Forth’s youth told: think BIG!

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Think BIG. Think bold. Be creative. And there’s no such thing as a daft idea! That was the message to participants at an event held at Pilton Youth & Childrens Project last week – and the results of the day’s work will help to guide youth service provision across Forth Neighbourhood. 

Organised by Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and Total Craigroyston, YouthTalk brought together young people from across Forth with community representatives and decision makers to discuss three key issues.

‘Positively Engaging Young People’ is one of Forth Neighbourhood Partnership’s main priorities and Convener Cllr Cammy Day explained to delegates: “We want young people’s views and aspirations to influence decisions that are taken locally and to listen to their suggestions about how things can be improved for them. We want them to have a real say in the future of this community and how it develops over the next ten or more years”.

A background report to aid discussion was prepared prior to the Youth Talk event. During the review young people across Forth were approached in schools, libraries, at youth groups, basically anywhere they assembled – and asked their opinions on the area. North Edinburgh Young Peoples Forum organised and conducted a survey in four local High Schools and the local Street Work team also gathered views: all told around 1400 young people gave their opinions on their local community -what they like, what they hate and what Forth needs to make it better for young people.

Assisted by motivational speaker Mike Stevenson from Thinktastic, Wednesday’s YouthTalk event saw young people and ‘seniors’ working together in small groups to discuss three ‘ideas’:

How do we involve more young people in positive activity?

How do we better promote the positive contribution our young people make in their community?

What should an ideal youth-friendly community look like – and how do we get there?

Once participants got into the swing of things, the conversation – and the ideas – began to flow. Some of the ideas generated – for example a common social media address for local youth groups to share information, and an annual celebration of young people’s achievements – proved very popular and could be acted on almost immediately. Others, however, may take longer – you did ask the young people to think BIG, Mike!

All of the ideas generated – big and small – will be recorded and a report of the YouthTalk event will be circulated in due course. It will make interesting reading!

And finally, thanks so much for the warm words and that round of applause for the NEN – it was really touching and much appreciated!

Tonight’s the night for KABO boxers

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It’s been a lot of hard work for everyone involved, but they’ve made it. Tonight’s the night for ‘The Jewel of the North’, KABO’s biggest ever boxing event.

Some seats are still available for the show at Edinburgh College Granton Campus: there’s one ringside table left at £20 per seat, and you can also pay on the door (£15).

Doors open at 6.30 and the action starts at 7pm

Seconds out …

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Play time at children’s hospitals

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Young patients undergoing treatment at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC), the CAHMS Inpatient Unit at the Royal Hospital in Edinburgh and the Children’s Ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston have received a host of special gifts to help fill the hours spent in hospital.

Get-Well Gamers, a charity dedicated to bringing electronic entertainment to children’s hospitals for the benefit of entertainment and pain relief, has donated a number of gaming consoles and games to the West Lothian ward, including Xbox 360s, PlayStation 3s and Nintendo Wiis.

Originally donated to the charity from Microsoft, the consoles have now been redistributed to children’s hospitals across the UK.

Jordan McDonald, Play Specialist at St John’s, said: “Our brand new Xbox has already been well used. Four boys who were at the ward for theatre used the console to play FIFA together, with one little boy even saying it was the best day of his life! This sort of reaction from children is truly priceless – we can’t thank Get-Well Gamers and the Sick Kids Friends Foundation enough their generosity in making these distractions possible.”

James Stewart, Director of Get-Well Gamers UK, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to donate to St John’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. Play Specialists do fantastic work and have next to no budget for video games and consoles. 

“Having access to electronic entertainment is of great benefit to children in hospital. It helps them with pain management, encourages socialising with other children and alleviates boredom. We’re very grateful to The Sick Kids Foundation for making this donation possible.”

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF), which is responsible for funding the best facilities, equipment, distractions, emotional support, training and research in the RHSC and its surrounding facilities, has worked closely with gamers over the last six years to raise money for these extra comforts.

The charity’s Sick Kids Save Point – now the biggest video gaming marathon in the UK – has raised £72,000 to date and continues to champion gaming as a welcome distraction for sick kids spending hours on hospital wards.

Rachel McKenzie, head of fundraising at the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “Get-Well Gamers’ donations have already made a fantastic difference to the children’s hospital experience.

“We’re always looking for people to help support the work of the Foundation and make life a little easier for our young patients. I would encourage any gaming fanatics keen to do something different for the cause to sign up to our 24 hour Sick Kids Save Point gaming marathon taking place later this year.”

Sick Kids Save Point event takes place from 9 until 11 October, 2015. For more information visit www.sickkidssavepoint.com.

For more information on Get-Well Gamers visit www.getwellgamers.org.uk.

 

It’s MY boat, ma’am!

