The Scottish Government has unveiled a new online learning resource to help school staff support young people’s mental health.
Staff can learn more about factors influencing mental health and wellbeing; prevention-based approaches in schools and tips on how to end mental health stigma and discrimination.
The Mental Health Foundation, Children in Scotland and training provider Digital Bricks developed the resource that is open to all school staff in primary, secondary and special schools.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is of vital importance and this resource is a significant addition to the suite of resources that school staff can access. It will provide essential learning and knowledge on mental health and wellbeing that schools can adopt and embed across all aspects of the school environment.
“Although aimed primarily at school staff, it can also be accessed and used by anyone who wants to learn more about mental health and how to support children and young people.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA spokesperson for Children and Young People, said: “The mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people must be a priority as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
“Ensuring those working with young people, in all capacities, have access to resources that develop their understanding of, and equip them to appropriately support mental health would be crucial; I welcome this comprehensive resource providing training and information for all school staff.”
Since April last year, our trained Childline counsellors have delivered more than 73,000 counselling sessions with young people who were struggling with their mental and emotional health. And more than 5,000 of these counselling sessions were with children aged 11 or under, an increase of nearly a third when compared to the year before.
However, as a charity that receives 90% of our income from the public, we know this is something we have not achieved alone, and we are hugely grateful for the dedication and commitment of our supporters, which allow us to continue this work.
One way that the public can support us is through the People’s Postcode Lottery, and since 2018, players have provided crucial funding to the sum of almost £6 million to the NSPCC to help the charity keep children safe and well.
The funds have been used to support our vital services across Scotland. This includes our schools service programme, helping primary school children speak out and stay safe from abuse, and our service centre in Govan, Glasgow, providing therapeutic services to families. And, of course, Childline, which provides free and confidential counselling to children and young people in need of support.
Childline is a lifeline for many children and over the past year thousands of young people have needed it more than ever due to the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. Local lockdowns, school closures, isolation and the impact of being separated from family and friends led many children to get in touch with the service over the phone or online.
The money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery has been invaluable in helping our frontline staff be here for children during their darkest hours.
Moving forward, as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, it remains vital that children and young people know where they can access help and support.
We can only make a difference for children together, and we simply couldn’t continue to run services like Childline without the public’s support.
It’s something many of us have noticed over the past year. We’ve been getting our shopping delivered, the weekly Keep Fit class is on hold, and phone calls have replaced a cuppa with friends.
We’ve had to postpone regular activities, whether that’s a game of bowls or playing with grandchildren. And while many have tried to keep up that daily walk, the Covid-19 pandemic has kept others confined to home.
“Stay at home” has been the safest advice – with many older people either shielding or significantly cutting down their social interactions.
But now that the vaccine rollout is well underway and restrictions are starting to lift, what impact has this had on our longer-term health?
Age Scotland’s new research confirms the impact that lockdown has had on our daily life – almost two thirds of over-50s say they have been less active over the past year.
Around half are worried that spending so much time at home has led to a loss of strength and mobility.
This had led to concerns that the restrictions could have a serious impact on our health over the next few years. Tens of thousands of older people could be experiencing “deconditioning” – declining physical fitness caused by lack of activity and spending long periods of time sitting.
This can lead to a loss of muscle strength, balance, flexibility and overall mobility, which can leave people more vulnerable to falls and likely to require social care support in the years to come.
It can even lead to health problems resulting in higher mortality from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
One way to combat this is through an innovative app called LifeCurve, developed by researchers at Strathclyde University, It’s based on research that found that we lose the ability to do things in a particular order as we age.
Early on the curve, we might be able to go for a brisk walk, while as we get older we might start to struggle with housework, bathing or cutting toenails.
The good news is this is not set in stone at a particular age. We can improve our position on the LifeCurve by staying physically active and keeping up with regular daily tasks. This can slow the ageing process and help us to live a healthy, independent life for longer.
We can all try to build more physical activity into our lives, whatever our fitness and ability level. Age Scotland has developed its Around the House in 80 Days series of videos to help people of all ages stay fit safely at home.
For many people, the issue is a lack of confidence after around 15 months at home. It’s often tempting to offer to help an older relative or neighbour by doing the shopping or cooking a meal. But it might be more helpful to encourage them to do more independently.
Perhaps you could offer to walk with someone to the shops or try a gentle exercise class (in person or online) together?
Many Age Scotland groups, such as Men’s Sheds and walking clubs, are now re-opening safely, giving further opportunities for physical and social activity.
It might start with a small step, but it could go a long way to ensuring a healthier later life.
