Tag: Young people

Edinburgh youth charities hit Young Start funding jackpot 

SPARTANS ARE AMONG THE LOTTERY WINNERS

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.

Groups can apply by emailing advicescotland@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or calling 0300 123 7110.           

  Find out more at:

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/young-start       

    

    

       

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Young Start Table of Awards March 2024.pdf

New Funding Announced to Tackle Underage Drinking in Scotland

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced a new partnership with Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP), in a targeted initiative aimed at tackling underage drinking in key areas across Scotland. The SWA will provide £300,000 of funding over the next three years, funded via its Scotch Whisky Action Fund.

Community Alcohol Partnerships are tailored to address local requirements, with a focus on three key pillars of activity to support an overall reduction in alcohol harm. These include the provision of positive activity for children and young people; creating retail signage and conducting training to prevent underage sales and proxy purchase; and providing alcohol education in schools and for parents.

This new SWA funding will help establish CAPs in areas of high harm that have been identified throughout Scotland. The results of future work in these areas will be regularly monitored, evaluated, and reported on.

CAP has a robust evaluation framework and proven track record with consistent evidence of significant impact. To date, more than 250 CAPs have been established across the UK. Evaluation shows that they achieved an average of 62% reduction in regular drinking among 13-16 year olds; a 42% reduction in youth alcohol-related anti-social behaviour; and 77% of reductions in proxy purchases.

Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the SWA said: “The Scotch Whisky industry is committed to promoting safe, responsible consumption of alcohol, and tackling underage drinking.

“Our new partnership with Community Alcohol Partnerships will help to support delivery of this targeted intervention, marking an important and valuable development in the industry’s wider commitment to tackling alcohol harm.

“Our work with CAP will ensure that the funding provided by the industry is directed in the best and most effective way to address underage drinking in Scotland. We look forward to collaborating with the team at CAP and seeing the results of our new partnership.”

Derek Lewis, Chair of Community Alcohol Partnerships said: “Although alcohol consumption by children has declined for many years, more recent data has shown an increase and Scotland still has one of the highest rates of alcohol harm among children and young people internationally.

“The existing Scottish CAPs have already demonstrated real success in reducing these harms by helping local communities introduce action plans tailored to their own needs.

“We aim to accelerate the establishment of CAPs in other high harm areas of Scotland and so help our children grow up with well-informed and responsible attitudes to alcohol. We welcome the support and financial commitment of the SWA and its members as we pursue this ambition.”

From Football Fields to Funeral Homes: A young Scot’s unexpected career journey

Bruce encourages young people to embrace unexpected career paths

Bruce Lamb (19) has joined the funeral industry and is encouraging other young people to keep an open mind when considering their career choices.

Broxburn-based Bruce works alongside his father at Scotmid Funerals in Forrester Park, where his role includes preparing coffins, ceremonial driving and speaking with recently bereaved family members. No two days are the same for Bruce, something he has described as “one of the best parts of the job”.

After finishing school, Bruce pursued a football scholarship in Virginia, USA but, when that did not work out, he returned home to reconsider his options and choose another path.

As a young boy, Bruce was fascinated by his father’s job. He learned a lot about grief and the whole funeral experience from him, including how to approach the first conversation, managing the service arrangements and aftercare, and how this process helps the bereaved.

When the opportunity to join Scotmid Funerals at Forrester Park came, he jumped at the chance and is so pleased he did.

When asked what people’s reaction is to his job, Bruce answered: “Most people are taken aback to start with and quickly fire a lot of questions at me about the job. When I explain how much I enjoy my work, I receive a positive reaction.”

“I agree that it is unusual for someone my age, but Scotmid has broken the mould. I don’t mind being the youngest because l can learn so much from experienced operatives. Everyone at Scotmid has been great in helping me to be the best I can be in my post.”

Since starting his new role, Bruce has grown a strong satisfaction from his work. He said: “The best part of the job is receiving compliments or a thank you card from a bereaved persons’ relative or loved one.