Duchess of Cornwall admires MYDG’s boat

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The Duchess of Cornwall became one of the first people to see MYDG’s stunning new rowing boat when she visited Portobello’s Sailing and Kayaking Club on Tuesday. The boat is painted in MYDG’s own colours and HRH was very impressed – maybe it was the royal blue!

A small group of young people has been building the 22ft long traditional Scottish rowing boat with Muirhouse Youth Development Group since last Septmeber, spending two afternoons every week working with craftsman Nick Savage to build the boat from scratch. It’s been worth the hours of patience and effort – the end product is simply stunning.

The boat, which is a St Ayles skiff, left ‘dry dock’ in Craigroyston Community High School on Tuesday morning and made the journey – by land, on a trailer – to Portobello Promenade to be part of the sailing club’s event.

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MYDG youth worker Ali Grant, explained: “The event is in fact to celebrate the achievements of Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club (PSKC), of which I am a founding member. We have worked tirelessly for the last seven years to transform a piece of grassland into a thriving community hub. PSKC is entirely run by volunteers and supports several hundred adults and young people to gain access to the water through kayaking, sailing and rowing. It has regenerated the seafront and consequently, brought a community together. This is the reason for the royal visit.

“Having co-built two community boats already, it was always my wish for a group of young people to experience the thrill of taking a pile of flat wood and transforming this bit by bit, into a beautiful, curved boat and in turn, transforming their own lives.

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“MYDG have always had an emphasis on outdoor activities and ‘journeys’ – whether that be geographical or personal journeys, so I saw an opportunity to blend my passion for boats and opportunities for young people with my day job as a Youth Worker. MYDG applied for funding to support a boat- building project and were fortunate enough to secure money from 3 sources, Awards for All, Creative Scotland and Edinburgh Airport Trust.

Ali went on: “Building a boat is an incredible test of patience and skill. The outcome of relentless and repetitive tasks only becomes apparent when you put the boat on the water and realise what you have achieved. It is a highly emotional moment and I expect all those involved to experience that emotion.

“We started the project in September, with three young people (CCHS pupils) and attendance has been phenomenal. Other young people have also given input to the project. As well as building the boat, young people have been getting out rowing and have taken part in various training courses. I am sure I speak for everyone in saying that the personal change in the young people concerned has been immense.

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“The creation of a boat on the scale of the one we are building has also generated a great deal of excitement amongst other young people and members of the community and will be a tremendous resource for the area.

“Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club have also received funding from Awards for All and Edinburgh Airport Trust and this is an opportunity to demonstrate the impact of that funding across communities. I also hope that boat building and rowing will begin to forge strong bonds between young people from Muirhouse, other parts of the city and indeed across Scotland. All these people were represented at Tuesday’s event.

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“The boat is based on a traditional Scottish fishing boat. It is called a St Ayles skiff. It is 22 ft long and 6ft across. It will weigh approx 150kg when complete and will join a fleet of similar boats built in communities all across Scotland and indeed the world. The boat will be owned by the charity MYDG and will be rowed under the moniker, ‘North Edinburgh Rowing Club’. I cannot divulge the name of the boat yet – you will have to wait!”

“The boat was built in Craigroyston Community High School and we are indebted to Head Teacher Stephen Ross and this team for all their support in making this project happen.”

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So congratulation to MYDG and in particular to boat builders Figo El Sherif and Fransisc Dorot and trainee rower Stanley McKay (above) -you really have created something to be proud of and we all look forward to seeing your craft on the water soon!

Summer playscheme – then some more!

Preparations are well underway for an absolutely HUGE summer programme for children in Muirhouse (writes JAMES McGINTY).  

Summer Play Scheme Walk

Friday 26 June, leaves from the Centre to Cramond at 1pm

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Parents and Walkers can obtain a sponsorship form from the Reception desk at the Centre from Eileen or Peter Airlie (Manager).  Others who do not or cannot walk but wish to donate to the summer playscheme can do so through Eileen or Peter at the Centre.

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We would like to thank Helen Fisher on behalf of the Old Kirk & Muirhouse Parish Church for their generous donation towards the Scheme.  The children themselves have been raising money throughout the year by Bag-packing and various other activities.

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Prior to the charity walk and the summer play scheme (starts Tuesday 3 July), The Boys Club + jass Groups go on a Residential to Ratho (Mon 29 June – Wed 1 July) on their return the Girls Club + Jass Groups go to Ratho from Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 July.

This is a truly exciting period for the children with a wholesome and varied programme planned for them over the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for three weeks.Towford bothy Nr JedburghAs if doing one residential and running the Play Scheme at the same time would be enough, we are not going to stop there: one of the biggest Residentials we have ever planned will be to take more than 30 children aged 5 years to 12 years away for an experience of their young lives – to Towford Bothy in the Scottish borders for a week of activities delivered by MY Adventure!