Young people returning to work are being urged to check if they are eligible for Job Start Payment.
Over 1,000 young people have already benefited from this support since it launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s more than £277,000 invested so far in helping those whose job prospects have been hardest hit over the past year.
Job Start Payment is now £252.50, or £404 if the applicant has children and is available to young people who have been on certain benefits for 6 months or more. This payment could help with travel costs or could be used for clothing, lunches and other expenses that need to be met before someone receives their first salary.
Figures recently released cover the period from 17 August 2020, when Job Start Payment launched, to 31 March 2021.
People can apply for Job Start Payment for up to 3 months after their start date.
You can find out more and apply through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222.
Tourism organisations will be able to apply for funding to promote key visitor destinations in a responsible and sustainable way, helping the sector to recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Administered by VisitScotland, the £3 million Destination and Sector Marketing Fund will support eligible groups develop strong visitor marketing campaigns that position Scotland as a year-round destination to the UK and Irish markets.
The fund opens for applications on 1 June and will be split into three tiers, focusing on city, regional and national tourism groups. It is part of the £25 million investment in the tourism sector and will help deliver the post-Covid recovery programme developed by the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) and the Scottish Tourism Recovery Task Force.
Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said: “It’s been an incredibly difficult year for our tourism and hospitality sectors but, as we begin to reopen the economy and domestic travel resumes, this new fund will help to promote some of Scotland’s most scenic beauty spots to our closest markets.
“The fund stems from the work of the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce and demonstrates our commitment to getting the sector firmly back on its feet again – a commitment backed by £25 million investment. Scotland is one of the world’s most iconic destinations and we must work together to deliver a sustainable recovery.”
Director of Industry & Destination Development at Visit Scotland and Chair of STERG Riddell Graham, said: “The Destination and Sector Marketing Fund has been designed to help accelerate the recovery of Scottish tourism in the immediate to medium term by focusing on the domestic market.
“By using the latest insights, groups across Scotland will develop and promote visitor experiences both sustainably and responsibly to help stimulate demand in the domestic market all year-round.
“VisitScotland is focused on the recovery of the industry, building a destination and visitor experience which allows tourism and events to flourish now and in the future. We’ll continue to work with, and support, businesses to ensure we rebuild this vital part of Scotland’s economy.”
The Fund will be split into three tiers: City Region Award Programme (with awards on offer between £50k and £100k); Regional Destination Organisations and Pan Scotland Sector Groups (with awards between £40k and £80k); and Local Destination Organisations, Marketing Groups and non-Pan Scotland Sector Groups (with awards between £10k and £20k).
In the past year, Cyrenians’ FareShare depot based in Leith has distributed 1,800 tonnes of food to charities and community groups across Central and South East Scotland – the equivalent of creating over 4.2 million meals, and a three-fold increase on previous year.
Cyrenians tackles the causes and consequences of homelessness. Building community through food and tackling food poverty is a large part of their work – through their FareShare depot in Leith, the charity redistributes surplus food from the supply chain to charities and community groups across Central and South East Scotland.
Cyrenians FareShare Depot Operations Supervisor Craig Buchan said, “Ever since the start of covid-19 we have seen an increased demand for access to food in a quick, dignified manner. At the height of the pandemic, we were supporting over 200 Community Food Members – all of whom are organisations in their own right, delivering valuable services in their community.
“Our model is two-fold; we prevent unnecessary food waste by working with large supermarkets and food networks to prevent surplus food being sent to waste, whilst helping organisations like Empty Kitchens Full Hearts and Eildon Housing Association and many others to redirect funds into essential frontline work by providing nutritious food at low costs.”
Director of Commercial and Trading Services Mike Hartley added: “With the communities we serve still facing increasing pressure, and charities and community groups providing a real lifeline in these difficult times, it’s clear that this service has never been more needed.
“Alongside supporting other groups across Central and South East Scotland, the depot team have helped to deliver valuable services right here in Edinburgh too.
“With the help of our community partners and amazing volunteers, we have been able to continue running a range of community pantries across Edinburgh – offering dignified access to high quality affordable food. This enabled us to provide over 2,500 bags of food for pantry members.
“None of this could be possible without a dedicated team of staff and volunteers, alongside the financial support of individuals and businesses far and wide.
“On behalf of everyone at Cyrenians, I offer our sincere gratitude.”
A business accelerator that supports budding entrepreneurs is offering £250,000 to young people across Scotland who want to grow a digital business.
The sought-after scheme from TwinklHive provides grants and mentorship to individuals aged 18 to 24 and enables young people to commit and pursue entrepreneurship as a full-time career path and make their business dreams a reality.
