signatory of the CYAA Pledge. At Sistema Scotland, our Big Noise programmes are transformational social change and music education programmes, where the symphony orchestra becomes a community that supports children and young people to gain vital life skills, including confidence, resilience, teamwork, creativity, and aspiration.
Still today, too many young people across Scotland face barriers to accessing music and the arts. Access to the arts isn’t a privilege – it’s a fundamental right protected by the UNCRC. Every young person in Scotland deserves the chance to explore their creativity and by signing the pledge we can help make this right a reality. Please join us."
Paul Sullivan, Director for Children, Young People & Communities, Sistema Scotland
"At Impact Arts, we witness daily how engaging in arts activities enhances mental wellbeing, develops resilience and confidence, and helps children achieve their potential. We believe every child deserves these positive impacts."
Fiona Doring, CEO, Impact Arts
"Arts is so important to young people who are neurodivergent and youth who are socially isolated, it offers them creative expressive opportunities to help them explore emotional health and wellbeing!"
Pauline Charles, CEO, Borders Additional Needs Group (BANG)
"As a former Drama teacher and Expressive Arts Curriculum Lead, I am passionate about all young people having the right to access free arts education. There can be tendency to think of the arts as an 'extra' in education settings, whereas there is strong evidence in terms of the positive impact of arts education on the wellbeing of young people. This focus on wellbeing, in turn, supports learning in other areas of the curriculum."
Gail Preston, Head Teacher, Rosehill High School
"The arts have the power to change and shape young people’s lives. Every day we see the benefits that regular engagement and participation in performing arts experiences make, and the importance of every young person being able to access these experiences.”
Grant Mason, Chief Executive, Pace Theatre Company
“Cuts to services are further limiting the experiences and opportunities for young people to access and participate in the arts, along with the benefits that come with such engagement. These benefits include life skills, learning, as well as personal and social development. Where access is already reduced due to barriers like cost, location, and lack of opportunities, further cuts will only widen the gap between those who can afford to travel and pay for such experiences and those who cannot.”
Sian Snowden, Service Manager, Escape Youth Services
“Taking part in arts, creative activities and hobbies has huge benefits for children and young people but the costs attached often make this unaffordable. Access to the arts is something Parenting across Scotland is passionate about and we aim to raise the profile of this throughout our work."
Amy Woodhouse, Chief Executive, Parenting across Scotland
“Our organisation runs projects and programs to empower young people to tap into their creativity. This includes engaging children and young people as both audiences and artists at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, enabling them to gain wider access to the creative arts, the industry and all the soft skills that come with arts access.”
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society
“I am delighted to sign the pledge on behalf of Starcatchers. We believe that every child, from birth has the right to access and participate in the arts and cultural life in Scotland and that these experiences should be both enriching and inspiring.
The arts are a gateway to learning, support social and emotional development and contribute to babies and young children having the best start in life. The arts are also a vehicle for all children and young people, but particularly babies and very young children, to access the breadth and depth of the rights they are entitled to under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Rhona Matheson, Chief Executive, Starcatchers
“At Scottish Youth Theatre: We believe in the arts as a necessity for human life to thrive. We know the power of the arts to transform lives and communities. We witness it in our collaboration with young people across Scotland. We champion the bold and brilliant new artists they become. And we stand as allies to ensure this happens. We invite you to do the same.”
Jacky Hardacre, Chief Executive of Scottish Youth Theatre
“Craft Scotland is the leading charity for contemporary craft. We are signing the CYAA pledge because we believe it is essential for all of Scotland’s children and young people to be able to access craft and the wider arts. Craft plays a key role in Scotland’s cultural identity and is an activity that brings joy and wellbeing to our communities. Craft holds a unique connection to our sense of place, creating strong bonds among people of all ages and backgrounds. It strengthens regional identities and sustains intangible cultural heritage for future generations.”
Irene Kernan, Director of Craft Scotland
“As the Executive Director of YDance, I am proud to sign the CYAA Pledge on behalf of our organisation. At YDance, we believe that access to the arts is a fundamental right for every child and young person. Through dance, we see first-hand how the arts inspire confidence, foster creativity, and provide an outlet for self-expression that can be life-changing.
Dance, like other art forms, is a powerful tool for education and personal development. It helps young people build resilience, improve mental and physical well-being, and connect with others in meaningful ways. We’ve witnessed the transformative impact that arts access can have on children from all backgrounds, particularly those who may not have regular opportunities to engage with the arts. It’s more than just creativity; it’s about creating a sense of belonging and possibility.
We’re committed to continuing this work and ensuring that every child and young person has the opportunity to access and benefit from the arts, no matter their circumstances. Signing the CYAA Pledge is a reaffirmation of our dedication to this cause, and we look forward to working alongside other organisations in this vital movement.”
Dance, like other art forms, is a powerful tool for education and personal development. It helps young people build resilience, improve mental and physical well-being, and connect with others in meaningful ways. We’ve witnessed the transformative impact that arts access can have on children from all backgrounds, particularly those who may not have regular opportunities to engage with the arts. It’s more than just creativity; it’s about creating a sense of belonging and possibility.
We’re committed to continuing this work and ensuring that every child and young person has the opportunity to access and benefit from the arts, no matter their circumstances. Signing the CYAA Pledge is a reaffirmation of our dedication to this cause, and we look forward to working alongside other organisations in this vital movement.”
Kelly Shearer, Executive Director of YDance
"The vital need for young people to access exceptional work as audience members has been core throughout Imaginate’s journey. While we have a particular interest in supporting children to exercise their rights as stated in the UNCRC.”
Belinda McElhinney, Chief Executive of Imaginate
“Children and young people in Scotland have the right to experience the highest quality arts and cultural experiences throughout their lives and this requires us a nation to properly resource and support individuals and organisations to deliver that work for, with, and by them."
Tony Reekie, Executive Director of Catherine Wheels
“By taking the pledge we are proud to join Children’s and Youth Arts Advocacy in ensuring every child has the opportunity to experience art. At the National Galleries of Scotland we are determined to provide free and inclusive art activities and experiences for children of all ages and backgrounds. This includes our free Family Friday activities for children during term time, programming for schools, Your Art World for young people and our Bring Your Own Baby/Bump events.
The arts have been proven to support children's health and wellbeing and can provide children with a positive outlet for dealing with the world around them. Art is essential in a child’s growth and development and engaging with art from a young age develops creative thinking skills for the future. It's so important that we invest in our young people, however, these critical projects are only able to continue with funding and support."
Anne Lyden, Director-General at the National Galleries of Scotland
"The CYAA Pledge is a movement to ensure every child can benefit from the transformative power of the arts. With the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scottish law, we have a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact.”
Kenny McGlashan, CEO Youth Theatre Arts Scotland and Chair of CYAA
