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Time to Shine? Arts the way to do it!

Culture Secretary visits Youth Arts Hub

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop toured Edinburgh’s Youth Arts Hub yesterday and met young people whose lives have been changed by the Government-funded scheme.

The Edinburgh Youth Arts Hub, called #artcore, received £289,087 of funding from Creative Scotland as part of Time to Shine, Scotland’s Youth Arts Strategy, and is one of nine youth arts hubs across Scotland designed to give young people from all backgrounds a chance to take part in the arts.

The hubs act as focal points for regional youth arts delivery, helping to nurture and celebrate ambition, enthusiasm and talent in Scotland’s young people by improving the regional infrastructure. Young people are given the chance to be involved in running of the hubs themselves.

Ms Hyslop visited the hub, based at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street, and met apprentices working at #artcore as well as members of Youth Arts Voice Scotland, a national advisory group of young people aged 12 to 25 who ensure Time to Shine is informed by the views and needs of young people.

Ms Hyslop said: “It was great to meet some of the young people who have had a chance to participate in arts and culture thanks to Time to Shine, Scotland’s Youth Arts Strategy, and #artcore, and hear about the difference the hub is making to their lives.

“#artcore received £289,087 of funding from Creative Scotland to help it open up access to arts and creativity for children and young people in Edinburgh. We understand arts and creativity can have a huge positive impact in people’s lives, and Scotland’s nine Youth Arts Hubs aim to give young people all over the country the chance to take part.

“Culture, the arts and creativity play an important role in tackling inequality, and Time to Shine builds on the well-established links between culture, education, youth employment and personal development.

“It is not only about providing enhanced access opportunities for all of Scotland’s young people but it goes further to support meaningful career pathways for our talent of the future; be it on stage, the screen, behind the scenes or in our world-leading creative industries.

“Perhaps most importantly of all, our aim is that this engagement with culture will nurture personal qualities that will help our young people to grow confidently as citizens and towards realising their ambitions, wherever they lie in the arts or elsewhere.”

#artcore project manager Johnny Gailey said: “It’s great to have both the Cabinet Secretary, and young people from Youth Arts Voice Scotland, to visit to see how #artcore has progressed, since we got our Time to Shine funding to set up a youth arts hub in Edinburgh a year ago.

“In the past year, we have employed a team of four young apprentices to run our programme of multi-arts activity – we’ve worked with over 500 young people in a series of pilot projects involving gaming, animation, radio plays, circus skills, music, creative writing and self publishing. And we’re now at the exciting point of announcing our expanded autumn arts programme at sites throughout the city, as well as launching our new print social enterprise, Out of the Blueprint.”

Joan Parr, Creative Scotland’s Head of Creative Learning said:

“Placing young people at the centre of the strategy’s aims and ambitions is a core principle of Time To Shine and we are delighted by the extent to which the Time To Shine implementation programme has so far taken its lead from young people.

“#Artcore Edinburgh is very much a youth led Arts Hub and therefore provides the ideal setting for our national Youth Arts Voice Scotland group to reflect with the Cabinet Secretary on what’s been achieved through Time To Shine to date, and what can still be achieved in supporting Scotland’s young people to flourish and achieve in and through the arts and creativity.”

Blair Boyle, YAVS Member, said: “As YAVS we are delighted to be presenting the progress of Time To Shine to the Cabinet Secretary. We are playing a key role alongside Creative Scotland and Young Scot in the development of the strategy implementation programme and we think it’s vital that young people continue to have a strong voice at this level influencing policy and decision making.

“We are proud that Scotland has such a powerful arts strategy for young people and are excited to be at #artcore today to be able to share with the Cabinet Secretary the breadth and depth of the work that is now happenening across the country.”

Chief Executive of Young Scot Louise Macdonald said: “We are really lucky that there is such a wealth of creative talent right here in Scotland and that there are young people who are so passionate about championing it.

“The young people involved in Youth Arts Voice Scotland are nothing short of inspirational in their drive and ambition to make the arts more accessible to young people right across Scotland. Their hard work and enthusiasm is encouraging young people right across the country get involved in arts programmes, securing our future as a creative nation.