“This is by far the most welcome reward in doing the job and I’m honoured to play a small role in helping others during their time of need. It’s a long way from what I originally planned to do with my life, but I can’t imagine being anywhere else now.

“I think the biggest misconception is that all funeral workers must be sad (or a little strange?!) to do the job, which is so far from the truth. There is compassion and humour within the industry, with each having their time and place.”

Bruce is now aiming to tackle this common misconception about the funeral industry and is encouraging other young people to keep an open mind when it comes to their career choices.

He continued: “I think the industry is often overlooked because schools do not promote it as a potential career. I would and have recommended the job to a few of my friends and would heartily encourage any younger person to go for it.

“I wanted to be a footballer, but I have joined the funeral industry instead. I may be going against ‘the norm’, which I think is great as it changes the definition of the role.”

Outside of work, Bruce enjoys an active lifestyle – playing for his local football team, Pumpherston u20s, and playing golf when he has free time. Sports, as well as his Xbox, gives him time to unwind after work and spend time with friends.

James Blackburn, Head of Scotmid Funerals, said: “It’s great to see the younger generations coming into the funeral care industry and taking such pride in their work for people in their time of grief.

“Bruce is a great example of embracing the fact that there is no wrong career path and I hope other young people consider funeral care as a personally and professionally rewarding career choice.”

New campaign supports Edinburgh schools to talk to pupils about vaping

There has been a rise in young people in Scotland vaping in recent years, with more than 40 per cent of children and teenagers saying they’ve tried vapes by the time they reach S4.1

Vaping is a new and emerging pattern of disruptive behaviour in schools, with staff reporting reduced attendance as young people gather to vape in toilets through the school day.2

Nicotine, often found in vapes, can also be linked to stress, anxiety and struggles with sleeping. Research shows that you can become addicted to nicotine within days of starting to use it and a quarter of teens who tried vaping say they are addicted.3

To help tackle this issue the Scottish Government has launched a campaign which encourages and supports teachers to have conversations with pupils about the serious health risks of vaping.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Smoking damages lives and kills more than 8,000 people a year in Scotland and is burden on our NHS and social care services. Research also suggests that almost one in five adolescents have tried vapes.

“While E-cigarettes are one of a range of tools for adult smokers to quit smoking, they should never be used by young people or adult non-smokers. We must take action to prevent young people using vapes and becoming addicted which will damage their health, and that’s why we launched a marketing campaign. It is much easier to never start than it is to give up.”

Allie Cherry-Byrnes, CEO of Fast Forward, a voluntary education organisation, said: “We know from speaking to schools and parents during our vaping workshops that schools have seen a notable increase of vaping among pupils recently.

“The nicotine addiction associated with vaping can affect pupils’ ability to concentrate in school and schools are also seeing a negative impact on attendance.

“The campaign resources are a useful tool for teachers as they continue to speak to pupils about vaping and help young people understand the health risks involved.”

Resources linking to Curriculum for Excellence have been shared with all Scottish schools, including information and facts about vaping, posters, newsletter copy, social media assets and an expert film featuring Professor Linda Bauld talking about the impacts of vaping on young people.

Professor Linda Bauld from the University of Edinburgh said “There is a rise in young people in Scotland who vape and this is a concern. These are products that should be used by adult smokers trying to quit and not other groups.

“Although we don’t have long term evidence on health harms, we do know that many vaping products contain nicotine that can be addictive. Cravings for nicotine can lead to irritability, restlessness, feeling anxious or depressed, trouble concentrating and sleeping.

“It’s important that we communicate to young people and parents about risks and support them to have informed discussions about these products.”

Nicotine withdrawal can have an impact on a young person’s mental health making them tired, stressed and anxious. It can also affect young people’s concentration and impact their ability to learn and study. The first symptoms of nicotine dependence can appear within days or weeks of starting to occasionally vape.

The ‘Take Hold’ campaign also offers advice for parents about talking to their about vaping and features a striking image of a young person being ‘taken hold of’ by vape smoke, to highlight how vaping can quickly take hold of and impact your life.

