Day: February 17, 2013

North Edinburgh set to raise the standard high

protest7

NEVER GIVE UP! – Looking to the future

North Edinburgh Arts is the venue for a practical workshop on arts and activism this Wednesday (20 February). Community Learning and Development worker Lynne McCabe tells more:

“I am writing to tell you about a practical workshop on arts and activism  which will be taking place in North Edinburgh Arts Centre  on Wednesday 20 February from 10 – 3.00 pm.  The session has been organised by North Edinburgh Social History Group, CLD  and art students from Telford (Edinburgh) College.

The social history group will kick off the morning session  with a presentation of archive material  which  illustrates how the arts have been used to support local campaigns in the past.   The students  will then do a short presentation about  the art work they created following a meeting with the group last year.      We will then have a discussion about local issues  and hopefully come up with some ideas  of how to use the arts to get your group’s message across to a wider audience.  This approach has been used very effectively  over many years by  countless  local groups  including   the western general action group, the feet first chiropody campaign, the anti-water privatisation campaign, Pilton Environment Group and different generations of   anti-dampness groups.

A free lunch will be provided for all participants at 12.00 and then we will get down to creating  banners, posters, petitions, campaign logos – anything  that you think would  help to publicise local issues and campaigns.  Some ideas already put forward by local activists include  a huge banner or piece of art work  about the bed room tax or  something which could be used to highlight the issue of  fuel poverty.   We will be assisted  in  this  process by the students and staff from the Contemporary Art Course at the College.  The College will also provide us with a range of materials and equipment to use.

This is a great opportunity for people from different parts of North Edinburgh to come together to create  a range of campaign materials which will help to generate a bit of publicity about local issues and campaigns.

Places are limited so please book your place in advance.  Telephone  North Edinburgh Arts on   315 2151 or email them  on admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk.  I hope that you are able to join us.”

LOCAL 6

MP visits Prince’s Trust

PrincesTrust1

MP for Edinburgh East Sheila Gilmore visited The Prince’s Trust Centre on Ferry Road last Friday to meet young people and discuss the impact of youth unemployment.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the MP to meet a group of under-16’s participating on The Trust’s Fairbridge programme, which focuses on developing key employability skills, as well as participating in a round-table discussion with Prince’s Trust Job Ambassadors who provided an in-depth insight into the challenges they faced whilst unemployed.

The effect unemployment has on young people is significant, according to recent research by The Prince’s Trust. The Youth Index, which gauges young people’s wellbeing across a range of areas from family life to physical health, found that around 33% of those surveyed claimed to feel down or depressed ‘always’ or ‘often’, and that one in five unemployed young people across the UK believe their confidence would never recover from their spell out of work.

Ms Gilmore also got an insight into the range of programmes offered by The Prince’s Trust as a means of engaging with unemployed young people or those struggling at school and at a risk of exclusion.
Sheila Gilmore MP said: “We know that periods of unemployment at a young age can have an adverse impact on people for the rest of their lives. The work that The Prince’s Trust does with young people to help them build up their skills and confidence is crucial in preventing this.”

Speaking after the MP’s visit, Heather Gray, Director of The Prince’s Trust, Scotland, said: “We were delighted to welcome Sheila Gilmore to our Edinburgh Centre. It provided a positive opportunity for Ms Gilmore to meet with young people and hear about the challenges they face in finding employment as well as to discuss what can be done to help young people into employment and training and towards a positive future.”

Heather Johnston, a Job Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust Scotland, was one of the young people who met the MP. She said: “I was unemployed for five years – it is demoralising and can impact heavily on self-esteem. As a Job Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, it is important we get as much support to ensure young people, like me, get an opportunity to achieve a positive future.”

PrincesTrust2