Press Release issued: 24 March 2012.
An award-winning youth forum for blind and partially sighted people in Scotland is hosting a meeting with similar groups from across the UK in Edinburgh this weekend to share experiences.
Haggeye, whose members are aged between 12 and 25, was only launched five years ago but has, astonishingly, already won three major awards and in 2010 was chosen as one of just three groups to help promote the Scottish Parliament's tenth anniversary year.
The Scottish forum has led the way in supporting young people, often lacking confidence, to find a collective voice.
It has campaigned on issues such as accessible transport and amenities and the need for more schoolbooks in formats such as braille and audio. Its latest campaign, 'Stop and Stare', aims to raise awareness of what it is like to be young and have sight loss, and combat the bullying that some members experienced in school and on the street.
This weekend, Haggeye members will meet with over 60 other blind and partially sighted young people from across the UK to exchange views and discuss what activities have proved most effective.
Hussein Patwa, 25 from Aberdeen, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at birth. "I am very excited about the summit meeting in Edinburgh as it will give me the opportunity to meet face-to-face and engage with other young people from across the UK," he said. "I look forward to sharing my experiences and learning new things from others in a fun and social atmosphere."
"Haggeye has given me the opportunity to start living a more fulfilling life following several years on my own at university. It has boosted my self-esteem, giving me the confidence to travel independently, try out new activities and make friends knowing that I am not alone and that there are others just like me who share the challenges surrounding sight loss."
Katrina Thomson, 19 from Hawick. was diagnosed with cancer of the eyes when she was six months old. Radiotherapy treatment left her with severe cataracts that had to be removed so she now doesn't have lenses in her eye. "I wanted to be involved in today's event so I can tell others about the opportunities that I have had with Haggeye," she said. "I also want to meet other young people from across the UK to learn from their experiences.
"Haggeye has done wonders for me over the five years that the project has been running. It has allowed me to come out of my shell and grow in confidence. I have made life-long friends through the project and been able to take part in so many different things. Haggeye has changed my life and I know it has changed others."
Mo Colvin, youth engagement officer for the Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland, of which Haggeye is part, said: "We want to raise the profile, promote awareness and increase opportunities for youth engagement within RNIB throughout the UK. This is a great chance for young people living with sight loss to come together, share stories, participate in activities, campaign for change and find a collective voice. There's lots of enthusiasm and energy.
"The summit will invite the young people to tell us how RNIB can improve these opportunities and make our services more youth-friendly and inclusive."
In 2010, Haggeye won a prestigious Philip Lawrence Award for 'establishing an atmosphere of trust between generations and cultures'. The awards celebrate outstanding contributions in the community which challenge negative stereotypes of young people. Frances Lawrence, founder of the awards, said: "The young people involved in Haggeye have created a project that makes a true difference to their community, helping others to live more fully, and establishing an atmosphere of trust between generations and cultures. It is in these inspirational young people that society has its greatest cause for optimism."
In 2009, Haggeye was chosen as one of only three groups to take part in an initiative to widen participation in the Scottish Parliament in its tenth anniversary year. Haggeye members wrote and produced an audio CD which listed ten top ways how people can influence the activity of the Parliament make their voice heard by MSPs.