Young people from Deaf Action in Edinburgh and The Junction based in Leith gathered at the Scottish Parliament recently to launch the ‘My Travels’ postcard campaign, run by YouthLink Scotland. Continue reading Youth projects launch My Travels postcard campaign
Groups helping some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people are to receive funding support of £17 million. Seventeen organisations have been awarded the money, seized from criminals operating in Scotland, in the latest round of CashBack funding. Continue reading Youth organisations to share £17 million CashBack funding
“This funding will support Pilton Youth and Children’s Project and The Prince’s Trust Scotland to continue to provide valuable services to our young people in Edinburgh Northern and Leith” – Ben Macpherson MSP
Ben Macpherson MSP has welcomed the award of Cashback for Communities funding to Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP) and The Prince’s Trust Scotland. The fund disburses cash seized from criminals, and this year the scheme will see almost £2 million given to community groups across Scotland to help young people in disadvantaged areas – often the areas that suffer most from crime and antisocial behaviour. Continue reading MSP welcomes criminal cashback for local groups
Continue reading Parliamentary praise for Granton Gogglebox!
A £17 million fund to help some of the country’s most disadvantaged young people is now open. The cash, seized from criminals, has been committed to the next phase of CashBack funding and will be used to provide activities and opportunities across Scotland. Continue reading More Cashback for Communities
Youth organisations share Cash Back proceeds
More than £400,000 seized from criminals is being used to fund six youth projects across Scotland, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has announced. Continue reading Youth projects share cash seized from criminals
Muirhouse lads on Ocean Youth Trust trip of a lifetime
Two of our young Centre volunteers, Paul Alexander & Chris Barnes (above), embarked on the adventure of a lifetime as they enrolled in a positive learning environment under sail on the Alba Explorer from 31 August to 4 September (writes James McGinty).
Both lads kept a log of their adventure with feedback from their skipper Steve. Reading their log was as difficult as writing it in the ocean swell! With goals to achieve daily and new skills to learn, the skipper’s remarks were favourable.
The values and skills learned fell into many categories:
Meeting new people – and the art of conversation.
Following Instructions – Speaking out in groups
Getting Up Early ( Bet you thought this was not possible!!)
Working in a team -Being on time
Working on daily goals – Keeping Calm.
Many of these qualities can be taken into the lads’ adulthood; so well done, Paul and Chris!
Here are some of the 244 pictures and videos taken by the lads and their crewmates. Click On To our Website to see more: www.muirhousecommunitycentre.co.uk
Craigroyston kids sail the Clyde thanks to CashBack for Communities and Ocean Youth Trust Scotland
Eight young people from Edinburgh were given the opportunity to take part in an Ocean Youth Trust Scotland voyage funded with money from CashBack for Communities last week. The group set sail from Greenock on 31 August to spend five days exploring the waters of the Upper Clyde.
The group was made up of young people from Craigroyston Community High School and Castlebrae Community High School.
The Craigroyston group was particularly looking forward to their voyage – three of them recently completed the build of their coastal rowing skiff with Muirhouse Youth Development Group!
Whilst on board, the group found themselves fully responsible for sailing the 72ft yacht, Alba Explorer, including all the elements of day to day life on board the yacht from cleaning and cooking to hoisting and dropping sails on the foredeck.
Speaking to a very excited group at the end of the voyage, this is what they had to say:
“This trip will change lots of people’s lives, especially the people who thought they had nothing after school.”
“An enriched week full of beautiful moments and memories. Life changing and unforgettable.”
“I learned something new every day.”
“I learned so many things, some great ideas we can use with our skiff and confidence in myself and in meeting new people.”
Richard Haig, OYTS First Mate on board said, “It was amazing to see the change in the young people from the start of the week to the end. One of the girls in particular was so quiet at the start of the week. But, by the end I watched her grab a full sail bag from the pontoon and throw it over the guard rail onto the deck saying: “I’m stronger than I look!” – a real show of the confidence she had gained over the week!”
All members of the crew received the Royal Yachting Association’s Start Yachting Level 1 Award, the SQA’s Level 3 Speaking and Listening qualification. All of the young people have also put themselves forward to be Ocean Youth Trust Scotland volunteers and have asked to be put forward for OYT’s Young Leaders Development Programme.
Ocean Youth Trust Scotland (OYT Scotland), Scotland’s leading sail training organisation, is transforming more than 320 young people’s lives over two years thanks to an award from the “CashBack for Communities” scheme – the Scottish Government’s proceeds of crime fund.
Participants from disadvantaged backgrounds across Scotland will take part in five-day long sea voyages in some of the world’s best sailing waters. During the voyage, the novice sailors gain nationally accredited qualifications, and also improve their communication and problem-solving skills.
Nick Fleming, Chief Executive of OYT Scotland said: “Our voyages offer young people a truly unique and life changing opportunity. Over the course of a very intense week, living together in close proximity, they not only learn to sail, they learn leadership skills and how to work effectively as a team.
“This group have been a clear example of all that this programme aims to achieve in every participant. Our sea-staff, comprising both professionals and volunteers, understand how to get the best from each individual. This results in young people often being able to achieve things they never imagined they were capable of and changing their outlook on what the future could hold”.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Investing in our young people is always money well spent and I am delighted that the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities programme is providing this valuable funding for worthy projects across Scotland.