Empowering the Future of Fitness

Apply now – Career opportunities in the leisure industry thanks to the Prince’s Trust partnership with Edinburgh Leisure

In collaboration with The Prince’s Trust, Edinburgh Leisure is encouraging young people aged 16-30 years to apply to join a free ‘Get Into Lifeguarding with Edinburgh Leisure’ training course starting in February 2024.

The initial pre-selection day will take place at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre on 8th February 2024, after which selected candidates will be invited to take part in the free 3-week course. There are 10 places being offered.

The pre-employment programme aims to help young people aged 16-30 years get into jobs, education, and training, with a focus on becoming a lifeguard. 

The programme includes a pre-selection day; a week’s work experience at one of Edinburgh Leisure’s ‘wet’ sites under the mentorship of an Edinburgh Leisure staff member, who has received ‘shadow buddy’ training in advance from Edinburgh Leisure’s Learning & Development team; an NPLQ (National Pool Lifeguard Qualification) course; and job interview opportunities.

Travel expenses are reimbursed, and successful candidates receive up to six months of post-programme support.

Successful candidates would need to be available to take part in all the training days.  The programme schedule is:

8 February                              Pre-selection Day at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre

19-23 February                       NPLQ course at Portobello Swim Centre

26 February – 1 March           Work experience at one of Edinburgh Leisure’s venues

4 March                                   Interview experience

6 March                                   Post course celebration event at Meadowbank Sports Centre

Interested applicants should apply by Friday, 2nd February 2024 to be considered for this opportunity. Email matthew.rooney@princes-trust.org.uk with their name, telephone number and email address or alternatively apply via the Princes Trust website or call 0800 842 842.

Alyson Coats, Manager at Leith Victoria Swim Centre, and responsible for the partnership explained: “This will be the second time Edinburgh Leisure has run such a programme. 

“It’s a win-win – with young people having a great opportunity to learn with Edinburgh Leisure and gain valuable experience, which we hope sets them up for employment in the future, either with us or another opportunity in the leisure industry.  For many young people this could be life-changing for them.”

Lorenzo D’Silva came through the first cohort in July 2023, and secured a job as a lifeguard at the Royal Commonwealth Pool on finishing the course.

Lorenzo said: “The NPLQ course was only one week but the Prince’s Trust also gave us the opportunity to gain valuable skills in team building and interview techniques during the process which really helped when I was offered a job interview with Edinburgh Leisure. If you’ve not been in the mindset of getting a job it helps you to understand how to present yourself.

“I started working full-time in September at the Commie. It’s a great place to work with a great team. Everyone’s friendly and genuine and it’s a very inclusive place to work. There’s a great sense of camaraderie – like a big family, which is great as I come from one myself.”

The Prince’s Trust supports young people from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity. The courses offered help young people aged 11-30 to develop essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities.

Since The Trust was founded by HM The King in 1976, they have helped more than a million young people across the UK, and three in four of those supported over the last five years have moved into work, education, or training.

Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842. 

Mental health support for children and young people

Expansion of service helping those in crisis

A programme supporting young people with complex social issues attending A&E is to be expanded. The Youth Navigators programme, delivered by Medics Against Violence, supports young people aged 12-16 arriving at Emergency Departments who are in distress.

The service provides trained youth workers – Youth Navigators – to identify the help young people need and provide practical support so they can access relevant longer-term support.

The initiative has supported more than 600 young people since 2021 – most had experienced issues with their mental health and wellbeing; some on a chronic basis related to issues at home, with friend groups or bullying, and some more acutely experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings and who may have caused harm to themselves.

Scottish Government funding of £64,000 will allow the expansion of the service to University Hospital Wishaw and a pilot of the Youth Navigator programme in schools.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “I am pleased to announce additional funding to pilot the expansion of the Youth Navigator programme to University Hospital Wishaw and to pilot a new Youth Navigator approach by partnering with Taylor High in New Stevenson in Lanarkshire to place Youth Navigators in their school.

