Community can mean lots of different things to different people, but perhaps at the heart of it, it’s about people and your environment that make you feel happy, safe and content.
Hear what Lesley McAra, Assistant Principal Community Relations, has to say about community engagement at the University of Edinburgh …
16 local organisations were successful in applying for up to £5,000 for projects benefiting local communities in the latest round of the University’s Edinburgh Local Community Grants Scheme.
We’ve awarded over £65,000 in total to community groups who are the changing lives of those in the Edinburgh region.
The following projects were funded under round two of our Community Grants scheme, which had a deadline in June 2018. Following evaluation of the first round, the specific aims of the scheme were revised for the second round. The new aims for the second round were to:
- Increase engagement between the University and local communities.
- Have a positive social impact.
- Create learning opportunities (including informal and non-traditional forms of learning).
These three aims remain the aims of the Community Grants scheme.
All4Paws Clinic Expansion (All4Paws) (above)
Central Edinburgh
All4Paws is a student run community-based clinic, which offers free veterinary care for pets of homeless and vulnerably housed people in Edinburgh. They are dedicated to providing the best care possible for both animals and their owners. This ongoing project incorporates running additional clinics to help meet demand.
Move on Mentoring Training Programme for Students (Move On)
Central Edinburgh
The project will recruit University of Edinburgh volunteers for Move On’s mentoring programme for disadvantaged young people aged 8 upwards. We will train and support 10 volunteer mentors to meet with a mentee on a one-to-one basis weekly over 6 months to carry out activities to help achieve personal goals.
Barnardo’s Edinburgh Together ADHD Parenting Groups (Barnado’s Edinburgh)
Colinton
The Barnardo’s Edinburgh Together ADHD Parenting Groups aim to provide more relevant support, advice and guidance to parents with ADHD children. The programmes are a response to a realisation that standard parenting programmes do not provide the breadth of specific ADHD supports required by this set of families.
Taking the First Steps (Cyrenians)
Restalrig
This project offers one-to-one outreach to fifteen year olds who are school non-attenders and therefore unable to participate in any University outreach programmes. By providing individualised support they aim to enable the young person to learn social skills and take initial steps to explore educational and cultural landmarks throughout Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh Girls Project (EPIC)
Central Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Girls Project aims to create a safe space for girls between the ages of 8-12 from disadvantaged backgrounds to come together and receive group mentoring to help encourage them to make informed choices about their physical and mental health, and empower them to feel confident in themselves.
Local Leaders (Life Care, Edinburgh)
North Edinburgh
LifeCare is a registered charity supporting vulnerable older people across Edinburgh’s communities for over 75 years. They reduce social isolation amongst over 50’s who have dementia, poor mobility or ill health, supporting over 800 older people per month. Local Leaders is about collaborating to create new intergenerational activities in NW Edinburgh.
Medic Insight Edinburgh Day and Week Events (Medic Insight Edinburgh)
Edinburgh-wide
Medic Insight Edinburgh has provided local young people with clinical work experience and an insight into studying and careers in medicine since 2007. There is a Day Event for S4 and two week-long carousels of clinical work experience for S5. Medic Insight’s activities are completely organised by medical student volunteers.
Family Support Volunteer Service (Home Link Family Support)
Prestonfield
Home Link Family Support volunteers provide practical and emotional support to parents with young children who are struggling to cope. Their home visiting service helps to reduce long-term negative impacts on children’s development. Weekly home visits help parents to gain confidence and encourages families to engage with other local services.
Tackling Mental Health Inequalities (St Mary’s Cathedral Workshop)
Coates
This project is seeing an increasing numbers of young people in their apprenticeship scheme suffering from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. In the best interests of our young people, the management team will be trained in Mental Health First Aid.
Updating/Relaunching Play-based Early Years Training (Playbase Scotland)
Portobello
Updating two courses on play, development and the early years child, aimed at parents/carers and aspiring childcare practitioners. Courses will then be delivered and evaluated in two community-based early years settings with ongoing benefit to parents/children and facilitating links to further education providers.
Mental Health Peer Support Learning and Development Project (Health in Mind)
Scottish Borders
| This project will equip 36 people in the Scottish Borders who have personal experience of mental health difficulties to intentionally use their own experience in a peer support role to support others recovering from mental health difficulties via the delivery of the Professional Development Award in Mental Health Peer Support. |
Greening New Fountainbridge (Fountainbridge Canalside Initiative)
Fountainbridge
Fountainbridge Canalside Initiative will work with Edinburgh Council and developers on a ‘Green Plan’ for the new Fountainbridge neighbourhood to be built next year. A programme of events and projects to increase interest in the Plan is proposed, ensuring inclusion of green public areas and community growing spaces in developments.
Schools Transition Support (Edinburgh Young Carers)
Edinburgh-wide
Young carers can be very vulnerable and are often exposed to challenging circumstances which can hinder their development. A particularly challenging time is when young carers finish primary school and progress to secondary school. This project works with schools and young carers to provide support.
Developing Essential Youth Work Skills (Lothian Association of Youth Clubs (LAYC))
Edinburgh and Lothians
LAYC will deliver training for youth and children’s organisations across Edinburgh and Lothians, creating an opportunity for youth and children’s workers to engage in learning, specifically related to improving outcomes for children and young people. Participants will achieve an SQA accredited qualification (SCQF Level 6) upon completion.
Line in the Sand: local action on beach plastic (Edinburgh Tool Library)
Firth of Forth
Line in the Sand (LITS) is an Edinburgh-Tool-Library (ETL) project in conjunction with Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and LINKnet Mentoring, focused initially on the Firth of Forth. Plastic from beach cleans will be locally recycled into symbolic objects representing beach-clean data, recording the duration/date(s) and location of the beach clean.
Tynecastle Youth Community Pipe Band (Tynecastle Youth Community Pipe Band)
Tynecastle
Tynecastle Youth Community Pipe Band provides free and poverty-proof piping and drumming tuition to over 80 young people in the Tynecastle area. Our band is open to all and removes as many barriers as possible for young people to access the life-changing opportunity of being part of a Pipe Band.
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