The combination of funding and dedicated support on offer has been designed to provide a unique educational experience and equip successful applicants with the knowledge and skills to grow successful and sustainable businesses.
To apply, the young entrepreneurs must have a validated concept for a technology-enabled business and a clear vision. Their idea should also be focused on solving a real problem for their customers, as the scholarship is looking to develop the next mission driven founders and cultivate startups that will make a real difference to society.
Each successful applicant will receive a grant of up to £40,000. The scholarship is a full-time position that is set to run for six months, with the opportunity to apply for follow-on investment from the TwinklHive accelerator at the end of this period.
The applicants are not required to pay back the grant, which also covers the founding team’s salaries of up to £20,000 for the six month period.
Set up in 2019, TwinklHive was created by the entrepreneur Jonathan Seaton, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of the global educational publisher Twinkl. Jonathan started Twinkl with his wife Susie Seaton in their spare bedroom over ten years ago. The business now operates in over 200 countries and regions and has over 790 team members based at its offices in Sheffield and around the world.
Since its launch, TwinklHive has supported a variety of mission-led founders from startups in the tech sector, including EdTech, FinTech and HealthTech. The accelerator is working to continually extend its support to the startup ecosystem more widely, including assisting and supporting young and aspiring entrepreneurs with their scholarship scheme.
Alongside the non-repayable grant, candidates will receive mentorship and support from Jonathan and the current startup founders from within the Hive. Candidates will also gain access to the accelerator’s expansive business network. All support and mentorship can be accessed virtually to suit candidate’s locations.
Jonathan Seaton, Co-Founder and CEO at Twinkl and TwinklHive, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to now be in a position to offer support and mentorship to young individuals in Scotland.”
“We have all been living in unprecedented circumstances due to the pandemic. Covid has undoubtedly impacted the job market, and people are looking to find new opportunities and explore new directions as a result.
“For young people who are looking for a new direction or to pursue their business ideas, it can be an exciting yet daunting time. Through the TwinklHive scholarship we endeavor to support young entrepreneurs looking to take that leap and pursue and grow a business of their own.
“When my wife, Susie and I founded Twinkl, we experienced first hand the difficulties young entrepreneurs face when trying to get a business venture up and running. It can be difficult to get investment and having advice from people with experience is invaluable. We hope that we can provide the same kind of advice that helped us all those years ago and give people the opportunity to make a difference to their own lives and to others. ”
Amber Jardine, Hive Manager at Twinkl, said: “The scholarship was created to support young people who are passionate about building a sustainable business. I am so pleased that this year we are able to open this opportunity nationwide and I am looking forward to the prospect of working alongside mission-driven entrepreneurs with innovative solutions.”
The scholarship is open to people across the UK and applications are open now. If you or someone you know would like to apply, please email hive@twinkl.co.uk where further information will be provided.
The closing date for applications is Friday 11th June.
For more information about the scholarship and to find the application form visit the TwinklHive blog.
Quarriers has launched its ‘Bring Back Smiles’ appeal to support vulnerable young people and to help them to recover from the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic.
As a leading social care charity, Quarriers already provides vital support for children, families and young people and has launched the fundraising campaign to support over 1000 children across Scotland and to provide positive experiences and resources.
Dr Ron Culley, Chief Executive of Quarriers, said: “For many young people the changes brought by the pandemic have been overwhelming and the world has seemed a scary and unpredictable place.
“Every day our highly experienced staff are seeing children who have high levels of anxiety, low mood, lack of motivation and loss of confidence.
“As restrictions are relaxing, many of us are getting back to the activities that we enjoy. However, poverty, disability and disadvantage will make it too hard for many families to give their children positive experiences over the summer to support their mental health and that is why we have launched the ‘Bring Back Smiles’ appeal.”
Donations can be made at www.quarriers.org.uk/smiles and just £5 could support vulnerable youngsters in the following ways:
Boost independence – help to cover transport costs for teenagers in rural areas to meet up with friends over the summer.
Build confidence – provide funding for a child to take part in an activity they have never done before such as paddle boarding.
Lift spirits – help to fund safety equipment to help youngsters have fun, such as a bike helmet.
Quarriers provide essential support across Scotland through their work with young carers, children with complex needs and young people who are in care or have experience of care, and families coping with poverty.
Quarriers also provides mental health support through school-based services and they have first-hand experience of the help children need to move on from the difficulties of recent times.
Beautiful little girl in a blue dress eating an ice cream.
Christine Dow, Project Worker, Quarriers Let’s Talk Service, said: “COVID has changed the experience our children have had of childhood, and we don’t know the long-term impact this will have on our youngster’s development.
