The fabulous Edinburgh Gang Show is back!
Over 250 young people from Scouting and Girlguiding will swap their camping gear and the outdoor life for the glitz and glamour of the theatre world when the annual Gang Show returns to the capital next week. Continue reading Gearing up for The Gang Show
Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 December
Dance Base are putting together a Youth Dance Company for young people aged 14-19 from across the Lothians (writes Heather Marshall). All welcome and the audition workshops look like they’ll be great fun!
Young peoples’ hard work praised by Everest mountaineer
Thirty three young people from across Edinburgh have just completed an 18 week training programme – and 18 of them have gone straight into employment, apprenticeship or further education following their training! Continue reading Honest TOIL!
More young people than ever living in poverty
The most comprehensive review ever carried out on progress towards greater equality and human rights protection across Scotland and the rest of Britain has been published. Continue reading It’s not fair: ‘many people are being left behind’
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – #VOTEGYC
We promised you big news – and here it is! We’re delighted to announce that Granton Youth Centre is one of the finalists for the RBS Skills and Opportunities Funding. Continue reading Granton Youth Centre needs your help!
Hope wins Outstanding Achiever award Continue reading Hope springs eternal!
Edinburgh College gives budding digital creatives the chance to make it with BBC scheme
Edinburgh College is giving creative young unemployed people who love likes, hashtags and telling stories online the chance to take the first steps towards a digital industry career.
The college’s eight-week BBC Make it Digital programme will teach skills to unemployed young people including: digital storytelling, building a website, planning a social media campaign, shooting and editing a film and learning how to pitch creative ideas to business.
The training programme was designed by the BBC Academy and is open to unemployed people between 16-24. It will take place at the college’s Milton Road Campus, where students will work with industry-standard software. The course will start on 2 November.
Taking part in this programme does not affect benefits and those between 16 and 18 on the programme will receive £55 per week Training Allowance. Travelling expenses are also part of the support.
Students will spend three weeks on work placements with local employers, who will ask them to design a social media campaign.
Make it Digital is a national scheme but the programme in Scotland has the added benefit of a recognised SQA qualification – the National Progression Award in Enterprise and Employability.
Trainees will also take part in a Radio 1 challenge based in London, where the best entries will be shortlisted into the final recruitment stages for a year-long Radio 1 Apprenticeship.
As well as new digital skills, students will also learn employability skills including business networking, CV and interview tips, budgeting, project management and creating an online portfolio. By the end of the training, participants will greatly improve their chances of finding a job or a modern apprenticeship.
Jon Buglass, head of Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to start to develop the skills they need to make it in the creative digital industry. The digital sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK at the moment as businesses now rely on an online presence to survive. We’re excited to be working with the BBC Academy and Skills Development Scotland to give unemployed young people the chance to build digital and employability skills to help them make their way back into the workplace.”
Skills Development Scotland is funding the programme through the Employability Fund. Contact the Edinburgh Skills Development Scotland Careers Centre on 0131 718 2040 or speak to a Jobcentre Work Coach to find out how to apply for this course.
Woman rescued from icy water off Gypsy Brae following boys’ prompt action
Officers in Edinburgh have commended the actions of five 11 and 12 year-old boys after they saved a woman’s life.
Last Sunday, at around 4.30pm, a woman entered the very cold waters at Gypsy Brae and started to swim out towards Fife, despite advice from Wacka Ceesay (11), Andrew Bell (11), Tyler Jay Anderson (12), Aleks Czernecki (12) and Kian McGee (11) not to do so.
When the boys were unable to persuade the woman against swimming, one of the lads raised the alarm with an adult and asked for the Coastguard be called.
Police and Coastguard arrived and the boys were able to identify the area where the woman was and provided footage of the woman entering the water to assist the emergency team.
The woman was rescued from the water and taken for treatment and is now recovering from her ordeal.
The boys were very helpful to police and they were taken for a tour of Drylaw Police Station as a reward – officers then took them home and praised them in front of their parents.
The boys told police that they knew what to do due to what they learned at The Risk Factory, a Police Scotland-sponsored interactive safety centre. The Edinburgh-based initiative is sponsored by local authorities and emergency services in the Lothians area, and is available to all local children in Primary 7.
Police Sergeant John Brock said: “This incident could have quite easily had a tragic ending. Due to the swift and conscientious actions of these boys a woman’s life was saved. Police Scotland commends them for their bravery and quick thinking. Thank you to these five boys for demonstrating outstanding community spirit.”
SEPTEMBERFEST
Saturday 26 September 11am – 4pm, Broughton High School
The hugely-popular Septemberfest community festival takes place on Saturday (26 September) at Broughton High School from 11am to 4pm and this year’s event is set to be bigger and better than ever!
There’s free entry and a huge range of fun activities on offer – many of them free too – all organised by Broughton High School Parent Council. All welcome!
Looking out the window, I’m very glad it’s not taking place today! What is it about Edinburgh and public holiday weather?
Muirhouse lads on Ocean Youth Trust trip of a lifetime
Two of our young Centre volunteers, Paul Alexander & Chris Barnes (above), embarked on the adventure of a lifetime as they enrolled in a positive learning environment under sail on the Alba Explorer from 31 August to 4 September (writes James McGinty).
Both lads kept a log of their adventure with feedback from their skipper Steve. Reading their log was as difficult as writing it in the ocean swell! With goals to achieve daily and new skills to learn, the skipper’s remarks were favourable.
The values and skills learned fell into many categories:
Meeting new people – and the art of conversation.
Following Instructions – Speaking out in groups
Getting Up Early ( Bet you thought this was not possible!!)
Working in a team -Being on time
Working on daily goals – Keeping Calm.
Many of these qualities can be taken into the lads’ adulthood; so well done, Paul and Chris!
Here are some of the 244 pictures and videos taken by the lads and their crewmates. Click On To our Website to see more: www.muirhousecommunitycentre.co.uk