“Since the Youth Navigator programme started in mid-2021 it has supported over 600 young people.

“This additional support for the programme is in addition to the substantial investment we are already making to improve the mental health and wellbeing support provided to children, young people and their families in Scotland.

“This funding is the result of the Scottish Government listening to children, young people and families and taking direct action in the areas where they have told us more support is needed. Ensuring that all children and young people can get the right mental health and wellbeing support at the right time is a key priority for this government as our continued record investment in this area goes to show.”

Co-Director and founder of Medics Against Violence, Professor Christine Goodall said: “We are delighted to receive funding from the Scottish Government to pilot the expansion of the Youth Navigator programme.

“The youth work approach that the Youth Navigators take provides young people with a trusted adult with whom they can discuss their feelings and through discussing what is most important to them, put plans in place to support a safer future.

“The expansion of the programme in the hospital setting is much needed and often requested by hospitals, the new approach of placing Youth Navigators in the school setting helps to take prevention further upstream to try and support young people with any issues they are facing before they get to the crisis point where they require medical intervention.”

A young person who received support from the Youth Navigator programme said: “I appreciate what the Youth Navigator programme has done for me – giving me someone to talk to who won’t invalidate my feelings and genuinely help me is something I’ve always wanted.

“I am so grateful to those involved – they really made a difference in my life.”

CashBack supports 28,000 young people over last year

Criminals’ ill-gotten gains re-directed to support young people to make positive choices 

A unique programme funded from seized criminal assets has helped to provide new opportunities for more than 28,000 young people in the past year.

CashBack for Communities used £19 million recovered from criminal activity to support 24 organisations during Phase 5 of the programme, which ran from April 2020 to March 2023, to support young people, including those who may be at risk from being drawn into antisocial behaviour or criminality.

Projects supported included the Vow Project, run in partnership with Police Scotland, which uses peer mentors with experience of the criminal justice system to support young people to break the cycle of criminality and offending.

The Access to Industry project, which provides employability support to young people in HM Prison and Young Offenders Institution (YOI) Polmont, and Action for Children who support young people at risk of involvement in offending or antisocial behaviour, were also supported through CashBack.

A new evaluation of activity support in 2022-23, has found that of the young people who took part in projects:

  • 75% reported an improvement in their wellbeing
  • 75% reported an increase in their confidence
  • 59% gained new jobs, skills or qualifications

Since its inception, Cashback for Communities has committed up to £130 million to fund a range of projects, delivering more than 2.5 million activities and supporting around 1.3 million young people across Scotland.

Community Justice Minister Siobhian Brown said: “The success of the Cashback for Communities projects show what can be achieved when young people are given the right opportunities.

“It is important that we support and encourage young people to make choices that allow them to develop their aspirations and potential.

“CashBack for Communities is a valued programme that everyone involved should be rightly proud of.  I am grateful to all those who have helped to make the past three years such a success, and supported so many young people in such a positive way, particularly in a period impacted by COVID-19.

“For the past 15 years, Cashback has helped well over a million  young people across the country to find better futures.

“This unique initiative underlines our commitment to support all of Scotland’s young people to live full, healthy lives and to help address some of the underlying causes of crime and antisocial behaviour.”

Read the impact report 

22-23 Impact ReportDownload

Edinburgh’s young people encouraged to try cricket with support from local school

A free community cricket programme is giving young people from Edinburgh’s disadvantaged communities a safe space to play cricket and learn life skills.

The Wicketz programme was established to help break down the barriers faced by 8 to 19-year-olds living in areas with high levels of deprivation, through cricket. It was founded by the Lord’s Taverners charity, which exists to empower young people facing the challenges of inequality. Wicketz also aims to develop vital life skills for its participants by delivering workshops that focus on social issues most relevant to the areas each Wicketz project is delivered in.

On 16 and 23 October 2023, Fettes College provided its sports hall to the Edinburgh Wicketz project which enabled participants to take part in their first ever hard ball cricket sessions. Over the two days, 33 young people took part in the training.

