Hey PYCP families and friends! Pretty soon we’ll be starting two new 10-week-blocks of the Adventurers for young people P5 to P7.
The activities will be on: Tuesday 3.30 – 5.00 and Thursday 3.30 – 6.00
To book a place: aga@pycp.co.uk 07305054162.
Our Teen Boutique Project is back! 
Come and visit us this Saturday 21st August from 11 am to 2 pm.
Our popup shop offers affordable, preloved clothes for young people aged 11 & up.
Screen Education Edinburgh is excited to announce applications are now open for In the Frame, a free programme for people living in North Edinburgh to learn documentary filmmaking and make their own film.
Open to adults of any age, and young people aged 14 plus! Find out more here:
A group of young people at Pilton Youth and Children’s Project have been working over the summer holidays to design and build two Little Free Libraries for children in the local community.
The idea was brought to us by Alison McLuckie, a paediatrician working with children and young people in Edinburgh and Mark Stares, a research doctor based at the Western General Hospital.
Alison said: “In my work as a paediatrician, I understand the importance of early literacy and reading for pleasure, and we were thrilled to work with PYCP on the project”.
Alison and Mark and PYCP Youth Workers Aga, Caryn, Adrianna, Adele and other volunteers worked with young people aged 8 to 12 from the “PYCP Adventurers” group, taking the project from the idea stage to building both libraries.
The Adventurers group meet weekly and do all sorts of outdoor activities and learn how to use tools safely, so this was the ideal project for them!
The idea is that local families can take free books from the libraries which are positioned outside of the PYCP building.
A number of Little Free Libraries are all over Edinburgh, including in the New Town, Stockbridge, Starbank Park and Leith Links.
This has been a fantastic project and the young people at PYCP will continue to steward the libraries, making sure they are well stocked and looked after. Families are also welcome to bring a book to leave in return for taking a new one.
The libraries were officially launched on Tuesday (10th August) by Bruce Adamson the Children and Young People’s Commissioner and Nick Hobbs from the office of CYPS.
Young people from the group met with Bruce and Nick and talked him through the design and building process. Bruce and Nick also brought along some books to put in the libraries which were greatly appreciated by the young people.
There are two Little Libraries outside The Greenhouse, both designed by and built with the Young Adventurers.
The first is aimed at children nursery to Primary 2 and is the design of a rainbow hot air balloon. The second is a Harry Potter library for children aged Primary 3 to 7.
Pilton Youth and Childrens Project
Today and tomorrow at FRESH START Ferry Road Drive
Pirniehall, St David’s, Craigroyston and Forthview Primary Schools
Craigroyston Community High School
subject to availability
WEEK 7 ACTIVITIES
TUESDAY 10th & WEDNESDAY 11th AUGUST 10am – 4pm
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
Fresh Start and @EdinUniformBank are running a free ‘nearly new’ school uniform drop in for families in need of help with school uniforms on Wed 11th & Thurs 12th August at Fresh Start Pantry, 28 Ferry Rd Drive, EH4 4BR.
PLEASE NOTE: This event is ONLY for families at Forthview, Craigroyston, Pirniehall & St David’s Primaries and Craigroyston High School. We will not have uniform available for other schools.
Numbers will be limited due to Covid restrictions & uniform is subject to availability.
Best Start Foods payments are increasing this month marking the achievement of another commitment for the first 100 days of the Scottish Government.
Social Security Minister (and local MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith) Ben Macpherson paid a visit to Fresh Start’s Pantry on Ferry Road Drive at lunchtime to meet staff and customers who are benefitting from the payments.
The payment supports low income families to buy healthy food for children under the age of three, and forms part of the Scottish Government’s national mission of eradicating child poverty.
Best Start Foods is part of a package of five family payments administered by Social Security Scotland. It is made every four weeks on a pre-paid card to buy healthy food including eggs, milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses. The payment is increasing to £18 from £17 during pregnancy and for any children between one and three years old. It’s also increasing to £36 from £34 for children under one.
Between December 2018 when the first payment started and 31 May 2021, £60.8 million has been paid to 179,575 families for Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods -£16.7 million of these payments were for Best Start Foods.
Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Unwarranted welfare cuts by the UK Government and the impacts of the pandemic are putting even greater pressure on family budgets.
“It’s our priority to do everything within our power to eradicate child poverty across Scotland. We committed to increasing Best Start Foods within the first 100 days of this Government and we have swiftly delivered.
“We have also delivered on our 100 day commitment to pay £100 as part of Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payments worth £520 in both 2020 and 2021. Families will now have received £200 for each eligible child this year, almost two years ahead of the planned full roll-out of Scottish Child Payment for older children.
“We are set to invest £77 million both this year and next through this measure which is expected to benefit around 145,000 children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals on the basis of low income.
“Families in Scotland now have a unique package of payments that will help them as their child grows and I encourage all families on low incomes to check what they are entitled to. There are many forms of support available to ensure every child in Scotland has the best start in life.”
Further information on all five family payment can be found by visiting:
Pilton Youth and Children’s Project will be holding their regular monthly Teen Boutique session this Saturday from 11am – 2pm at The Greenhouse.
