Two Leith-based charities – Edinburgh Young Carers and The Junction – have secured a share of a £25,000 funding pot, thanks to Scotmid’s Community Connect initiative.
The funds were allocated following a vote by Scotmid Members.
Edinburgh Young Carers has been awarded £15,000. The charity is a voluntary organisation that provides respite and support to young people between the ages of five and 25 who care for somebody at home.
It aims to improve the lives and wellbeing of young carers by raising awareness of the challenges they face and by offering emotional and practical support.
The Junction, which has secured £5,000, works with young people aged 12-21 across Leith and the North East of Edinburgh, offering access to a wide range of health-related services, education and information by providing a safe and welcoming environment.
The charity encourages social and economic inclusion and promotes long term health and wellbeing.
Margaret Murphy, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Young Carers, said: “We are over the moon to have been awarded £15,000.
“Young carers in Edinburgh face many challenges and responsibilities looking after their loved ones and this funding will provide new opportunities that they otherwise would not have.
“We are committed to offering young carers valuable respite and a place to grow their confidence and skills away from their caring responsibilities.”
The final good cause group in the East of Scotland to have been awarded £5,000 funding is Fairway Fife, a peer mentoring charity addressing the social isolation faced by most young adults with Learning Disabilities or Autism.
Keen to support local good causes? Pop into your local Scotmid and pay £1 to become a member.
Two Edinburgh based charities – along with a third good cause group in Fife – have been shortlisted to receive a share of a £25,000 funding pot, thanks to Scotmid’s Community Connect award scheme.
The awards will be announced this October, following a vote by Scotmid Members.
Edinburgh Young Carers is a voluntary organisation that provides respite and support to young people between the ages of five and 25 who care for somebody at home. It aims to improve the lives and wellbeing of young carers by raising awareness of the challenges they face and by offering emotional and practical support.
The Junction works with young people aged 12-21 across Leith and the North East of Edinburgh, offering access to a wide range of health-related services, education and information by providing a safe and welcoming environment. The charity encourages social and economic inclusion and promotes long term health and wellbeing.
Margaret Murphy, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Young Carers, said: “We are thrilled to be shortlisted for a Scotmid Community Connect Award.
“Young carers in Edinburgh face several challenges looking after loved ones and this funding will offer new opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. We are pleased to provide young carers in Edinburgh with a much-needed break from their caring responsibilities as well as a chance to build their confidence and learn new skills.”
The other good cause shortlisted in the East of Scotland is Fairway Fife.
Keen to support local good causes? Pop into your local Scotmid and pay £1 to become a member.
Today (Wednesday 15th December), projects paving the way for young people in Scotland to gain new skills will be sharing in £600,000 of Young Start funding.
The additional funding comes as a lifeline to many young Scots, whose services and opportunities for learning and gaining experience have been negatively affected by the pandemic.
Edinburgh Young Carers Project has been awarded over £99,000. The project works with young carers aged 16-25 years who are no longer at school and who are providing unpaid caring support to someone.
Through the creation of a Transition Plan, created with the Young Adult Carer (YAC), the project will identify the carers strengths and look at things they need support with.
Association for Black Engineers (UK)Limited has been awarded £49,300 for its NextGen Coding Club, based in Aberdeen.
The club focuses on levelling out the inequalities for opportunities for young people from a mixed ethnic background, specifically around opportunities within engineering career paths.
CyrilIshabiyifrom the project said: “The underrepresentation of minorities in engineering and technology is well documented.
“Studies from EngineeringUK show that despite the fact that 31.8% of UK domiciled undergraduate qualifiers are from BME backgrounds, only 7.8% of professionals are in the engineering sector.
“The NextGen Coding Club is a youth-led initiative that exists to address this gap by creating an environment in which young people develop their interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and where they develop skills of coding, teamwork, creativity and leadership, skills that will equip them to be innovators of the future.
“Now we will be able to reach out to more people from disadvantaged communities and provide them with the necessary equipment to consolidate their learning, and ensure they experience the fun and practicality of not only engineering, but technology as a whole.
“Furthermore, leadership courses will be given to the participants, to ensure their soft skills are also second to none.”
Young people on the remote island of Tiree will benefit from £46,814 of funding for the Tiree Community Development Trust. With a population of only 800 people, this funding will benefit almost all the young people on the island in some way.
