The platform, which provides a safe place to find advice, local support, tips, and tools to help maintain positive wellbeing, was launched at Bonaly Primary School this week (Wednesday 21 August).
The online space features a series of short films where children and young people from Edinburgh schools discuss why it’s important to talk about feelings and share their tips for emotional wellbeing.
There is also advice on apps, information on local supports and signposting to other websites that provide other sources of helpful advice and resources which include helplines and chat-based support.
It follows research which shows that understanding our emotions and learning coping mechanisms can help prevent more serious health problems later in life.
Education, Children and Families Convener Joan Griffiths said: “The wellbeing of our children and young people is at the heart of everything we do, and we understand they’ll face challenges which might cause them to struggle with their feelings and emotions.
“The launch of this new online platform marks a positive step forward in providing them with the tools and resources they need to take care of their mental health and wellbeing.
“Whether they’re seeking advice, finding support or want to connect with others, the platform is designed to be a go-to digital space. I’m confident it will make a real difference to the lives of Edinburgh’s children and young people.”
Gillian Barclay, Depute Principal Psychologist, said: “It’s normal to feel anxious, angry, sad, or frustrated some of the time, but recognising that we are struggling with feelings or emotions is really important. The new platform aims to support children, young people, and the adults around them to maintain positive wellbeing.
“I hope children, young people and their families in Edinburgh will find it helpful. We’ll continue adding information, support and resources and welcome feedback, particularly from young people and families, to help us do this.”
Culture and business will be able to connect in new and exciting ways thanks to the launch of a new Marketplace initiative, pioneered by Culture and Business Scotland (C&BS).
The Culture & Business Marketplace Scotland is the first-of-its-kind online platform that will match up businesses looking to expand their creative horizons with culture organisations seeking support in delivering their creative ideas.
A range of Scottish creative organisations have already committed to participating in the Marketplace pilot, including household names such as the Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Ensemble, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Screen Education Edinburgh.
Launching today (Wednesday May 17) the platform will work similarly to a database, where these pilot not-for-profit culture organisations will be able to list their products or services as ‘sellers’.
Businesses, or potential ‘buyers’, will then browse the available opportunities using filters such as ‘supporting innovation, creative thinking and problem solving in the workplace’ and ‘improving staff health and wellbeing’ to find culture organisations that would be well-suited to fit a gap, combat an existing challenge or fulfil a specific target.
David Watt, CEO of Culture & Business Scotland, said: “Past experiences have shown us that giving businesses and culture organisations the opportunity to forge meaningful connections is hugely empowering, not only for those organisations involved but for wider society as well, and the impacts have the potential to reverberate for generations to come.
“The launch of our Marketplace initiative will increase those opportunities, both in number and in scope, and help to ensure that organisations from both sectors are equipped for a more innovative, forward-thinking future.”
Being given the opportunity to connect and receive backing from businesses can be transformational for creative organisations. In 2021 the Edinburgh-based Living Memory Association partnered with Leith’s Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre through Culture & Business Scotland’s already established match-funding scheme, the C&BS Fund, a precursor to the Marketplace initiative.
The funding enabled Living Memory Association to make use of two vacant units as exhibition spaces. The initial offering of two units grew to include the use of a whole empty 6000 square metre store across two floors, which the Living Memory Association used to facilitate reminiscence as a means of engaging people with heritage, recording their memories and combatting loneliness and social isolation in the process.
The community-focused nature of Ocean Terminal’s location enabled the organisation to reach a wider audience than would have otherwise been possible, raising the Living Memory Association’s profile and creating a positive snowball effect, as it was then able to attract further funding and opportunities.
Ocean Terminal, meanwhile, benefitted from the increased footfall into what would have otherwise been an abandoned space, with the resulting added social value surpassing expectations and generating positive impacts in ways that the retail centre had previously not experienced.
Mark Haywood, Living Memory Association Director, said: “This has been a phenomenal partnership for The Living Memory Association and investment from Culture & Business Scotland made it possible.
“It has raised the profile of The Living Memory Association, led us into new areas of work and allowed us to support a whole range of fascinating artistic and heritage endeavour. It has meant we can support individuals and groups to showcase and develop their work and bring them into direct contact with the public.
“We have used the new units to engage people and work with older people to record their memories and value their life experience. All activities are free, taking art and heritage straight into the heart of the community. We are extremely grateful to Culture & Business Scotland and Ocean Terminal for their support to our work”.
Michelle MacLeod, Ocean Terminal Manager, added: “We could not have believed that this partnership would be so socially and economically beneficial to The Centre and we hope to be able to further develop this collaboration going into the future and incorporating this work into the new developments currently underway at Ocean Terminal.”
Funding facilitated by Culture & Business Scotland has also enabled creative organisations to make scientific ideas accessible through the arts, as Edinburgh Science Foundation discovered after being partnered with Cirrus Logic through the C&BS Fund.
As a leading global semiconductor supplier, Cirrus Logic’s commitment to promoting science, technology, engineering, and maths amongst young people underpins the company’s support of the Edinburgh Science Festival. Last year, sponsorship from Cirrus Logic enabled the creation of several new activities at the festival, helping to encourage awareness about Scottish flora and fauna through a photography exhibition and multi-sensory, immersive experiences which incorporated visual and artistic elements.
Subsequent analysis of the event found that its messaging around climate change and the natural world impacted on visitors’ behaviour and attitudes, whilst Cirrus Logic benefitted from the comprehensive marketing and publicity activity surrounding the festival.
For more information on the Culture & Business Marketplace Scotland, please visit:
Employers given tools to understand and improve mental health of workers
Businesses now have access to a free online platform offering practical ways to boost mental health in the workplace.
Face-to-face training opportunities, clear guidance on the legal duties of businesses, and specialist third-party contacts will be in one place for the first time – making it easier than ever for employers to access the means of creating a culture of support and wellbeing at work.
This initiative comes as research shows the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on the mental health of people up and down the country. As more people continue to return to the workplace, the Scottish Government is encouraging employers to support the mental wellbeing of staff so that businesses can continue to recover from COVID-19.
Recent research shows poor mental health costs Scottish employers over £2 billion every year and that, for every £1 spent on mental health interventions, employers get back £5 in reduced sick days and increased productivity.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Happier workforces create successful businesses – it’s a win-win for all involved.
“The pandemic has impacted the mental health of us all and employers need the tools to protect and support the mental health of their staff.
“This platform makes it easier than ever to achieve this, and I encourage companies across Scotland to get involved for the benefit of their staff and productivity.”
Chief Executive of Public Health Scotland Angela Leitch said: “These last few years have been difficult for many people across Scotland and has had an impact on the mental health of many.
“Returning to our workplaces could also be a further challenge because of changes in personal circumstances. It is widely recognised that being amongst colleagues can be beneficial to our mental health and being back in the workplace can also be a more positive and productive experience.
“This toolkit will therefore be of considerable benefit to employers and to their staff as we move out of the restrictions we’ve lived with for two years.”
It comes as See Me –Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination – has launched a complementary digital portal that gives employers access to a one-size-fits-all framework for workplaces. This will help companies make continuous improvements to directly tackle mental health stigma and discrimination.
Wendy Halliday, director of See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, said: “Mental health stigma and discrimination in the workplace often comes from a lack of knowledge. People can find that genuine problems are either belittled, or not believed in the first place.
“We’re calling on organisations to be real leaders in creating positive change, making their workplaces the best they can be, by joining the See Me in Work programme.
“The new digital portal supports employers to take action to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination at work and create workplaces that are open in talking about mental health and where discriminatory behaviour is challenged.”
