Tag: Young people
Convener sets High School challenge
High school pupils are battling it out in a unique activity challenge across Edinburgh today. The Convener’s Challenge is designed to encourage teams of school pupils to develop strategies that will enable them to complete a series of activity events.
Twelve schools are taking part and each team has four S5 pupils who set off from their own school at 9am, equipped with a GPS route tracker, a map of the city and a bus ticket. The teams will then complete a number of core challenges – climbing/abseiling, cycling, canoeing, orienteering and team building/problem solving at various locations across the city.
As opposed to the traditional ‘first past the post’ format, teams will be awarded points based on their collective performance in each of the challenges. They will also be given the opportunity to undertake one of a list of 50 further challenges, situated at various locations throughout the capital.
Competing teams will be issued with a pack containing competition rules and the itinerary, a cycle map of Edinburgh, a Lothian Buses route map, and five One Day tickets for use on both buses and trams.
They will also receive a sealed envelope containing grid reference locations and the nature of each challenge, which will fall into one of three categories:
- Activity Challenge, where competitors must complete a physical, outdoor challenge;
- City Challenge represents a series of information-gathering challenges designed to test competitors’ navigation and observation skills and
- Super Summit Challenge, where the aim is to get to the top of as many of Edinburgh’s seven hills as is possible.
Each activity will be led by a qualified member of staff, whose signature is required to guarantee completion.
Cllr Paul Godzik, Education, Children and Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, will present prizes at the finish line.
He said: “Last year was a fantastic year for sport in Scotland and I’m delighted this new exciting challenge has been created. After the success of last year’s City 2 City relay event, this type of model is being used to encourage senior pupils to work as a team in a range of activities.
“This will hopefully encourage increased participation in some of these outdoor pursuits and enhance the life skills of our young people. I am flattered that this will be called the Convener’s Challenge and will look forward to presenting the trophy to the winning team at the City Chambers.”
The climbing/abseiling challenge will take place at Blackford Quarry, the cycling at Holyrood Park and around Arthurs Seat, the canoeing at the Union Canal Basin, and the orienteering on Corstorphine Hill, while the team building/problem-solving activities will be held at the Bangholm Outdoor Centre.
ProjectScotland announce six new roles in Edinburgh
ProjectScotland: Helping young people in Scotland to get on in life through volunteering
Young people in Edinburgh looking to develop new skills, take on exciting projects and gain valuable experience this summer should consider ProjectScotland. The charity, which helps young people get on in life through volunteering, has announced six new and exciting opportunities across the city.
ProjectScotland matches young people with charities working in areas including the arts, sports, youth work and animal care, or to departments within charities such as marketing, human resources, fundraising and journalism.
For budding writers with a keen news sense there is an opportunity for a Journalist and Content Creator to join the team at Relationships Scotland. Or, for those who possess the skill to capture a reader’s attention in 140 characters or less, the disabled access review website and app Euan’s Guide is looking for their next Social Media Guru and Content Whizz!
For those people looking to be out and about this summer, Gorgie City Farm is looking for a Summer Activities Assistant. From taking part in animal work to event planning and tour guiding, the role is perfect for anyone who enjoys working with children and animals.
For a role offering more desk-based experience, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland is offering multiple opportunities for volunteers to build a variety of skills. Their role of Strategic Group Facilitator will allow a volunteer to gain skills in the provision of key secretariat support whilst the Community Researcher role will give a volunteer key research and organisational skills.
Age Scotland is seeking a Community Contacts Collation Volunteer with great communication skills to help collect information and answer calls on their Silver Line Scotland national helpline. Volunteers will gain valuable organisational skills as well as experience in dealing with members of the public.
Gunduz Ozturk, former ProjectScotland volunteer at Blackwood Foundation, has recently gone on to secure a full time position with Port of Leith Housing Association. He says his volunteering gave him the edge when it came to securing his job:
“Volunteering is amazing. You get out of it what you put in – I got to learn new skills, got help with training, and realised what sector I wanted to pursue a career in. I really can’t recommend it enough.”
Aileen Kennie, Partnership Manager Team Leader at ProjectScotland, said: “We offer 16-30 year olds a variety of three month quality volunteering opportunities with great organisations across Edinburgh and the whole of Scotland.
“Our partners in Edinburgh, including Lloyds TSB Foundation, Age Scotland and Euan’s Guide, give our volunteers the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their community and develop themselves, while organisations benefit from additional talent and energy.”
All ProjectScotland volunteers receive a travel allowance, are offered a mentor, and are invited to a series of job-focussed workshops designed to help them plan for the future.