“I am proud that we, in partnership with Creative Scotland, have been able to bring these young people together, so they can meet, discuss and ultimately grow their passion together with other likeminded young people.”

Over 65? Come for tea – and bring a pal!

Enjoy afternoon tea at Friday’s Big Chinwag and help raise money to combat loneliness

We’re joining the mother of all natters this Friday to raise money to help lonely older people in Scotland and hope people aged 65+ can join us!

We all enjoy getting together for a good chat with friends, family or colleagues, but sadly 1 in 6 people over the age of 65 in Scotland feel cut off from society. Many older people can go for a month without seeing or speaking to anyone and this just isn’t right.

Please come along to Out of the Blue at The Old Drill Hall on Friday for our afternoon tea and natter – it will be great fun and you’ll be helping Age Scotland tackle loneliness in later life.

Thank you so much and hope to see you all there!

£3.50 entry, everyone welcome.

Lease agreed for Leith’s historic Custom House

‘It’s a great, mutually-beneficial partnership’ – Rob Hoon (Manager, Out of the Blue Arts & Education Trust)

The doors of Custom House are one step closer to being opened to the public thanks to a lease arrangement between the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT).

An in-principle deal with SHBT to lease the listed Leith building was confirmed last month, but received the official green light to proceed yesterday at a meeting of the Council’s Finance and Resources Committee.

The decision will allow SHBT to sublet the building on month by month basis, with cultural social enterprise group Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust the preferred tenant. The Council will remain landlord for the building, and will work with SHBT to develop a feasibility study into long-term plans for the building.

It is hoped local residents and businesses will be given a glimpse inside the building during an Open Day celebration later this year.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Culture and Sport Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “The missives have been signed and the lease agreed, and the keys to Custom House will now be passed to SHBT. It is the oldest structure of its kind in Scotland having been built in 1812 and the Council will work with the Trust to carry out initial works to the interior and exterior of the building.

“Under the Trust’s watch and with the Council as landlord, the doors of this historic building will finally swing open to the public and the Custom House building will once again become a hub in the heart of the Leith community.”

Chair of the SHBT Board of Trustees John Campbell, said: “Although we are a small charity, we have a strong track record in saving important buildings at risk for communities across Scotland and we are delighted now to be involved in securing a future for the Customs House.

“Our first priority will be to make some repairs to the building and spruce it up so that pretty soon members of the public will be able access it. Its various rooms will be available for use whilst we develop the capital project from feasibility study through to completion.

“This is a very exciting project that will deliver a vibrant mixed use hub for the benefit of the people of Leith and beyond. A key element will be the presentation of selected artefacts and interpretation displays to highlight the historic importance of Leith as the gateway to Edinburgh and Scotland. Other uses may include offices, workshops and public rooms for meetings and events.”

Rob Hoon, Manager of Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust, said: “Out of the Blue will work with the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust to take a short-term lease to look after the Custom House building, use it for artist studios, and liaise with the community regarding a future museum/heritage centre for a few years before refurbishment. It’s a great mutually beneficial partnership.”

Creative Leith collaborates on ‘Love Leith’ bruncheon

LEITH CREATIVE Project Launch

Saturday 14 February 2015, 11.30 – 3.00pm

It’s been a quiet start of the year for Citizen Curator but we are back this month with some interesting new collaborations …

In partnership with LeithLate we are launching Leith Creative at a very special ‘Love Leith’ Creative Bruncheon in conjunction with Out of Blue Drill Hall.

Leith Creative is a research project investigating the cultural resources and creative industries that make up the wider area. As part of this we have been talking to some of the creative hubs that inhabit Leith, but to find out more we want to hear from individual artists and organisations living, or working, in the area. What are the success you have had or challenges that you face?

To find out more …

Join us at the Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street for informal networking, where a host of family friendly Bruncheon treats will be available from the OOTB café, as well as live music from local Leith musicians, curated by William Douglas.

This is a free event but booking is appreciated.

If you can’t make it on the day, remember to fill out and share this online survey.