“This Government is committed to ensuring young people reach their full potential. The vast majority of them are a credit to society but we want to prevent the small minority getting involved in crime or antisocial behaviour in the first place.
“Scotland’s unique CashBack for Communities programme invests monies seized from criminals back into our communities. Since 2008, we’ve committed £75 million community initiatives right across the country, improving lives and helping Scotland prosper.”
Over the past fifty years, Greenock-based OYT Scotland has grown to become one of the leading sail training charities in the world. With two sail training vessels, Alba Explorer and Alba Venturer, OYT Scotland completed 57 voyages with 569 young people in 2014.
For more information about OYT Scotland go to www.oytscotland.org.uk
For more information on the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities scheme go to www.cashbackforcommunities.org
‘Investing in our young people is always money well spent’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson MSP
Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG), Granton Youth Centre and The Yard (above) are among the youth projects to receive cash from the latest round of Cashback grants announced today.
In this funding round YouthLink Scotland has awarded £41,156 of CashBack funding to 17 organisations within the youth work sector in Edinburgh to deliver a whole range of projects for local young people.
The CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund is administrated and delivered by the National Agency for Youth Work, YouthLink Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government.
Among those organisations to receive funding is The Big Project in the city’s Broomhouse area, they benefited to the tune of £4,406 to provide youth clubs twice a week for local youngsters.
Edinburgh City 6VT project have also been given a grant of £2,125 to carry on their work with local young people. Fiona Home, Development Co-ordinator for 6VT, said the support from CashBack over the years had been vital to their work with young people across the capital, especially since the project has recently had to find new premises.
“This June we move to our new location in the Grassmarket, currently we are operating out a church hall nearby. Without this support we would undoubtedly have lost contact with many of our young people, leaving them with nowhere to go and back to hanging out on the streets,” she said.
Broomhouse Young Carers were awarded £1,996 for a summer programme. The organisation offers respite to young carers aged 7-18 by way of weekly support groups, holiday programmes and residentials.
Kids in the Street, who offer street sports and coaching, have been given £2.100 for their youth activity programme. Susan Law, Administrator with KITS said: “The CashBack grant makes a huge difference to the range of sessions we can provide including girls football, street based sessions and our junior football academy.”
Restalrig’s Ripple Project received £3,105 to provide a dedicated girls-only provision to local young people at a vulnerable stage in their lives, providing them with a safe place to explore and address the issues and pressures that impact on young women. With the support and guidance of specialist youth workers, the girls also access a range of educational and leisure opportunities.
Liz Ferguson, who leads the project, said the funding helps to level the playing field for local young people. She said: ““These experiences through CashBack funding, go a long way in helping us develop confident and aspirational young women in a community of significant disadvantage.”
Commenting on the latest round of CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund awards, Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson said: “Investing in our young people is always money well spent and I am delighted that the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities programme is providing this valuable funding for worthy projects across Edinburgh.
“This government is committed to ensuring all young people reach their full potential. The vast majority of them are a credit to society but we want to prevent the small minority getting involved in crime or antisocial behaviour in the first place.”
Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland, Jim Sweeney added: “Crime is a real blight on our neighbourhoods and it is right that money from the proceeds of crime goes back to the very heart of our communities, our young people. We know that youth work really does change the lives of young people, not only in Edinburgh but in every part of Scotland.”
List of Awards – City of Edinburgh (£41,156)
The BIG Project £4,406
The Broomhouse Centre £1,996
St Teresa’s Youth Club £1,800
Granton Youth Centre £3,000
Beyond Gender Youth Project £1,608
The Yard Adventure Centre £2,912
Edinburgh City Youth Cafe (6VT Youth Cafe) £2,125
Pilmeny Development Project £2,783
Canongate Youth £1,404
Kids in the Street ( KITS) £2,100
Muirhouse Youth Development Group £1,525
Wester Hailes Youth Agency £1,750
Craigentinny-Lochend Social Centre £2,880
The Ripple Project £3,105
Jack Kane Community Centre £1,938
Citadel Youth Centre £4,674
Ferrywell Youth Project £1,150
Screen Education Edinburgh are running the next round of CashBack for Creativity film projects, with the first target areas being North Edinburgh and West Edinburgh …
This 8 week course will introduce you to the basics of storytelling, camera, sound, acting, directing and editing. You will then have the opportunity to shoot your own short film using professional cameras and with the support of our filmmaker tutors. No previous experience is required and it’s free to take part!
This course is accredited with an Explore Level Arts Award (eqv. to SCQF Level 3)
Any questions? Contact Laura McBride – laura@screen-ed.org – 0131 343 1151
Come and find out more about the course, meet others who are interested and have a go at writing, shooting and editing a 1 minute film in a 4 hour taster session.
Further dates will be announced for Edinburgh East and Central, Edinburgh South, East Lothian, West Lothian, Midlothian and Forth Valley. Sign up below and we’ll get in touch when we’re in your area!
For more information and to sign up to register your interest, go to: http://screen-ed.org/filmintro/
