Youth organisation launches new inclusive and accessible mental health support
AN EDINBURGH-BASED youth mental health charity has unveiled an ambitious new strategy designed to create meaningful and accessible support spaces for young people across the city.
U-evolve, which has supported over 200 young people aged 11-21 each year since 2015, is marking a pivotal moment in its mission with the launch of its comprehensive 2025-2028 strategy.
The charity offers tailored services such as mental health coaching, counselling, art therapy, drop-in sessions, and specialised workshops, breaking down traditional barriers to mental health support.
The new strategy focuses on creating both physical and metaphorical spaces where young people can feel supported and empowered to take control of their mental well-being.
Earlier this year, the charity made the move to Norton Park, Edinburgh’s first office complex dedicated to charities and social enterprises, operating from the carefully restored Victorian school building.
Susie McIntyre, Chief Executive of U-evolve, said: “Our new strategy is about creating space – both physical and metaphorical – where young people can feel genuinely supported and empowered to take control of their mental health.
“Our move to Norton Park provides the ideal foundation for this transformative approach. The environment here inspires collaboration and innovation, enabling us to focus our resources and energy where they’re needed most- supporting the young people of Edinburgh.”
With a strong emphasis on listening to young people and involving them in decision-making, the strategy reflects a commitment to inclusivity, kindness, and continuous learning.
Part of this is done through Young Voices, a focus group centred around listening to the issues that matter to young people.
A young person benefitting from U-evolve’s work said: “I think Young Voices helps U-evolve realise the struggles that young people have today with Mental Health.
“Being a part of Young Voices Team, has improved my confidence and especially around talking about mental health. It has helped me reflect and look at some problems that other young people have that I would not think of otherwise.”
The charity’s move to Norton Park symbolises a new chapter of growth and innovation. By reducing operational costs, U-evolve can invest more resources directly into supporting young people’s mental health and is now better positioned to extend its critical mental health services with renewed momentum.
Keith Robertson, CEO of Norton Park said: “We’re proud to provide a professional home that enables organisations like U-evolve to focus entirely on their crucial mission.
“This strategy demonstrates the potential of charities when given the right support and environment.”
For more information on how to support U-evolve visit u-evolve.org or follow the charity on Instagram @uevolvescotland
Dean & Cauvin Young People’s Trust has today (WEDNESDAY 13 MARCH) been awarded funding from the Young Start programme to continue delivering their vital support services to vulnerable young people in Edinburgh.
Funding of £99,347 was awarded to the 300-year-old charity as part of a total of more than £1.5 million awarded to 19 Scottish organisations supporting children, teenagers and young adults across the country.
Young Start, delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, awards dormant bank account funding to projects that help young people reach their full potential.
Spartans Community Foundation also received funding of over £99,000. They will use their Young Start award to provide a three-year project to support 450 young people aged 10 to 18 through regular weekly clubs, workshops, day trips and residential trips.
The project, based at Ainslie Park in Pilton, will support children and young people from the immediate surrounding areas. The group will also support the young people in developing self-advocacy and communication skills. The project builds on the group’s experience of youth work in North Edinburgh and its partnership with other agencies.
Other Edinburgh-based projects to receive funding are:
The Venture Trust (£95,292)
This group will provide a two year project to support 110 young people aged 16 to 24. The group will support young people through intense complex challenges such as adverse childhood experiences, trauma, poverty, abuse and periods of homelessness and substance use issues.
The project aims to provide a preventative approach to these complex issues and avoid high-risk behaviours. The group will support young people from West Lothian, Midlothian, and Edinburgh.
U-Evolve (£91,505)
The group will provide a therapeutic programme of support to young people aged 11 to 18 in Edinburgh.
This programme has been developed by young people, and in response to challenges young people face with their mental health and wellbeing. This project will benefit 300 young people and 36 volunteers over the course of three years.
Youth Theatre Arts Scotland (£67,386)
The group will provide disadvantaged young people aged 16 to 24, who want to work in youth theatre with opportunities to train in youth theatre leadership, gain work experience, obtain accredited qualifications in youth work, and develop their CVs and interview skills.
The two and a half year project will benefit 100 young people and 40 volunteers.
Dean & Cauvin Young People’s Trust provides a range of support to vulnerable young people including helping with addiction and homelessness, supporting young parents, and family breakdowns.
Jay, aged 20 from Edinburgh, accessed Dean & Cauvin’s residential services with the help of her social worker, when she was 19 years old and had just given birth to her baby boy, Bob.
Jay said: “I was quite ill after giving birth to Bob – I had a blood clot and a collapsed lung, so I had to spend quite a bit of time in hospital.
“When I was better, I had nowhere to stay. There was no space with any of my family members, and having a six-week-old baby made it so much more urgent that I found a home. My social worker managed to find me a space at Cauvin House.”
Dean & Cauvin’s residential service – Cauvin House – provides accommodation to young parents and their children, as well as ongoing parenting support and assessment, to help keep families together.
One year after Jay moved into the shared accommodation, an individual flat became available for her, which she was able to transition into.
Jay said: “It feels amazing to have our own space. Living with Bob in the shared accommodation was obviously so much better than the alternative – being homeless – but having got a wee flat for us is giving me so much independence.
“I still get a lot of help from the staff – I had a really bad period of mental illness a while back and began self-harming, and my support workers were always there for me and have helped me come back out of that and be mentally well again.”
Jay says thanks to the charity, she’s looking forward to the future and hopes to go back into education.