To access The My Adventure website click HERE

TOiL expands east with funding boost

TOiL aims to match last year’s record of success

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Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) training programme for young people Training Opportunities in Lothian (TOiL) has secured over £200,000 funding which will allow it to expand its services into East Lothian.

The TOiL Programme provides 18 week, paid work experience placements to young, unemployed people alongside in-house training and career guidance. Training placements are with local firms in a variety of sectors and occupations.

The increased funding will enable up to 85 young people to participate in the TOiL Programme in 2015/16. It will also support PoLHA tenants with employability issues through the continued funding of an employabilty officer post. An additional employability officer will also be recruited to take on the role of working with adults who face employment barriers due to disability or ill health.

John Murray manages the TOiL programme. He said: “We are delighted to have received this significant sum of money to continue to support young people into sustainable employment.

“In 2014/15 TOiL supported 76% of trainees into employment, modern apprenticeships or further education against a national average of 44% which is our most successful year to date. It is TOiL’s ambition to deliver a similar level of success with a greater number of individuals this year.”

Skills Development Scotland’s Employability Fund, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Improving Employability Fund and The People and Communities Fund have provided the funding.

Youth justice: new strategy announced

‘If we are to stop young people going down the wrong path in life and into a life of crime we need to be smart in our response’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson

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Scotland’s new strategy to prevent children and young people from offending has been announced by Justice Secretary Michael Matheson as latest figures show the number of under 18s in custody has reduced by 70%.

Opening this year’s Annual National Youth Justice Conference, the Cabinet Secretary paid tribute to huge falls in youth crime and the work of agencies across the country, saying that the time was right to build on the success through a new strategy for Scotland.

Around 200 youth justice practitioners were in attendance at the launch of the two-day long event which will also feature leading professionals discussing current issues in the field.

Preventing offending: getting it right for children and young people’ builds on recent progress made in the youth justice sector and sets out three main priorities to take forward.

These include advancing the Whole System Approach which ensures young people receive the right help at the right time, improving life chances for young people and developing capacity and improvement throughout the youth justice sector.

The announcement coincides with the publication of a new independent evaluation of the Whole System Approach which has been in place since 2011. The approach provides a clear focus on early and effective intervention and diversion as well as appropriate support to improve outcomes for children and young people involved in offending.

Speaking at the Conference this morning Mr Matheson said: “We have already seen dramatic and positive changes in the youth justice sector since our decisive shift towards prevention in 2008 and on a recent visit to Polmont YOI I was extremely encouraged to learn that the population there has more than halved since 2007.

“The number of under 18s in custody has reduced by 70%, there has been an 83% reduction in the number of children referred to the Children’s Hearings System on offence grounds and there has been a 74% reduction in children appearing in court over the last seven years.

“These are significant achievements which have also made a major contribution to overall crime reductions in Scotland with recorded crime currently at a 40 year low.

“We are not complacent though and the new youth justice strategy launched today will continue to prioritise preventative approaches which confront offending in a constructive way – using an evidence-led, child-centred approach.

“I’ve seen various justice policies over the years labelled ‘tough’ or ‘soft’ but I think the time is right to move away from those kinds of descriptions. What we are doing in Scotland today – and will continue to do – is adopting ‘smart’ approaches, based firmly on evidence.

“If we are to stop young people going down the wrong path in life and into a life of crime we need to be smart in our response – ensuring timely, appropriate and effective interventions so that we can address offending behaviour at the outset and keep our communities and children safe from crime.

“Today’s independent evaluation of the Whole System Approach is very positive and confirms the tactics we have in place are the right ones.

“The report makes clear that our approach has been a major factor in enabling partnership working, information sharing and shared learning across youth justice agencies offering an all-inclusive service for young people at risk of offending.

“Scotland already has a proud record of taking an evidence-based approach to the needs of children and young people as part of our Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) program. By keeping this method at the heart of youth justice we can continue to reduce crime, improve life chances and make good use of public resources.

“Preventing offending is integral to GIRFEC and I look forward to playing my part in helping to ensure Scotland is the best and safest place to grow up.”

The new strategy has been widely welcomed across the spectrum of organisations with a role in the youth justice system. 

Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, Police Scotland said: “Police Scotland welcomes the publication of Scotland’s new youth justice strategy
Preventing offending: getting it right for children and young people’ which sets out a clear framework to build on the progress that has been made in reducing offending and improving life chances.

“The evaluation of the Whole System Approach reaffirms the direction of travel being taken in Scotland and we are committed to working ollaboratively with partners to promote, support and safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people.”

The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC added: “The Crown welcomes the new Youth Justice Strategy and is committed to working with others to make sure that cases involving young people are considered in an effective and proportionate way.