The sessions, which are delivered by Cricket Scotland, allow young people of any gender to learn the key skills of cricket and give the game a go. The sessions combine cricket coaching and competition with workshops that are specially designed to improve the participants’ wellbeing, life skills and social integration.

Mohammad Afzal, Edinburgh Wicketz Development Officer, said: “We are so grateful to Fettes College for loaning us its fantastic sports hall for the Edinburgh sessions. It was amazing to be able to give the participants the opportunity to use the sports facilities Fettes has and to encourage more people to get involved in the sport.

“Cricket can serve as a valuable tool for educating young people on physical fitness, teamwork and communications skills, as well as improving character development and allowing for personal growth, helping young people build life skills that will serve them well in various aspects of their lives.

“The impact of Wicketz has been immense in Edinburgh.”

Mark Appleson, Director of Sport at Fettes College said: “We were pleased to host the Wicketz programme’s first ever hard-ball cricket sessions over the last couple of weeks.

“What the programme does for underprivileged children across the UK is incredible, and provides them with an outlet to learn new skills, make friends and improve their wellbeing. It was great to see people taking part and having fun.”

Colin Crichton, Chair of the Lord’s Taverners in Scotland said: “Everyone involved in the Lord’s Taverners in Scotland thank the College for its support and speed in implementing the opportunity to use their incredible facilities.

“This has been a wonderful opportunity for Edinburgh’s Wicketz participants to play the game in an environment they would not normally be able to access.”

Wicketz sessions take place weekly in Edinburgh, with the third hub launching in early 2024. To find out how to get involved, visit:

 www.lordstaverners.org/programme-information/edinburgh-wicketz/.

Hearts celebrate victory over Hibs at the inaugural Auld Reekie Cup

Edinburgh’s exclusive charity golf tournament will return in 2024 after the success of this year’s event

For local football fans, seeing Hibs and Hearts go head-to-head is always a highlight in the sporting calendar and their latest game was no exception – even if it did have one significant twist.

Instead of meeting on the pitch, former players from Edinburgh’s Hibernian F.C and Heart of Midlothian F.C. battled it out on the GOLF COURSE in a brand new charity tournament, the Auld Reekie Cup.

Taking place on Thursday 26th October at the historic Royal Burgess Golfing Society, the Auld Reekie Cup proved to be a big success, with Hearts clinching the cup.

Their winning team included former football legends Gary Locke, Eamonn Bannon, Scott Crabbe, Jim Brown and Graeme Shaw as well as fans, who took on former Hibs footie stars John Brownlie, John Hazel, Derek Riordan, Scott Brown, Steven Tweed, John Blackley, Gordon Hunter and Graeme Harvey plus fans.

Thanks to the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation and the Big Hearts Community Trust, all money raised on the day will be used to support projects promoting the mental health of young people here in Edinburgh.

Auld Reekie Cup Picture: Alan Rennie

Speaking after the event, Hanlon Stevenson Foundation Ambassador Paul Demarco said; “The day was an outstanding success for all involved and the Auld Reekie Cup looks to be a fantastic addition to the years must attend derby fixtures in the capital.

“It was a pleasure to work alongside our city rivals and raise much needed funds for the work we do, especially at this time of the year. Well done to Big Hearts Community Trust on lifting the trophy, the result might not have gone our way, but there is always next year!”

Auld Reekie Cup Picture: Alan Rennie

Big Hearts Community Trust Chief Executive Craig Wilson added; “Big Hearts were delighted to be invited to take part in the Auld Reekie Cup alongside the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation.

“It was a brilliant day of golf with brilliant support from a wide range of new and old partners for both charities. Big Hearts, like the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation, recognise the challenges our communities face, and days like yesterday raising funds help us provide vital support. We look forward to trying to retain the cup next year!”

Following the resounding success of the first ever Auld Reekie Cup, the event will return next year and local supporters will once again be offered a unique opportunity to play alongside their footballing icons.