The group will use the funding to support a broad range of wellbeing and volunteering opportunities, helping young people to flourish.
WillieMacKinnon, Youth Activities Coordinator said: “Living in such a remote setting can be incredibly difficult for some young people.
“The funding means we can keep delivering the activities which really have become paramount to the children and young adults in our community to have a well-rounded experience of growing up.
“Some of the young people who benefit from our services go on to become volunteers, passing on what they’ve learned to the younger kids, and in turn, gaining leadership experience. We’re so proud to see so many of the service users go on to study youth work or teaching on the mainland.
“The pandemic has been hard for everyone, but being part of a very small island community, it’s been so easy to see how people can become isolated. The various activities we run – from football and hockey to a chess club and a sci-fi group – really have been a lifeline to many of the young people taking part.”
Near Inverness, The Cantraybridge Café and Enterprise Shop receives £60,000 which will be used to re-open their onsite café, located within the grounds of the specialist further education college.
Hazel Clark, CEO ofCantraybridge, said: “Our café was closed a few years ago and has been greatly missed by all at Cantraybridge and the locals who visited regularly.
“The funding will enable us to re-open our café and provide that wonderful link between the young people who attend and the local community. We have many groups in our community who enjoy visiting Cantraybridge, the cycling club, Church groups and local schools to name a few.
“Previously, we found that our young people gain so much more than just skills in cooking, baking and customer care. They grow in confidence and the difference in their self-esteem is quite remarkable.
“We have found that our young people take such a pride in their achievements and the joy they experience when a customer compliments them is priceless.”
Announcing today’s awards, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “Young people across the country have faced an enormously difficult period over the last 20 months. We’re thrilled to have been able to commit another £600,000 to projects across the country which are dedicated to improving the future of young Scots.
“We are always keen to support projects which put Scotland’s young people at the heart of the development and running of services. If your group has an idea how you would make this happen, then we’d love to hear from you.”
Groups wanting to know more about Young Start, and how it can support them should visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/youngstart or contact 0141 846 0447.
A culture project for young carers is launching after Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, with Edinburgh Young Carers, was selected as a key partner by the British Museum for their Where we are programme.
Where we are… is a new national programme for young people aged 16-24 that co-designs and co-delivers meaningful local arts and cultural projects around the UK.
In Edinburgh staff from Museums and Galleries Edinburgh and Edinburgh Young Carers will work with up to 10 young carers from across the Capital.
Through this project, young carers in the community who may face adversity and challenges as a result of their caring responsibilities, will have the opportunity to have fun and forge networks and bring their experience and skills to the project, developing these further.
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “Working with Edinburgh Young Carers, our Museums & Galleries Edinburgh service is delighted to have been selected as one of British Museums key partners on the Where we are programme.
“Our Museums service have done a lot of work with young carers and other vulnerable groups and there has never been a better time for this kind of engagement.
“In Edinburgh we are keen to ensure that cultural opportunities are available to everyone that lives here, and we can’t wait to see what the young people produce.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener, said: “One of our priorities as a local authority is to ensure wellbeing and equalities are enhanced for everyone who lives here.
“This project will contribute to that aim by providing young people with a cultural opportunity that will help them to develop skills, build confidence and provide a positive focus after what has been a very difficult year. We’re very excited to see what they produce.
Ria Sloan, Outreach and Access Manager, said: “Museums and Galleries Edinburgh place people at the heart of what we do; we work to provide opportunities for people to access, explore and contribute to Edinburgh’s cultural life.
“I’m thrilled to be able to give local young people the opportunity to be part of a nationwide project led by the British Museum and I’m really looking forward to learning more about how we can support their interests and needs.”
Lee MacKenzie, 16-25s Development Worker at Young Carers said:“We are thrilled to have been selected to take part in the project.
“This last year has been particularly challenging for our young adult carers in terms of wellbeing, education and employment. By being part of this project, we hope to remove some of the barriers the pandemic has created for our carers as well supporting them to explore some of the incredible culture their city has to offer.
“Having worked together with the Museums and Galleries Edinburgh team on successful projects in the past, it’s great to be able to work in partnership again on something new.”
Further information:
Museums and Galleries Edinburgh cares for thirteen venues and over 200,000 objects related to Edinburgh life, childhood, archaeology, fine art and decorative art.
