This interactive workshop explores young people's experiences of policing, stigma, justice and violence prevention.

Beyond the Label: Youth Voices on Stigma, Trust and Violence Prevention

Wednesday 18th November, 2026 at 12-4 pm

Sir Duncan Rice Library, University of Aberdeen

Co-hosted by STAF (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum), SIPR (Scottish Institute for Policing Research) and the University of Aberdeen

This interactive workshop explores young people's experiences of policing, stigma, justice and violence prevention.

Participants will engage with the work of Youth Justice Voices (https://www.staf.scot/Listing/Category/youth-justice-voices), a group of care and justice-experience young people, to consider the key barriers to trust, participation, and positive outcomes. YJV’s work includes animations on stop and search (https://www.staf.scot/lets-talk) and a poetry collection (https://www.staf.scot/blog/a-creative-new-collection-from-the-north-east) with Aberdeen poet Jo Gilbert.

Reflecting on YJV’s work, participants will consider how labels and assumptions can influence interactions between institutions and young people, and how relationship-based approaches can create opportunities for dialogue and change. For example, YJV's projects have demonstrated the value of bringing young people and police together to co-produce learning and challenge stereotypes.

The workshop will combine short presentations, facilitated discussion, and participatory exercises to generate practical recommendations for researchers, practitioners, students, police officers, and policymakers interested in youth justice, violence prevention and rights-based practice.

While focusing on Scotland, practitioners and researchers in law, criminology, social work and other fields are invited to share insights from other contexts during discussion. For example, researchers will bring to discussion expertise on justice issues in Scotland, France, US and Mexico.

The provisional programme is:

12-1pm Interactive session to engage with YJV’s animations on stop and search (https://www.staf.scot/lets-talk)

1-2pm Sandwich lunch provided for all attendees

2-3pm Interactive session to engage with YJV’s poetry collection with Jo Gilbert (https://www.staf.scot/blog/a-creative-new-collection-from-the-north-east)

3-4pm Interactive session to engage with YJV’s most recent work

Description supplied by the event organiser.