Leith based dance group ‘House of Jack’ will take part in a hip-hop dance off as they head to the Scottish Parliament to celebrate its 20th Anniversary. The dance collective will help provide the entertainment in a fun-filled day at Holyrood on Saturday (29th June). Continue reading Leith dance group to help Scottish Parliament celebrate 20th Anniversary
Month: June 2019
Utopia: Trinity’s Bright Idea rewarded in national competiton
A team of Trinity Academy students has returned from the UK final of the Bright Ideas Challenge with their heads held high – the local team of five S3 students won through to the grand final of the nationwide competition and picked up a prize of a further £1000 for their school. Continue reading Utopia: Trinity’s Bright Idea rewarded in national competiton
The Practice of Kindness: new Carnegie Trust UK report
The Carnegie UK Trust is delighted to share with you its new report, The Practice of Kindness: Learning from the Kindness Innovation Network and North Ayrshire, which explores the practical implementation of kindness in both communities and organisations. Continue reading The Practice of Kindness: new Carnegie Trust UK report
New programme to support community-led action research
Scottish Community Development Centre and The Poverty Alliance have announced a new support resource for community-led action research, jointly funded by Scottish Government and The National Lottery Community Fund.
The two-year programme will fund six community organisations to develop their own evidence to influence change in their communities – and to take forward actions for improvement. The research evidence generated by the community organisations will be brought together through a new website and used to help shape policy at a national level across Scotland.
Community-led action research is where the community decides on the issue to be researched, designs and carries out the research, and makes use of the results.
This makes community-led action research different from traditional research which tends to be conducted on the community by researchers from outside the community.
A new website, www.knowledgeispower.scot, will bring together the experiences of the six projects, and will highlight how community-led action research can be used across Scotland to support communities to take action on the issues important to them.
In 2018 SCDC and the Poverty Alliance jointly published ‘Knowledge is Power’. This report was the result of series of conversations with community organisations about what is needed to support them to undertake their own research into the issues that affect them, or the opportunities they want to pursue. This work has now come to fruition with the launch of the Knowledge is Power programme.
Maureen McGinn, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Chair, said: “People understand what’s needed in their communities, and we believe that when people are in the lead, then communities thrive.
“Community-led action research empowers individuals and groups to generate and use evidence to influence and achieve positive change in their community. That is why I am delighted to see National Lottery funding supporting this project along with funding from the Scottish Government.”
Fiona Garven, Director of SCDC, welcomed the new resource. She said: “We are delighted at this announcement. Community-led action research is about putting communities in control of the generation of evidence needed to support better policy making and better decision making about where resources should be targeted.
“This funding will give communities the opportunity to make their case for the changes they know they need, backed up by their own robust research evidence.”
More information and details on how to apply to be part of the programme will be announced shortly at www.knowledgeispower.scot
Fresh Start Community Picnic at North Edinburgh Arts
Fresh Start Community Picnic
Thursday 11th July from 4 – 7pm
at North Edinburgh Arts
Working with partners across Edinburgh and with volunteer teams, Fresh Start support people previously homeless to ‘make a home’ for themselves in new tenancies. We enable them to resettle in their community, providing volunteering opportunities that offer practical and emotional support, helping them develop life skills, and involving church members and the wider community in our work to end homelessness.
We achieve this by providing essential household goods and decorating services to help people set up home. We also help those who are unemployed gain skills, experience and qualifications that will increase their employability – including gardening, cooking and employability training.
In addition to the practical support we provide, Fresh Start service-users have identified the need for support to help them feel at home in their new community as well as in their new tenancy. They highlighted the advantages that would come from being able to get to know local people, to develop skills and be able to access services and opportunities in a neighbourhood location and be able to get involved in community activities including in evenings and at weekends.
Fresh Start has been based in North Edinburgh for 20 years and we now have the opportunity to take over some currently unused adjacent premises to create a community hub.
Working with other community organisations, we have been looking at ways in which we can bring this space back into community use. We want to create a hub that will work for the whole community ensuring that people new to the area have access to a space where they can meet with local people, develop skills and make a contribution to the community.
To make sure that this becomes a place where people can feel part of, and connected to, their local community we want to know what you would like to see happening in the Hub.
We would appreciate it if you would complete the questionnaire below. This should take no more than 10 minutes.
All answers are confidential. If you want more information or additional copies of the survey, please contact Wilma at Community Enterprise – Tel: 01506 862227.
All survey responses (including those collected on paper) are recorded on Survey Monkey whose privacy policy can be viewed here.
Community Enterprise’s privacy policy can be viewed here
Science on a Summer’s Evening
A free evening of talks, live music and hands-on science will showcase research at the University of Edinburgh, on the diverse topics of fertility preservation and urban fires. Continue reading Science on a Summer’s Evening
Contact the Elderly celebrates Silver Success in Edinburgh
An organisation with a mission to alleviate loneliness among the older generation is celebrating silver-plated success in the capital. Contact the Elderly, which tackles social isolation through parties providing tea, cake and companionship, has just launched its 25th Edinburgh group. Continue reading Contact the Elderly celebrates Silver Success in Edinburgh
Eradicating Child Poverty: Minister to outline next steps
“We can do better, and we will” – Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell
A progress report on child poverty to be published by the Scottish Government today sets out a different path to UK Government austerity. It’s thought that a new Family Income Supplement benefit, which was due to be introduced in 2022, will now be fast-tracked following pleas by Scottish charities. Continue reading Eradicating Child Poverty: Minister to outline next steps
National Art Treasure Hunt launched – with a twist!