Young people in Edinburgh can apply online at: www.projectscotland.co.uk
Youth Forum focuses on crime in Forth
North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum launched the third edition of their The Matter? newspaper at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre last night. It was an opportunity to catch up with what the group has been doing and their plans for the future.
The latest issue focuses on young people’s perception of crime in the Forth ward. Late last year NEYPF contacted over 150 young people across the area to find out what they thought about crime in their neighbourhood.
The conclusions? NEYPF is calling for more police patrols in the area and an improved working relationship between police and young people. There’s also a call for improved CCTV and better street lighting
The group’s findings were presented to the Scottish Government at a National Discussion Day event in April and NEYPF’s input will help to influence the Building Safer Communities programme.
Stolen motorcycles and joyriding remain a big issue and the group announced exciting new plans to develop a community repairs workshop and garage. This project would encourage young people to gain new skills and qualifications.
NEYPF members have also recently undergone peer educator trainign and plan to create a peer education programme based around community perceptions of crime.
First up, though, it’s an invitation from local Inspector David Happs to visit to Drylaw Police Station and meet the local officers there, and also an opportunity to share their findings with #StrongerNorth’s Gold Team.
For further info contact NEYPF@hotmail.co.uk
visit the Facebook page
Twitter: @NEYPF
Listening to Forth’s young people
Can you spare a couple of hours to help our local young people influence local services?
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership and Total Craigroyston have been working with the North Young People’s Forum and local services aimed at young people to gather views and opinions of local young people.
This has already involved over 1,200 young people through a flash poll and many services are currently engaging with young people to map facilities and activities. The outcome will let us all know what young people think about their community and importantly, how we can help make positive change so that more young people can be involved in the future.
The next stage of the process is the YouthTalk event. This brings together young people and key adults to understand the outcomes to date and help shape future actions for improving how we deliver a wide range of services.
The YouthTalk event will take place on Wednesday 24 June from 9am – 12 noon at Pilton Youth & Children’s Project and it would be great if you can sign up to come along and help young people identify creative ideas to improve local provision.
We have approximately 100 places and we aim for this to be 50/50 young people and adults so if you are interested, I would encourage you to sign up using this link as quickly as possible!
Scott Donkin, Partnership & Information Manager (Tel 529 5001)
As we see it: Youth Forum looks at local crime
Read all about it! North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum newspaper investigates attitudes to crime in Forth
North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum would like to invite you along to the launch of our new newspaper which focuses on the perceptions of crime in the Forth Ward through the eyes of young people. We shall also be seeking opinions on ways we can develop this work and our future plans and ideas.
NEYPF`s Crime Perception Newspaper Launch
@ West Pilton Neighborhood Centre
Wednesday 3rd June 2015
5:30pm – 7:00pm (Registration from 5pm)
Refreshments are provided
All at the Forum hope to see you on the night!!
talktime: there for young people
Talktime Edinburgh is a counselling service for 16-25 year olds with physical disabilities.
TalkTime offer weekly one hour sessions of counselling from their base on Leith’s Great Junction Street with a fully trained professional counsellor. They are happy to take referrals by phone or email. For further information please look at the website – link below.
Local youth projects share criminals’ cash!
‘Investing in our young people is always money well spent’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson MSP
Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG), Granton Youth Centre and The Yard (above) are among the youth projects to receive cash from the latest round of Cashback grants announced today.
In this funding round YouthLink Scotland has awarded £41,156 of CashBack funding to 17 organisations within the youth work sector in Edinburgh to deliver a whole range of projects for local young people.
The CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund is administrated and delivered by the National Agency for Youth Work, YouthLink Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government.
Among those organisations to receive funding is The Big Project in the city’s Broomhouse area, they benefited to the tune of £4,406 to provide youth clubs twice a week for local youngsters.
Edinburgh City 6VT project have also been given a grant of £2,125 to carry on their work with local young people. Fiona Home, Development Co-ordinator for 6VT, said the support from CashBack over the years had been vital to their work with young people across the capital, especially since the project has recently had to find new premises.
“This June we move to our new location in the Grassmarket, currently we are operating out a church hall nearby. Without this support we would undoubtedly have lost contact with many of our young people, leaving them with nowhere to go and back to hanging out on the streets,” she said.
Broomhouse Young Carers were awarded £1,996 for a summer programme. The organisation offers respite to young carers aged 7-18 by way of weekly support groups, holiday programmes and residentials.
Kids in the Street, who offer street sports and coaching, have been given £2.100 for their youth activity programme. Susan Law, Administrator with KITS said: “The CashBack grant makes a huge difference to the range of sessions we can provide including girls football, street based sessions and our junior football academy.”
