Mel Young

Scots have a natural commitment to the values of community. We have a deep understanding of values and fair play, and as a nation we are perfectly placed to develop sustainable solutions to many of the problems facing the world today.

When Tricia Hughes and I launched the Big Issue in Scotland back in 1993, the people of Scotland were phenomenally receptive. It just took off. Sales went through the roof. The Big Issue helped turn statistics into real people and Scots understood the concept straight away. It hit a nerve.

Back then, the political and economic climate was very different. Homelessness was acute in Scotland and the UK. Many people were sleeping on the streets. Now the Scottish Government has strategies in place that are working. There’s a lot happening and perceptions in Scotland have changed.

Now, one of my main focuses is the Homeless World Cup and the power of football to raise the issue of homelessness on a global scale. It has massive potential and is having a real impact on worldwide homelessness and poverty.

The 2005 Homeless World Cup competition has just finished in Edinburgh. Scotland put on a really great event and we estimate over 60,000 people watched the games over the period. Players came here from all over the world and they all absolutely loved Scotland. I kept hearing people say ‘everyone’s so nice, so welcoming’.

This is Scotland at its best – warm, welcoming, tolerant and community-minded.

Scotland was one of the first countries to buy Nicaraguan coffee, as an act of solidarity way back in the seventies. Now Scots make up the highest proportion of subscribers to New Consumer, the UK’s only Fair Trade magazine, with the biggest support coming from the Highlands. There are lots of exciting community initiatives being quietly implemented by the northern Scots.

I’ve travelled extensively and I’m always tempted to live in other places – Scots are always tempted! But I’m Scottish and I like being here.

I’m not nationalistic but I always say I’m Scottish when I meet people abroad and I always get a positive reaction, especially in Russia if I arrive with a bottle of malt!  I think people have an image of friendliness when they think of Scots. They imagine kilts and bagpipes, football fans dancing away, great inventors and inventions.

What’s incredible is that most people I meet on my travels have met someone Scottish before and they’ve invariably come away with good impression. At home Scots can be introverted but when we go to other countries, we become extroverted, we work hard and we’re successful. You could say we’re good ambassadors for our country; we become great Scots.

For such a tiny nation, Scots have an incredible global reach.

Mel Young

Mel Young launched the Big Issue in Scotland with Tricia Hughes in 1993 and is currently the President of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) and Editor-in-Chief of New Consumer magazine. He co-founded the Homeless World Cup in 2003 and is also co-founder of Senscot, the Social Entrepreneurs Network Scotland. In 2002 he was one of forty social entrepreneurs from around the world recognised as outstanding by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. He lives in Edinburgh.

Read the Global Friends of Scotland website feature article about the 3rd Homeless World Cup which took place recently in Edinburgh.

• Homeless World Cup
• International Network of Street Papers
• Big Issue in Scotland
• New Consumer Magazine