Youth Work in Edinburgh has been celebrated with four national awards for the capital’s youth work.
Caitlin McKinnon, of The Fruit market Gallery picked up the National Youth Participation Award. She has been the driving force behind the development of Fresh Fruit, a collaboration of young people and artists exploring new ideas through innovative exhibitions. It is the only project of its kind in Edinburgh and is an exemplar in Scotland.
Caitlin has partnered with young people to review and reshape the programme, creating a safe space for co-production and informal learning. Participants were paired with prominent artist Jacqueline Donachie and tasked with programming three annual exhibition events at the gallery, each attracting up to 300 people. In 2019, these events were extended beyond the youth programme to be part of the galleries main programme.
Speaking after receiving her award, Caitlin said: “Creative opportunities with and for young people at The Fruitmarket Gallery are relevant and engaging because they are led by young people.
“Their voices are essential to shaping the right opportunities and structure for the Fresh Fruit programme that enables them to take the lead in a supported way, working alongside artists and staff.
I’m proud to win the Youth Participation and Voice award and see it as a joint win with Fresh Fruit, as recognition of the work we do together. It’s so great to be part of the awards as an art gallery with a youth programme among so many fantastic organisations working with young people.
“I’m looking forward to the next phase of Fresh Fruit as we build on our long term partnerships with youth and community organisations in Edinburgh to give young people access to creative skills development and the confidence and sense of wellbeing that arts experiences bring.”
Fresh Fruit participant Tosia Bargielowska Johnsen said: “My biggest surprise was how willing Caitlin and the gallery was to push forward strong but risky ideas, rather than resorting to safer yet less challenging solutions.
“I genuinely felt as if we were co-producing, rather than just passing on the crayons.”
Local project Scran Academy was runner-up for the National Attainment and Skills Award, for the work experience opportunities given to young people.
Scran Academy, based at Fel-Lor Youth Centre, is a social enterprise that not only tastes good, it does good! Young people gain first-hand work experience in a dynamic food and drink social start-up, helping them actively shape their own learner journey.
Scran Academy supports the most vulnerable to transition beyond the classroom into the workplace and wider life. Its recipe for success is to focus on what young people can do, not what they don’t have. The result of this approach is that young people feel listened to and empowered to make positive decisions in their own lives.
One care experienced young person, now 16, said: “I am now a scaffolder, my dream job! I’ve learned I’m a really hard worker but I didn’t know that until Scran, it has changed me and I want to say thank you for being there for me.
“For the future, all I want is a nice house with a family; a year ago I wasn’t thinking about these things, but now I can.”
Youth Development Coordinator Charlie Johnson said: “Scran Academy enabled me to do many different things and gave me a chance to work hard.
“I’ve had a few blips along the way and not always been an angel, but Scran gave me the chance to overcome my issues and prove myself. I learned that I am a really hard worker and since then, I’ve kept going and not stopped grafting.
“Scran felt more like a family. It has been so great for my personal and skills development. Since leaving Scran, things have been great. They helped me with my employability, CV and even helped me get a paid job as a trainee youth worker.
“I still love my job now and continuing to grow and mature – and I am also now doing my Diploma.”
Khaleda Noon was a finalist for Inspirational Leader of the Year for her work with intercultural young people in Edinburgh.
“This is a movement.” That is the statement on the IYS website, and a fitting testament to the youth work leader Khaleda Noon is. She set up, developed and delivered Intercultural Youth Scotland with a culture of co-creation and co-leadership, with young people embedded in its DNA from the very beginning.
During Khaleda’s time working on BAME projects at Action for Children, she became convinced of the power of culture – specifically music, dance and spoken word – to make a positive impact on the lives of intercultural young people in Edinburgh.
As she developed this idea, she took the courageous decision to leave her job and devote countless unpaid hours to grow IYS into what it is today.
Her determination, drive and energy has taken IYS from an idea to an active charity within 18 months, with successful funding bids enabling her to employ youth workers and find a permanent base for the organisation.
Board Member Katrina Castle said: “Khaleda encapsulates the essence of inspirational leadership. Her idea, to enable young, intercultural voices to be heard, by providing specialised services to nurture talent and create social impact has become a thriving, effective reality – Intercultural Youth Scotland.
“IYS has been successful in such a short period of time because Khaleda creates a culture of trust and belief, ensuring the needs, opinions and interests of young people are at the heart of everything, while enabling them to develop the tools and confidence to express their ideas, deliver their vision and drive the work of IYS forward.”
And runner-up for National Youth Work Team of the Year is The Yard Fun & Friendship Club.
The project plays is a vital part of any child’s personal and social development, but with mainstream services often difficult to access for children and young people with disabilities, opportunities to socialise with peers can be hard to come by.
This is where The Yard comes in, providing specialist fun and friendship clubs where disabled young people can come together in a supported environment.
The Yard has successfully developed inclusive programmes to increase the social, emotional and practical life skills of the children involved, allowing the young people to build positive mental wellbeing, self-esteem and confidence through new, exciting activities.
Having fine-tuned its model, The Yard has now developed a toolkit to enable it to upskill groups and local authorities to spread its model across Scotland.
The Yard currently delivers respite clubs for around 2000 disabled children across three clubs in Edinburgh, plus two smaller centres in Dundee and Fife.
Celine Sinclair, Chief Executive at the Yard, said: “We are delighted to be runner-up for Team of the Year at the 13th National Youth Work Awards. At The Yard, our success is largely due to our talented team of trained and experienced specialist play workers who inspire, guide and support the children who come to play.
“They are also a source of advice and support for the whole family. Our play team work very closely with the young people we support through our fun and friendship clubs for teens, ensuring that being part of a club at The Yard is a great, inclusive and fun experience for each individual.”
Commenting, Tim Frew, CEO of YouthLink Scotland said: “Youth work is one of our great national assets. The National Youth Work Awards are in their 13th year and it’s clear our sector makes a significant difference to the life chances and opportunities of young people across Scotland.
“These awards showcase our impact because without youth work, the landscape of our society would be much changed and not for the better. These projects in Edinburgh are a great example of how youth work invests in this and future generations of young people. So let’s take our message out there that now is the time to #InvestInYouthWork.”
The National Youth Work Awards 2020 are all about celebrating the power of incredible youth work and the vital role of Scotland’s 70,000 youth work volunteers and staff in the lives of our young people.
This national event is co-designed with young people, who have been involved in the judging and the planning of the night.
The Awards dinner took place on Wednesday 12 March 2020 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow, hosted by BAFTA award winning actress, Jane McCarry, aka ‘Isa’ from Still Game.
Speaking after the Awards, John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills said: “It is fantastic that so many individuals and groups are being recognised in the 13th National Youth Awards for their excellent work to invest in both current and future generations of young people.
“Youth work plays a vital role in expanding young people’s experiences and supporting them to achieve their potential. These awards show how by reaching out and, in many cases, providing a lifeline to so many young people can enhance their opportunities and help them become confident individuals and effective contributors.”
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