Tag: participation

Inverleith Neighbourhood Network to meet next week

There’s a distictly Drylaw flavour to next week’s Inverleith Neighbourhood Network meeting.

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre will be giving a presentation to the meeting in a ‘Getting To Know You’ session and Easter Drylaw Park has also been tabled as an agenda item.

The meeting, which will take place online using TEAMS, will be held on Monday 6th December from 6 – 7.30pm.

AGENDA

  1. Welcome and introductions
  2. Minute of meeting of 12th October 2021
  3. Getting to know you – Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre
  4. Local Community Planning Partnership (LCPP)- Verbal update from Joan Beattie, Rep on LCPP from this group
  5. Progressing Inverleith NN priority – Greenspace and community growing subgroup – verbal update
  6. Community Grants Fund – discussion
  7. Easter Drylaw Park issues – discussion
  8. AOCB
  9. Date and format of next gathering

For further information contact North West Lifelong Learning Development Officer, Elaine Lennon: email Elaine.Lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk

Scottish Youth Parliament: Edinburgh elections results

The Scottish Youth Parliament election results 2021 were announced on Monday 22 November. Eleven new Members of the SYP will now represent young people in Edinburgh.

Ten of those elected are from state schools in the city, seven are young women and three are from a Black and Minority Ethnic background.

One remaining seat, in Northern and Leith, will be contested in the new year.

Edinburgh registered the highest number of expressions of interest in Scotland from potential candidates and fielded the most candidates (26) of any local authority.

We also achieved the highest voter turnout in Edinburgh since 2015, despite many of the usual campaigning activities being curtailed because of the pandemic.

Councillor Ellie Bird, Young People’s Champion, said: “I want to commend the astonishing achievements and contributions of all 26 candidates that stood across Edinburgh in the Scottish Youth Parliament election, and warmly welcome the eleven new MSYPs into our city’s elected member family.

“The success of this year’s election is a testament to the commitment and passion of everyone involved in prioritising the voice of young people, at a time when it’s never been more important.

“Due to the restricted access to schools, youth clubs and community centres, candidates have had to rely on their own ingenuity, creativity and sheer dogged persistence to get their message, and their vote, out.

“The determination that these young people have demonstrated in standing up for what they believe in by putting themselves forward for election and to be accountable to their electorate, especially during such a challenging period for young people, is nothing short of inspirational.

“I know they all have a lot to offer their communities and the causes they care about most, and I can’t wait to see what they do next and look forward to working with Edinburgh’s newest group of elected representatives to place young people at the heart of policy and decision making.”

For more information about the election and the successful candidates, please see @edinburghMSYPs

Conversations with the Social Action Inquiry

The Social Action Inquiry was set-up to explore what helps and what hinders Social Action in Scotland.

Our first steps are a series of participatory and thought-provoking conversations to connect people taking practical, socially driven action in the service of others, our shared spaces and our natural environments.

The conversation is two hours long and divided into 3 parts. Each part will invite participation from attendees to contribute through dialogue, written words and images.

The structure of the conversation will:

  • Provide space to share the stories of social action that need heard
  • Begin to develop the network of allies involved in social action
  • Explain the intention and life cycle of the Inquiry
  • Identify who else we need to speak to
  • Shape the next steps of the Inquiry

At the end of the sessions there will be information and offers from the Inquiry Team of how people can stay connected with the Inquiry.

Dates and Times of Conversations

Thursday the 24th of November 7-9p.m

Tuesday the 30th of November 4-6p.m

Tuesday the 7th of December 2-4p.m

Wednesday the 8th of December 7-9p.m

Book your place here and select your preferred Date and Time.

These conversations will take place on the Zoom platform. Once you have registered, we will send you the Zoom link and materials that you can use during the session.

For more information about the event you can email us at hello@socialaction.scot

I wanted to drop you a message to update you on our engagement activities for this phase of the Social Action Inquiry (writes DARRYL).

We are hosting 3 weeks of Conversations with the Social Action Inquiry.

Tickets can be reserved through Eventbrite here. We have scheduled BSL interpreters for the event on the 7th of December (7-9 p.m.).

We have also scheduled additional conversations with allied initiatives and organisations such as #Iwill21 and Inspirealba.  

Each conversation is two hours in length and are designed with liberating structures in mind, enabling attendees to contribute regularly and evenly to the conversations. The conversations are divided into three parts and the aims for these sessions are to:

  • Provide space to share the stories of social action that need heard
  • Begin to develop the network of allies involved in social action
  • Explain the intention and life cycle of the Inquiry
  • Identify who else we need to speak to
  • Shape the next steps of the Inquiry

We would be grateful if you could share information about these events through your networks ,social media, and perhaps more importantly, nudge one or two people that spring to mind that need to know about these conversations.

We find that the personal touch often has the greatest influence.

You can find us on Twitter and Instagram we invite you to follow us, both platforms have embedded a short animation describing the events which can be shared.

Finally, please do get in touch if you would like to connect. Alternatively if you would like to be removed from our mailing list please let us know as well.