Edinburgh Young Carers is a voluntary organisation that provides support for children and young people aged 5–25 who care for someone at home.
The Scotch Whisky Action Fund (SWAF) has announced its support of three organisations based in Edinburgh working to tackle the effects of alcohol misuse and promote responsible drinking.
The fund was established in 2013 by the Scotch Whisky Association and has made over 50 awards to innovative projects across Scotland working to reduce alcohol-related harm. The aim is to inspire innovation and develop small, grassroots projects that can develop into larger scale initiatives. The Fund is managed by Foundation Scotland and awards are decided by an independent panel.
The projects granted funding in this year’s awards aim to ensure that the effects of alcohol misuse can continue to be addressed in a supportive setting, and recognising that this support is all the more important because of the pressures on everyone’s lives caused by COVID-19.
The projects have adapted how they deliver support during the current restrictions, so they can operate in COVID-secure ways, including embracing virtual platforms.
Rowan Alba, a homeless charity based in Leith, also provides support on tackling alcohol misuse in the community.
The SWAF funding will build upon their pilot work providing training for Edinburgh pub staff on recognising and engaging with older people in the community living in extreme isolation and at high risk of alcohol related harm.
Helen Carlin, CEO of Rowan Alba, said: “The SWAF funding will help to strengthen the work that Rowan Alba is doing in the local community to address the harm that alcohol can have, particularly when combined with social isolation.
“Leith has an amazing community spirit; everyone looks out for each other. This funding will help us to build on these relationships and meaningful conversations that can make a real difference in ensuring that someone gets the help that they need. We would like to encourage pubs and bars throughout the city to contact us if they would like to be involved in the training being provided.”
Fast Forwardis based in Edinburgh and supports young people to make informed choices around risk-taking behaviours, including knife crime, substance misuse, gambling and gaming and alcohol related harm.
The SWAF funding will contribute towards the ‘Own It!’ project, created by Fast Forward’s Arts-Based Project Director Kai Peacock, which uses a virtual platform designed to empower young people about making positive decisions around the use of alcohol. The project will be tested on groups of young people across 10 areas of Scotland, starting in West Lothian.
Allie Cherry-Byrnes, Chief Executive of Fast Forward: “The skill and enthusiasm of the Fast Forward team have helped us create the Own It! project, that will help support young people to explore the impact of risk-taking behaviours, particularly alcohol related harm.
“We’re delighted to be working with the Scotch Whisky Action Fund to continue the development of the project, ensuring that it can be used by as many groups as possible via its digital format. If any youth-based organisations in Scotland would like to be involved in the project as it develops, we would urge them to contact us to discuss it further.”
Edinburgh Young Carers (EYC)is Scotland’s largest independent young carers’ service, providing respite and support to young people aged 5-25 who care for or are affected by someone else at home – usually a parent or sibling.
Edinburgh Young Carers is receiving funding from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund for the second time, towards a dedicated project aimed at tackling the impact of COVID-19 on its service users. The SWAF funding will be used to support the work of the organisation’s Health and Wellbeing service, helping to give young carers quality time to take a break, talk about what is affecting them, and the opportunity to learn coping techniques.
Margaret Murphy, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Young Carers, said:“We are grateful to have been awarded funding from the Scotch Whisky Action Fund again, and for the Award Panel’s understanding in the wake of COVID-19 which allowed us to adapt our plans and project delivery.
“The SWAF funding will help to give our young carers strength and resilience to deal with the ongoing situation, which for many has had a serious impact on their home life, their sense of isolation, and their access to respite time. We also look forward to sharing the learnings from this project with other organisations in Scotland’s caring sector.”
Karen Betts, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association said: “The Scotch Whisky industry is committed to tackling alcohol misuse and supporting the organisations receiving awards this year is very important to us.
“It’s particularly important at a time when COVID-19 is putting enormous pressure on individuals, families and communities across Scotland. These projects represent part of the industry’s broader commitment to tackling alcohol misuse.”
The Scotch Whisky Action Fund (SWAF) has announced the list of six projects that it will be supporting over the coming year as part of the industry’s ongoing commitment to tackling alcohol misuse with two capital projects – Edinburgh Young Carers and U-evolv, which is based at FetLor Youth Club – set to benefit.Continue reading Scotch Whisky Action Fund commits support to two new projects in Edinburgh