“But what we do know is that we are seeing a huge effect on their mental health right now and we want to help them. Throughout the pandemic, Quarriers frontline workers have kept support going and by using video calls, telephone calls or sometimes just texting we have learned that many of the children we support are anxious.
“Some children can’t stop thinking about the dangers of the virus and some feel frightened of the outside world or find going outside stressful. Lockdown saw family routines break down, sleeping patterns disrupted and appetites affected. Some children have experienced low moods and lack of motivation whilst others have experienced panic attacks.
“We know mental health services have seen a huge increase in referrals and supporting our young people at this crucial time is vital. We hope to help as many youngsters as possible across Scotland through the Quarriers Children’s Fund.”
The Marketing Society Scotland (MSS) has launched a new ‘Marketing on Tap’ campaign to support the Scottish hospitality industry.
The new campaign has been initiated by the MSS to support pubs, bars and restaurants across Scotland through free marketing and promotion advice, training and downloadable toolkits spanning social media, PR, influencer engagement and digital marketing.
Timed to coincide with the latest lifting of restrictions, Marketing on Tap aims to equip small to medium sized hospitality businesses across Scotland as they finally reopen their doors and prepare to welcome more guests across the summer months.
MSS Director, Graeme Atha, says: “Scotland has a vibrant marketing community, full of bright, creative minds and a collective vision to do good. It’s also a community that not only works closely with the hospitality sector, but has also relied on it as the birthplace for great creative ideas, award wins, pitch celebrations and of course, commiserations, and we owe it a great debt.
“Our Advisory Board felt strongly they had an opportunity to give back and add real value to the hospitality sector in a time of need, so have pooled resources to proactively create and launch Marketing on Tap to support businesses with free, trusted advice, real support, and a suite of tangible assets.”
Emma Pollock, Communications Manager with Diageo, who helped initiate the campaign added: “Hospitality venues in Scotland have been closed for the majority of the last year and prior to the pandemic, this was a buoyant industry, contributing £1.8bn to Scotland’s economy and supporting over 83,000 jobs.
“It’s now an industry that needs support to recover and the Marketing Society Scotland has the will and the expertise to help make a difference to these businesses.
“Marketing on Tap shows the power of action and the collective support across the Scottish marketing sector to share knowledge and expertise to support our hospitality industry and help get these businesses back on their feet.”
In addition to practical guidance, MSS is also encouraging its members to deliver grassroots support and ‘make your work more social by heading down your local’.
The intention is to drive increased custom at a local level through word-of-mouth promotion, social media support and even justifiably holding meetings over lunch or a pint.
Over a seven-week period Marketing on Tap will provide:
Practical, downloadable how to guides to
Brand building
Digital presence
Social media management
Photography
PR / Media Releases
Influencer engagement
In-depth weekly online clinics (based on the above topics) and the opportunity to ask the marketing experts
Online signposting to financial support and associated links
Disadvantaged young people across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk have received a financial boost with the launch of a new partnership between Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids and Charles River Laboratories.
The pharma company has presented the charity with a donation of £10,000 and pledged to raise more vital funds in the future. The donation will go directly towards the next grant round of funding, supporting community groups and families – many of whom are facing a financial emergency in the pandemic.
As part of the partnership, colleagues at Charles River Laboratories have signed up to take part in the Virtual Kiltwalk as well as Cash for Kids’ own Virtual Tour de Forth event. They’ll also provide a team of volunteers for the next Mission Christmas campaign in December.
Edinburgh-based Director at Charles River Laboratories, Morag Myers, said:“After such a challenging year for fundraising, we are hopeful that this initial donation of £10,000 will go a long way to help families in our local community and have a positive impact on the lives of children and young people.
“At Charles River, our purpose is clear, and our passion is strong: together, we create healthier lives. One of our key values is Care and one of the ways that we demonstrate this is by supporting the communities where we work and live. By Supporting Cash For Kids we are looking forward to doing just that.”
Charity Manager at Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids, Victoria Hendry, added:“2020 was a hugely challenging year for our charity, with events and numerous fundraisers cancelled, but it was thanks to the efforts of our individual and corporate supporters that we were able to re-open grant funding towards the end of the year.
“We’ve already supported more than 7,000 children in 2021, with over £110,000 in financial support so far.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Scottish team at Charles River Laboratories for their generous donation and commitment to go even further for us in the future. The pandemic has proved to us that every single penny we raise can make a difference. Their donation will change lives for the better and help Cash for Kids reach and help even more young people right across the region.”
