Lead 2014 – part of the build-up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games – involves pupils from 156 secondary schools and 120 students from seven Scottish universities using sport as a springboard to hone and develop their leadership skills.

It also provides opportunities for young people across the country to engage with the Commonwealth Games and has come about via partnership with sportscotland, Youth Sport Trust and Glasgow 2014.

The Minister for Children and Young People (pictured right) joined students and pupils at the University of Edinburgh's one-day Lead 2014 conference to see how the campaign motivates them to become the leaders and volunteers of the future.


"The Scottish Government wants to harness the power of the Commonwealth Games coming to Scotland in 2014 to provide opportunities for our young people and inspire them to get in involved and develop leadership skills that will serve them well in the future," Campbell said.

"Along with my Government colleagues I am hugely supportive of initiatives such as Lead 2014 which invest in the leadership of our young people and enable them to make positive contributions to their communities.

"It's hugely heartening to see the youngsters involved channelling their energy and enthusiasm into making a difference for Glasgow 2014.''

It is estimated that some 12,000 primary pupils across Scotland will be invited to take part in a festival in their local area over the coming months with Lead 2014 aiming to capture young people's enthusiasm for sport.


It is also hoped that the leadership of involved young people will inspire their peers to participate in sport.

"Lead 2014 is an innovative campaign that has grown in popularity with more pupils, students and universities signing up to be part of it," said Glasgow 2014 chairman Lord Smith.

"By using sport as the catalyst, we can capture the energy and enthusiasm of our young people to develop new skills and plant the leadership and volunteering seed which will make a positive impact in the communities in which they live.

"We also hope that Lead 2014 will encourage many of the participants to volunteer with us to help deliver an outstanding Glasgow 2014."

Lead 2014 is also aimed at motivating young people to play a significant part in the huge volunteering effort around the Commonwealth Games.

The volunteering effort for Glasgow 2014 will be one of the biggest recruitment projects ever seen in Scotland.


"Lead 2014 is a fantastic opportunity to motivate and inspire young people to get involved with sport through volunteering and leadership," said Louise Martin (pictured three images up, centre back), the chair of sportscotland and the honorary secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

"It has never been so crucial to engage young people in sport with [a] major home Games on the horizon and Lead 2014 can create a legacy of young people from across Scotland enthused about volunteering and the benefits it can bring to their lives."

Sue Campbell, the chair of the Youth Sport Trust, also praised the programme.

"The Youth Sport Trust believes that sport changes lives and the Lead 2014 programme is an excellent way to motivate and inspire young people in Scotland," she said.

"This initiative is a strong example of how sport can be used to develop important leadership skills that can benefit thousands of young people in many different ways."

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