This week is Challenge Poverty Week and our 2024 Girlguiding Scotland Reach advisors have written an open letter to the First Minister calling for an end to child poverty. They want to see more investment in communities and more support for children to attend and participate in school.

The Reach young advisors are 4 young people from Generation CashBack supported units who worked together to create a fun filled event for 150 young people from other CashBack groups. Through this they built their confidence, event and decision making skills, and learnt to share their opinions about what they believe in.

From their lived experience we know poverty in Scotland causes children to miss school. Many can’t afford transport, lunch or uniform, or feel anxious about being judged by their peers due to living in poverty. Girlguiding’s latest research shows poverty in Scotland is also causing children to have poor mental health and worry about their futures. 25% of girls (aged 11-21) say their mental health is negatively affected by worrying about money (Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2025).

Read their letter:

Read the plain text version here.

Each year, at the start of October, hundreds of organisations in Scotland raise their voice against poverty and unite with others in calling for a just and equal Scotland. If you want to join in with your unit/local area we have created a sample letter which you can use to contact your MSP or local decision makers.

Get involved with your unit and write your own letter.