She explained: “I was studying childminding at college when I got pregnant, and now I feel like I’m in a good position I want to go back and finish it when Bob goes to nursery.
“I’m so thankful for everything the staff at Dean & Cauvin have done for me – they’re like a second family – they’ve been there through it all with us.”
Lianne Thomson, House and Community Service Manager at Dean & Cauvin Young People’s Trust said: “We are deeply grateful for the Young Start funding as it has enabled us to continue making a real difference to the lives of our young people.
“It has helped us to provide vital support and resources to empower and impact the lives of the families we work with. I am immensely proud of Jay’s progress and it has been a privilege to join her on her parenting journey.”
Announcing today’s funding, The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “Support services such as Dean & Cauvin are such important resources around the country for so many young people like Jay to help turn their lives around in moments of real difficulty.
“We are always keen to support projects that 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.”
Young Start helps young people aged eight to 24 become more confident and play an active part in realising their potential. Funding of up to £100,000 is available for youth led projects.
30 groups in Edinburgh are today sharing in £635,368 of National Lottery funding.Stepping Stones North Edinburgh is among those celebrating this morning – the project based on Pilton Drive North has received over £163,000.
Stepping Stones North Edinburgh will use their lottery grant to provide support to families experiencing challenging circumstances. It’s expected that up to 230 local people will benefit over the three years of funding and the funding will also provide volunteering opportunities.
Upward Mobility today receives £37,767 of funding, raised by National Lottery players, to provide a range of support and learning opportunities to adults with learning disabilities and autism.
Welcoming the funding, Andrew Thomson, Chief Executive, Upward Mobility Ltd, said: “The team at Upward Mobility are very grateful to have been awarded National Lottery Community Funding to enable us to support our students within their homes during this period of lock down and restrictions on group activities.
“Being able to take support services to our students enables us to maintain contact and help to reduce the feeling of isolation and anxiety experienced during these challenging times. We would wish to thank the National Lottery players for their donations enabling us to carry on this vital work.”
Street Fit Scotlandreceives £9,584 to provide a range of support for homeless and vulnerably housed people across the city.
Michelle Reilly, Founder/Chief Executive, Street Fit Scotland, said: “We are very grateful to receive this National Lottery funding which has enabled us to support the homeless community in Edinburgh to start to recover from lockdown.
“We are now actively providing a variety of outdoor socially distanced fitness sessions again at the meadows. It’s great to see the community connecting again whilst getting fitter and having fun together after experiencing such a tough time.”
And Sikh Sanjog receives £8,400 to conduct research through to December 2020 which will investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the Sikh communities across Scotland.
Trishna Singh OBE, Director, Sikh Sanjog, said: “Sikh Sanjog is the only Family Sikh Support charity in Scotland.
“Although being the gateway to the Sikh community in Scotland, resources have meant that research on the Sikh community has often had to take a step back to ensure focus on front line services. However, the funding awarded from the National Lottery will allow us to create a vital research project which will provide a starting point to assess the impact that COVID-19 has had on Sikhs living in Scotland during the time of the pandemic.
“The funding will enable us to extend the research project to cover not only the early effects the pandemic has had on the Sikh community, but also the current and future impact as we learn to adapt to this new normal.”
Edinburgh based youth mental health charity, U-Evolve, have received a National Lottery award from The National Lottery Community Fund to ensure that young people, parents and front line professionals can access the resources they need to build good mental health, through their new online service – TALK hub.
U-Evolve, which was established in 2015, works with young people age 11-18 years old, providing 1:1 therapeutic coaching, youth mental health awareness workshops and training for frontline professionals, such as teachers and youth workers. This person centred, holistic support ensures that young people have the resources and environments they need to thrive.
The TALK hub will be a virtual one stop shop for trusted resources and tools to support good mental health and wellbeing. These resources for young people, their parents and teachers will include a series of videos and podcasts responding to the questions and concerns U-Evolve hear most.
John*, one of the young people U-Evolve support said: “I am much more positive and happier with myself and how I look at the lockdown. I’m now back at work and felt rejuvenated coming back into work.
“My family and friends all noted drastic changes in my mood. To quote one of them, “You looked different than usual.”, when I question what was different, they said “You’re just radiating positivity.”
“This was when I realised that the help from U-evolve had affected more than just my thoughts and feelings towards being isolated, but that I felt more confident as myself and that I was able to get through a difficult time (albeit with some help) and that I could feel proud of myself for persevering and reflecting on myself as a whole.”
Becky Duff, U-Evolve’s CEO said: “We are delighted to receive this award from the National Lottery Community Fund. This support means that we can create our TALK hub and reach more young people and families than ever before.
“We’re seeing first- hand the impact the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have on young people and their families, and it’s more important than ever that these people can access the support they need, when they need it.”
*name changed for anonymity
Other Edinburgh and Leith projects to receive good news this morning include the Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, Pilmeny Youth Centre, The Junction and the Men of Leith & District Men’s Shed group.
Announcing today’s funding of £5.5m to 257 projects across Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “In these uncertain times our priority is to ensure that National Lottery money continues to flow to charities, voluntary sector organisations and grassroots groups.
“I would like to congratulate Upward Mobility, Street Fit Scotland and Sikh Sanjog on their awards. Each are important projects which will support people now and in the future when they can physically come back together to make great things happen in their community.”
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that money they raise by buying tickets is continuing to make such a difference.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK.
The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland is currently focusing its funding on those projects that supporting organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of COVID-19.