Best wishes

Darryl

Social Action Inquiry Scotland

Phone: 07867 181 040

Website: www.socialaction.scot

Twitter: @Soc_Act_Scot

Instagram: @Social_Action_Scotland

Supporting women in climate action and conflict resolution

Funding for new fellowship programme

A new climate change focused fellowship promoting equal participation by women in peace resolution is being supported as part of a £300,000 funding commitment from the Scottish Government.

The Beyond Borders UNSCR1325 Climate Change Fellowship will provide peacekeeping, negotiation and reconstruction training to women in areas of conflict.

It will enable climate activists, people from indigenous and island communities, and areas where there is no state control, to share their experience of issues of gender, climate change and conflict.

This new programme is one of the three fellowships delivered by Beyond Borders to support women with conflict resolution supported by Scottish Government funding in 2021-22.

The fellowship on conflict resolution has involved over 250 women from more than 20 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia since it began in 2016.

Speaking at the New York Times Climate Hub at COP26, External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said: “We know that women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change.

“Our transition to net zero can only truly be just if it also tackles inequalities that women and girls face around the world, but that are particularly apparent in the global south and places of conflict – such as increased food insecurity, displacement and sexualised violence.

“We have an opportunity to support women to play a full role in work to mitigate climate impacts, disaster risks and loss and damage that are inextricably linked to both conflict and the climate emergency, and this funding will further the work already started by the Beyond Borders fellowship.”

Beyond Borders Founder Mark Muller Stuart, QC, said: “Beyond Borders welcomes the continued support of the Scottish Government for the development of the Women in Conflict 1325 Peacemaking Fellowship Programme.

“Since 2016, the Fellowship has created a unique community of practice of women working in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, and will now build upon this community in exploring the critical nexus of climate change, gender, conflict and security.

“Following the lead of the United Nations Secretary General, the Fellowship is committed to providing a platform for the discussion of these crucial themes and to developing a framework concerning climate change and conflict, and the instrumental role that women play in working to ameliorate both phenomena.”

Climate Action Towns project: Empowering communities

Seven towns have been chosen to help tackle the impact of climate change and secure a just transition to net zero.

The Climate Action Towns programme will empower communities to come together and engage in collective climate action, taking account of the unique challenges and opportunities each town faces. That might include looking at what action can be taken on switching to more sustainable food or renewable energy.

Communities in the seven towns will be offered support to find ways of making changes at a local level that will help tackle the crisis, giving them a voice and engaging those that may not have previously engaged in climate action.

The programme will be delivered by design agency Architecture and Design Scotland, with funding of £146,000 from the Scottish Government.

The seven towns chosen are:

  • Alness, Highlands
  • Annan, Dumfries & Galloway
  • Blackburn, West Lothian
  • Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute
  • Holytown, North Lanarkshire
  • Invergordon, Highlands
  • Stevenston, North Ayrshire

The project will be driven by collaboration between local people and agencies, and their collective vision of what their Climate Action Town looks like. The outcome of the work with the towns will be used to outline learning for climate action on a town scale that can then be applied across Scotland and beyond.

The announcement came during the Scottish Government’s Just Transition themed weekend during COP26.

The start of the process to collaborate and co-design the Scottish Government’s refreshed Energy Strategy was outlined on Friday. It was also announced that Scotland’s first Just Transition Plan, to be published in spring 2022, will be focussed on the energy sector.

The Scottish Government will provide £100,000 to establish a Just Transition Alliance within the Under2 Coalition, a network of more than 200 devolved and local governments driving climate action across the world, so that members can access the resources, support and information necessary to deliver a just transition in cities and towns across the world.

Just Transition Minister Richard Lochhead said: “It is clear that we must decarbonise industry and society in order to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but we must do so in a way that is fair for everyone and leaves no one behind.

“Scotland was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, so we see it as only right that Scotland is at the forefront of this green revolution.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make changes in a way that will be good for our people, our communities, our economy and our planet – we must seize it.

“Tackling the climate crisis requires all of us, at every level, to get involved. We can all make a difference. The Climate Action Towns project aims to support and empower communities to have a say on how their local areas should change as part of a fair and just transition to net zero.

“I look forward to seeing how the towns that are taking part rise to the challenge and find ways that will not only make a difference locally but to Scotland and indeed the world.”

Architecture and Design Scotland Chief Executive Jim MacDonald said: “The climate emergency demands urgent action from us all. For Scotland to adapt to the impacts of climate change, we are all going to need to work together to adapt the ways we live, work, play and move in our cities, towns and villages.

“Considering that half of Scotland’s population live in towns, it is vital towns are a key focus in the fight against climate change.”

Share your climate action story

As Cop26 kicks off EVOC are celebrating the citizens & communities across #Edinburgh (Scotland, the UK, & the World) who are already taking climate action!

We want you to share your #MyClimateAction story – a picture, short video, or something more!

Here’s how to get involved:

#myclimateaction