Also remember to check out our new Leith Creative facebook page for future events.

For further details contact

Citizen Curator

Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

21 Hawthornvale, Edinburgh, EH6 4JT

44+(0)7812167130

info@citizencurator.com

www.citizencurator.com

‘like’ us on Facebook

Citizen Curator is a contemporary arts organisation working with the history and identity of Leith and North Edinburgh. This project is supported by Creative Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Leith Benevolent Society

Our Leith Creative logo, and soon to come interactive map, is by artist/designer David Lemm. David also has work on display at the Edinburgh Printmakers, until 7 March.

Exposure: powerful images of mental health

Mental health issues have inspired a group of young people to produce a photography exhibition that will feature in a national festival next week.

Exposure is the first photographic event by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Positive Steps for Young People (PS4YP), and will be a highlight of the Scottish Mental Health and Arts Film Festival.

Basing their pictures on the festival’s theme of “power”, the young people at PS4YP have taken the lead and chosen 30 images that reflect their personal experience of living with mental health issues.

The images aim to stimulate thinking around stigma and discrimination, particularly in relation to people who experience anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and social isolation.

Exposure will run from Monday (6 October) until Friday next week at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street from 10am – 5pm– and entry is free.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, said: “This is an exciting project for the people who are involved in the Positive Steps service, and a fantastic opportunity for them to show off their skills. It is a vital service that helps to break down the stigma attached to mental health, which can affect any one of us at some point in our lives.

“We are committed to delivering high quality care and support to the many people who will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lives.”

PS4YP provides personalised and supported accommodation in a safe setting to people with mental health issues aged between 16 and 25.

Volunteer Recruitment Fair’s this Wednesday

The Volunteer Recruitment Fair takes place at St Paul’s and St Georges Church on York Place this Wednesday (24.09) from 11am – 7pm.

Entry is free, and we expect more than a thousand visitors to come along to find out more about the wide variety of volunteering opportunities available across Edinburgh with charities, social enterprises and the public sector.

This year, in addition to fifty plus stalls, there will be free employability workshops running at 11.30am and 3.00pm, and when visitors need to sit down after taking in all this new information there’s a café serving delicious food and drink run by the by city-based social enterprise Out of the Blue Drill Hall Arts Café .

Volunteering helps people build new skills, get a taste of different working environments, create new friendships and boost individual confidence and wellbeing. For those seeking a route into work, volunteering also adds skills to CVs as well as providing work experience and up-to-date references.

Making the choice to give your time and expertise to help others is a positive and meaningful commitment, with big rewards for the volunteer and the organisation or clients that the volunteer donates their time to. The Volunteer Recruitment Fair is the perfect way to match those who want to make best use of their time with those who benefit from their input. It’s also an opportunity to publicise Edinburgh’s vibrant Third Sector community.

VCE Convener Kris Von Wald said: “The role of volunteers in improving the quality of life in their communities has never been more important. The success of last year’s Volunteer Recruitment Fair demonstrated that the desire to donate both time and skills to help others is alive and well in the citizen’s of Edinburgh. All the signs point to 2014 being even more successful.”

For more about the Volunteer Recruitment Fair, visit the Volunteer Centre Edinburgh’s website, or Facebook page.

Swinney scores with Social Growth Fund at Spartans

John Swinney launches new £16 million fund at Spartans

Cabinet Secretary John Swinney and Social Investment Scotland (SIS) visited The Spartans Community Football Academy on Thursday to formally announce the launch of a new £16m Social Growth Fund.

The Social Growth Fund, run by Social Investment Scotland (SIS), brings together an investment of £8m from the Scottish Government and a further £8m from Big Society Capital, the independent financial institution set up to develop social investment in the UK.

SIS is using the fund to expand existing investment activity within Scotland’s third sector, and to launch a new risk capital product for the Scottish social investment marketplace. This will provide long-term finance from £10,000 to £1m with repayments tailored to each organisation’s needs.

Alastair Davis, chief executive of SIS, said the new fund will enable it to provide considerably more support to social enterprises and community businesses across Scotland.

