The Highland Promise - the cultural pledge to young people in the Highlands.

28th March 2006

'The Highland Promise' is the winning entry in a competition to come up with a name for the element of Highland 2007 that places Highland schoolchildren at the heart of 2007.

The pupil council from Knockbreck Primary School in Tain came up with the winning suggestion, earning their school the £350 prize as well as the honour of naming one of the most important elements of Highland 2007.

In The Photo -
Front left is Cathy Shankland, arts and heritage manager with Highland 2007 - front right is Katherine De Jonckheere, head teacher at Knockbreck Primary. The children are all members of the pupil council at Knockbreck Primary school.

At a presentation at Knockbreck Primary Cathy Shankland, arts and heritage manager for Highland 2007, said: "I am very pleased to present this prize to Knockbreck Primary as their winning suggestion truly hit the nail on the head. This part of Highland 2007 is a promise to young people that they will have a new cultural experience in 2007 but it also reflects the promise and potential that our young people hold for the future.

"We hope many young people will be inspired by their experiences in 2007 and will take the opportunity to develop the new skills they learn to get the most out of them not just in 2007 but in the future.

"We would like to extend our thanks to all the other schools who suggested names in this competition, all the submissions were very much appreciated."

Katherine De Jonckheere, head teacher at Knockbreck Primary, said: "We are delighted that our pupils have won the opportunity to name this important aspect of Highland 2007. We are looking forward to making the most of the opportunities offered in 2007 and know that our pupils will enjoy the chance to take part in this exciting year."

'The Highland Promise - the cultural pledge to young people in the Highlands' is a promise, by all the Highland 2007 partners, The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Executive, that young people of school age in The Highland Council area will be able to participate in events that cover each of the six strands of culture in Highland 2007; arts, sport, heritage, language, science and environment.

In addition children and young people within each school will be able to decide with Education, Culture and Sport staff which options they would like to select for themselves and for their school in 2007.

The menu of activities will be developed in collaboration with various National Agencies to maximise on the potential to retain as many of the cultural opportunities as possible beyond 2007.

Activities already confirmed include community radio projects with BBC and the Highlands and Islands Community Broadcasting Federation. Radio recording equipment will be provided to the 30 school clusters throughout The Highland Council area by Highland 2007 and training will be provided by BBC and Community Radio Federation staff. This will enable school radio teams to record and edit packages for broadcast during 2007.


Highland 2007, the year Scotland celebrates Highland culture, aims to promote the Highlands as a great place to live and to visit through showcasing the unique and special nature of Highland culture past, present and future. The project is a partnership between three principal funding agencies: The Highland Council, the Scottish Executive, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The ear long celebration of Highland culture in 2007 will incorporate an exciting range of major and community events, as well as capital projects and 'The Highland Promise' for young people. See www.highland2007.com for full details. Highland 2007 is the first themed year planned by the Scottish Executive to promote Scotland as a great place to live and to visit.

Some Examples of what will be included in the 'The Highland Promise' are:
Theatre Skills Workshops with National Theatre of Scotland
Traditional and contemporary ballet workshops with Scottish Ballet
Exhibition workshops with National Galleries Of Scotland
Film and digital media workshops with Scottish Screen