Press Release issued 15 September 2012.
A forum for young people in Scotland who are blind or partially sighted celebrates a key anniversary today [September 15] after an astonishingly successful first five years.
Haggeye was established by the charity RNIB Scotland for 12 to 25 year-olds with sight loss. Since it was launched in 2007 it has gone on to win three prestigious awards and was one of only three youth groups chosen to help celebrate the Scottish Parliament's tenth anniversary.
It has also campaigned on issues including avoidable sight loss, accessible transport and the need for more schoolbooks in formats such as braille and audio.
And yet none of the forum's members had any experience of campaigning, says the charity's youth engagement officer Mo Colvin. "Haggeye has empowered young people to take ownership of the project and develop it in a direction where they are able to make their own decisions on where they want it to go, something that a lot of them had not had an opportunity to do previously"
Katrina Thomson (19) from Hawick was diagnosed with cancer of the eyes at six months old. Treatment with radiotherapy left her with difficulty in focusing on objects. "Haggeye has helped me so much over the past five years it is hard to sum it all up," she said. "The main thing it has done is given me the confidence to stand up for my rights and be able to express my needs without feeling ashamed. Haggeye has also given me so many opportunities, like going to Westminster, speaking in front of the Scottish Parliament and other conferences and events, to name but a few. Through Haggeye, I have also made lifelong friends."
Haggeye members are currently working with Long Term Conditions Alliance Scotland to highlight to young people that 50 per cent of sight loss is avoidable.
Previously, it launched a national campaign, 'Stop and Stare', to raise awareness of what being young and living with sight loss is actually like, aiming to help combat the isolation and bullying that some members had themselves experienced in school and on the street. A resource-kit with audio and video-clips explaining their sight loss condition and how it affected their lives was sent to all secondary schools in Scotland.
In 2009, selected to take part in an initiative to widen public engagement with the Scottish Parliament, Haggeye members wrote and produced a CD on how people can influence the activity of MSPs and make their voice heard.
The youth forum has already won major awards for its work, including a Diana Award and a Young Scot Award. In 2010, it was also presented with a Philip Lawrence Award by broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald for 'establishing an atmosphere of trust between generations and cultures'. The awards, set up in memory of murdered head teacher Philip Lawrence, celebrate outstanding contributions that challenge negative stereotypes of young people. Frances Lawrence, widow of Philip Lawrence and founder of the awards, said: "It is in these inspirational young people that society has its greatest cause for optimism."
Aaron McHale (18) from Dunfermline has the sight loss condition nystagmus and ocular albinism. "I joined Haggeye five years ago, right at the beginning, and it may have been one of the best things I have ever done," he said. "Haggeye is fantastic because it lets blind and partially sighted young people make a real difference to the lives of others, by campaigning for change and by getting to meet people that they wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise.
"Thanks to Haggeye, over the years I have made lots of great friends, and by working with organisations like Young Scot and RNIB's Insight Radio, I have been able to network and build connections that I otherwise would not have been able to do, as well as attending high profile events and award ceremonies. This all helps me throughout life and it's all, really, thanks to Haggeye."