“As Scotland’s Prosecution Service, we are committed to the prosecution of crime when appropriate and recognise the impact that involvement in the criminal justice system can have on young people. We will make the best use of alternatives to prosecution where appropriate to ensure that young people are treated with dignity and respect whether they are accused of crime or are victims or witnesses of crime.”

Claire Lightowler, Director Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice said: “We welcome the commitment in this strategy to further develop the culture
of continuous improvement across the youth justice sector.

“The Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice will continue to work with the youth justice sector to identify and deliver on actions to improve practice and ensure the strategy delivers real change.”

Cllr Douglas Chapman, COSLA Spokesperson for Education, Children and Young People, also supports the stategy, saying: “COSLA is supportive of the new Youth Justice Strategy particularly as it builds upon the good progress of recent years at a local level led by councils with their community planning partners in relation to youth justice. I am also pleased to note that it also continues with a focus on prevention, early intervention and providing
appropriate support to divert young people from offending to improving outcomes that has proved to be an effective approach. We look forward to working with the Scottish Government and other partners to implement the new strategy.”

Neil Hunter, Principal Reporter, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) said: “SCRA welcomes the launch of the new strategy ‘Preventing offending: getting it right for children and young people’.

“We are pleased that it reaffirms Scotland’s integrated approach to youth offending, responding to deeds while taking account of the wider needs of young people, with the Children’s Hearings System at the heart of that approach.

“We look forward to working with partners to ensure children and young people who offend receive effective and timely interventions to address their offending behaviour and its causes.”

Michele Burman & Susan McVie, The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice
Research said: “We very much welcome the commitment in the new Strategy to advancing the Whole System Approach as a means of both preventing the unnecessary use of formal measures, and for ensuring that young people in Scotland receive timely and appropriate interventions that aim to keep them away from formal criminal justice processes.

“Our research showed that closer multi-agency working, closer information sharing and the strong incorporation of welfarist values in decision-making and practice are important for ensuring better outcomes for young people.”

Brian McClafferty, National Youth Justice Advisory Group Chair said: “The National Youth Justice Advisory Group (NYJAG) wish to commend the 2015 – 2020 National Youth Justice Strategy for its continued focus on developing a ‘Rights Based’ approach to young people who offend while also taking into account the key drivers emerging from the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (the 2014 Act).

“The strategy builds on the substantive progress of the last seven years through its continued commitment to the core elements of the ‘Whole System Approach’ and in specific the continued development and implementation of Early and Effective Interventions.”

Inverleith’s Summer Programme’s here!

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The Inverleith Summer Programme is packed with things to do over the summer holidays (see details below)

Registration is on Monday 22 June 6pm at Broughton High School so get your skates on!

Summer Programme 2015

ProjectScotland celebrates ten years of supporting young Scots

5000 young people and 540 charities say: ‘Happy Birthday!’

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ProjectScotland, the charity which helps young people to get on in life through volunteering, has marked its 10th birthday with Annabelle Ewing MSP and revealed the impact of their efforts since forming in 2005.

The charity has announced that since 2005 they have supported over 5000 young people across Scotland who have given more than three million volunteering hours to over 540 charities and not-for-profit organisations.

The charity revealed research that demonstrates the life-long impact of volunteering on its young people. 78% of ProjectScotland volunteers go on to employment, education, or training within 6 months, and 93% of volunteers said the experience had an impact on their long-term career and life choices.

To kick off the celebrations Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment Annabelle Ewing attended Falkland Palace, a National Trust for Scotland property which is one of the ProjectScotland’s biggest partners, to meet past and present volunteers and ProjectScotland’s CEO, Paul Reddish.

The visit marks the start of a year of celebrations for the charity which will reflect on the young people, charities and communities who have been supported through volunteering with ProjectScotland.

ProjectScotland (3)Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, Annabelle Ewing (above)said: “I would like to congratulate ProjectScotland on their achievements over the last ten years.

“ProjectScotland plays a key role helping to improve the prospects and aspirations of young people across Scotland, recognising the importance of developing young people and that it is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.”

Paul Reddish, CEO of ProjectScotland, said: “At ProjectScotland we aim to help give young people structure, experience and the confidence to find work that matches their aspirations, talent and skills. The results of the last ten years prove we are making great strides supporting young people into brighter futures and we are extremely proud of our work to date.

“Scotland has led the way in the UK, with a supportive Government that has youth employment right at the forefront of its priorities and policies, but there is still much to be done particularly in tackling underemployment of talented young people in low paid work and supporting those furthest from the job market.  For our tenth birthday we’re taking time to reflect and celebrate and also very much looking to the future and the work that still needs done.”

For further information on ProjectScotland please visit www.projectscotland.co.uk