The Gulls of Aberdeen

Children and young people from Aberdeen have been working with Aberdeen City Council to bring to life the key themes from some of Aberdeen’s place-based strategies. The Aberdeen City Centre and Beach Masterplan, the Local Development Plan, the Net Zero Aberdeen Routemap and the Aberdeen Adapts Framework all set out long-term ambitions for the future of our city.  Ensuring that children and young people are able to access and understand the key themes within these documents, and be able to express their views, feelings and wishes on them, has been the focus of a recent youth engagement project.

Comic books and animations introducing Dave and Sam are the output of a series of workshops during 2023 where children and young people prepared storyboard drawings, sketches and voice overs to help other children and young people understand the content of Aberdeen’s key place-based strategies, and feel encouraged and able to make comment on what is happening in their city. This is in line with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that children should have their views considered and taken seriously on matters which affect them.

The comic books and animations will be supported by a guide for teachers and parents which will include links to how Dave and Sam can help to support elements of the Curriculum for Excellence, with the hope that other children and young people will feel able to talk about and voice their opinions on what is happening in their city.

The comic books can be found here:

The animations are on the Aberdeen City Council’s YouTube channel here:
Episode One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7qs4DqJPoE

Episode Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_OeNzhjlDY

Episode Three https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0edv1yLeJg

Episode Four https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwD3trQne-U

The guide for teachers and parents can be found here: (coming soon)

The strategies which inform the content of the Dave and Sam comic books and animations can be found below:

The Aberdeen City Centre and Beach Masterplan – https://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/documents/s135130/CCMP%20-%20Appendix%202%20-%20City%20Centre%20Beach%20Masterplan%202022.pdf

The Local Development Plan 2023 – https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/planning-and-building-standards/local-development-plan/aberdeen-local-development-plan

The Net Zero Aberdeen Routemap and Aberdeen Adapts Framework- https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/net-zero-aberdeen/net-zero-aberdeen-routemap-enabling-strategies

If you have any queries about this work please contact us via LDP@aberdeencity.gov.uk