He said: “This funding support will in turn help these local organisations improve the lives of people within their communities by making them much more self-sufficient and sustainable.”

John Swinney said Spartans, which currently receives SIS support, is a good example of how this kind of funding works to better communities.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “I am delighted that the new Social Growth Fund for Scotland is now open for applications. This is an exciting opportunity for third sector organisations in Scotland, allowing them to continue their vital work within our local communities.

“Today I have seen the great work that has been achieved by the Spartans Community Football Academy in the local area, with police and youth groups noting a huge reduction in call outs and antisocial behaviour. The facilities here at Spartans show what can be done with the type of funding the Social Growth Fund will provide.

“Through schemes such as this, social enterprises will be able to have a greater role going forward, bringing more benefits to the communities they serve.”

In tandem with this new funding, SIS has also launched a Great Social Enterprise Tour – visiting five cities in five days next week – to raise awareness of the Social Growth Fund amongst local social enterprises across Scotland. The events will provide social enterprises with a chance to speak directly to an investment manager about how social investment can support the sustainability of their business.

Monday 12 May – Glasgow: The Lighthouse, 10am till 12pm

Tuesday 13 May – Edinburgh: Out Of The Blue, 10.30am till 12.30pm

Wednesday 14 May – Inverness: The Spectrum Centre, 1 – 3pm

Thursday 15 May – Aberdeen: Transition Extreme, 12.30 – 2.30pm

Friday 16 May – Dundee: The Factory Skatepark – 12.30pm till 2.30pm.

Alastair Davis, Chief Executive of Social Investment Scotland, added: “The Social Growth Fund will enable us to provide considerably more support to social enterprises and community businesses across Scotland. This funding support will in turn help these local organisations improve the lives of people within their communities by making them much more self-sufficient and sustainable.

“However, we also recognise that applying for funding can be a daunting prospect for many organisations, as it frequently represents a change in the way they do business, moving from grant dependency to a mix of income streams. Our Great Social Enterprise Tour is aimed at addressing this uncertainty by providing social enterprises with the answers they need to start moving their organisations on to the next level to create longer lasting social impacts.”

Nick O’Donohoe, Chief Executive of Big Society Capital, added: “Social Investment Scotland is a leading example of how regional social finance managers can play an important role in helping charities and social enterprises to access social investment, through their deep knowledge of the needs and challenges of a local area. They have an exceptional track record of delivering social investment support to organisations in Scotland, and we are pleased to have been able to help them to continue doing this.”

Big Society Capital’s investment in Social Investment Scotland is the first of its kind in Scotland since its formation last year, and will increase Social Investment Scotland’s funds under management by a third. It is the largest investment in SIS for twelve years and the largest ever investment by an external organisation.

Organisations who are looking for investment should call a member of SIS’ investment team on 0131 558 7706 to discuss possible funding or support.

Case Study: Spartans Community Football Academy

The Spartans Community Football Academy is a social enterprise and charity located at Ainslie Park in North Edinburgh which uses sport to deliver social change. Their local community includes some of the most deprived post codes in Scotland. With support from Social Investment Scotland, the Spartans have invested £4.5m in the last 5 years to build first class facilities and services which generate commercial income, the profits from which are re-invested to deliver their charitable objectives.

In the past 15 months, Spartans business has continued to grow, enabling them to increase their social impact. Some recent highlights are:

Delivery of 1000+ hours of youth work based provision in 2013, including the Friday FooTEA club, where young people can enjoy a ‘hot meal’, take part in various activities and develop/grow at their own pace (a model which has been rolled-out & replicated elsewhere across the country)
Delivery of 850+ physical activity and coaching sessions in local schools in 2013, helping them to meet their 2 hours of PE target per week
Creation of 4 x Homework Clubs – using a ‘Game of 2 Halves’ model – in local primary schools, helping local schools to increase academic attainment levels
Over 1200 sign-ups for our community coaching programmes in 2013, catering for recreational -> elite players
Over 100,000 users of our range of Academy facilities in 2013
Runner up in the Scottish Social Enterprise of the Year 2013 awards