This year as part of our campaign to raise awareness of Cashback for Communities and how creative young Scots are, projects from all over Scotland are inviting the public to get involved in a journey of artistic discovery and to share their finds through selfies on social media.
Artwork or installations created by young people will be left in popular places in local communities across Scotland for people to discover. Want to become an art sleuth?
You can find out more about the campaign on www.youthlinkscotland.org/CashBackCreates
Each item will have a tag attached to it explaining about CashBack funding and encouraging people to share their find on social media using #CashBackCreates.
We hope this will raise awareness of so many creative projects, and encourage other young people to get involved and create excitement about what’s going on in their local area. This guerrilla marketing style campaign has been launched today and will continue until the end of July.
So what kind of things might you be looking for? Here are some of the projects involved:
Indepen-dance create inclusive, fun and engaging workshops for young people no matter what their ability. What’s a dance without props? So for #CashBackCreates young people will be writing words they associate with the project on scarves and ribbons and they will be hung around Eastbank Academy and Newhills School in Glasgow.
Always wondered where fairies live? Wonder no more! Young people in Falkland are creating a range of fairy doors to be left in the local woods (above); this project helps to teach young people a range of artistic skills like woodwork and painting.
Spot a newspaper in the local community at Wester Hailes in Edinburgh, it might not be as it seems. Young people are creating a mock up edition of the local paper, sharing information about their project and the young people involved.
If you are in Dumfries and Galloway, keep an eye out for handmade bracelets, created by autistic young people, each bracelet spells a positive word to give you the feel good factor! Every bracelet will include a handmade bead with the logo of the project.
Passing through Galashiels Interchange? Keep an eye out for a colourful guitar sculpture, it will be playing music created by young people so you won’t be able to miss it!
In Campbeltown, young people will be creating decorative rocks and leaving them in the community for people to discover (above). Will you be one of the lucky people to discover a rock? Added bonus, discoverers who tweet their find will be entered into a competition to win cinema tickets & popcorn!
What’s Doricula we hear you ask? It’s Dracula with a Doric twist, of course! This project will see young people create a brand new show all about the history of Aberdeenshire. And they want to share their creation with the community. Look out for spooky snaps of doricula all around Peterhead with invitations to their end of season show!
The CashBack for Creativity Open Fund, administered by YouthLink Scotland through delivery partner, Creative Scotland and funded by Scottish Government has awarded a total of £324,000 to 45 community-based arts project across the country, which will reach over 4,927 young people in local communities.
The fund offers a fantastic chance for young people to access a range of high-quality arts, screen and creative industries activities. The programme targets children and young people in communities and areas where there is currently a lack of opportunity.
CashBack for Communities is a unique Scottish Government programme which takes money seized from criminals under the proceeds of crime legislation and invests them in our future – our young people. Since 2008, £110 million has been committed to community initiatives to improve the quality of life of young people right across Scotland.
Jane Dailly, National Programmes Manager at YouthLink Scotland, The National Agency for Youth Work, said: “We know that young people are creating and involved with imaginative and fun projects and we would like to raise awareness of that across the country.
“What better way to make someone else’s day and put a smile on their face than through the discovery of an awesome piece of locally created work.”
Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Humza Yousaf said: “This campaign is a great way to get communities involved in the creative arts and today’s investment further demonstrates the Scottish Government’s commitment to building a stronger, fairer and more inclusive society.
“Our Investment in the Cashback for Communities Programme has helped young people learn new skills, boost their confidence and reach their full potential in life.”
Laura Black, Arts Officer, CashBack for Creativity, Creative Scotland, commented: “The inspiring projects announced today through the CashBack for Creativity Open Fund are opening up access to a huge range of innovative and exciting projects for young people across Scotland.
“With today’s launch of #CashBackCreates, we’re looking forward to sharing and bringing to life young people’s creative endeavours across the country.”
Edinburgh urged to recognise its Reservists
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh is encouraging employers to support Reserves Day tomorrow (Wednesday 26 June).
As the City of Edinburgh Council’s Armed Forces and Veterans Champion, he is urging organisations across the Capital to allow Armed Forces Reservists to wear their uniforms to work on Wednesday.
Reservists make up around one sixth of the UK’s Armed Forces Personnel and give up their spare time to serve in the Reserve Forces, balancing their civilian life with a military career to ensure that should their country require them, they would be ready to serve as part of the military.
Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “As a council we are proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant in our own right but I’m really keen that across the city, we acknowledge the dedication, professionalism and commitment of our armed forces.
“I’m proud to support Reserves Day and hope many other Edinburgh organisations will follow suit. Reservists make an incredible contribution to their communities, their organisations and the country. Wear your uniform with pride!”
Edinburgh is home to an estimated 40,000 veterans and ex forces, 1,500 serving personnel and 500 cadets.
The Council is a silver award recognised employer under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and supports members of the Reservists and those wishing to join. As part of its Reserve Forces’ training and mobilisation policy, the Council acknowledges the training Reservists undertake and supports the release of all employees mobilised for Reservist duties.
Organisations and Reservists taking part in Reserves Day are encouraged to share photographs on social media of their day at work in uniform, tagging @lordprovostedin.
A consultation is also underway for anyone who might be interested in joining an Armed Forces Community Network. Take part at the Council’s Consultation Hub.