Restalrig’s Ripple Project received £3,105 to provide a dedicated girls-only provision to local young people at a vulnerable stage in their lives, providing them with a safe place to explore and address the issues and pressures that impact on young women. With the support and guidance of specialist youth workers, the girls also access a range of educational and leisure opportunities.
Liz Ferguson, who leads the project, said the funding helps to level the playing field for local young people. She said: ““These experiences through CashBack funding, go a long way in helping us develop confident and aspirational young women in a community of significant disadvantage.”
Commenting on the latest round of CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund awards, Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson said: “Investing in our young people is always money well spent and I am delighted that the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities programme is providing this valuable funding for worthy projects across Edinburgh.
“This government is committed to ensuring all young people reach their full potential. The vast majority of them are a credit to society but we want to prevent the small minority getting involved in crime or antisocial behaviour in the first place.”
Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland, Jim Sweeney added: “Crime is a real blight on our neighbourhoods and it is right that money from the proceeds of crime goes back to the very heart of our communities, our young people. We know that youth work really does change the lives of young people, not only in Edinburgh but in every part of Scotland.”
List of Awards – City of Edinburgh (£41,156)
The BIG Project £4,406
The Broomhouse Centre £1,996
St Teresa’s Youth Club £1,800
Granton Youth Centre £3,000
Beyond Gender Youth Project £1,608
The Yard Adventure Centre £2,912
Edinburgh City Youth Cafe (6VT Youth Cafe) £2,125
Pilmeny Development Project £2,783
Canongate Youth £1,404
Kids in the Street ( KITS) £2,100
Muirhouse Youth Development Group £1,525
Wester Hailes Youth Agency £1,750
Craigentinny-Lochend Social Centre £2,880
The Ripple Project £3,105
Jack Kane Community Centre £1,938
Citadel Youth Centre £4,674
Ferrywell Youth Project £1,150
First Minister confirms 500 extra apprenticeships
youth employment boost at start of Apprenticeship Week
An extra 500 Modern Apprenticeship places will be funded over the next year following a £3.8 million investment, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed today.
The funding will also be used to create more opportunities for young people still at school through work-based Foundation Apprenticeships for senior secondary pupils, which will provide industry recognised qualifications and first hand insight into the world of work.
The 500 places – announced to mark the start of Scottish Apprenticeship Week – are the first step to expand Skills Development Scotland’s current apprentice programme from 25,000 to 30,000 by 2020.
The First Minister met with some of the female apprentice mechanics at GTG Training which is owned by Arnold Clark, to highlight the opportunities open to young women through the new funding to encourage them to consider roles traditionally filled by men.
Arnold Clark has seen 160 apprentices starting this year – of whom 31 are female.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “It’s vitally important that all of our young people in Scotland – no matter their background – have the opportunities available to get on in life.
“Apprenticeships not only offer our young people better job prospects – they also have a positive impact on businesses and industry, bringing value to employers and our economy.
“We have already seen youth unemployment reach its lowest level in seven years and with further investment in our young workforce – like these 500 apprenticeships – we can hope to see that continue to improve.
“I also want to make sure that these opportunities are open to everyone. Traditionally, some sectors have been dominated by men and women have felt that there are barriers to them entering.
“As we continue the expansion of our successful apprenticeship programmes we need to make sure that more young women are aware of the tremendous opportunities that an apprenticeship provides.
“I want our young women – as well as our young men – to be inspired and supported to achieve whatever they want in life.”
Carol Henry, Group HR Director, Arnold Clark said: “As a large employer and supporter of developing the young workforce of Scotland, I am pleased to see the continued efforts being made around the extension of apprenticeships. For young people to succeed in today’s workplace, it is essential that they are equipped with the right skills and knowledge. The public and private sector have an important role to play in ensuring valuable learning opportunities continue to be available to young people.”
News of the extra 500 places follows hot on the heels of yesterday’s announcement of a £125,000 investment to support female apprenticeships.
Women will receive further help in taking up careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from a new programme to support Modern Apprenticeships (MAs).
The Scottish Government is investing a further £125,000 in the CareerWISE initiative to raise awareness of STEM MAs to girls and their parents, break down barriers to women taking them up and showcase employers taking action to address gender diversity in MAs.
CareerWISE, which is delivered by Equate Scotland at Edinburgh Napier University, was created in 2013 to raise awareness of STEM careers for girls from school age onwards.
The announcement coincides with the start of Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2015, the annual showcase to highlight the benefits of MAs to both employers and potential trainees.
Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training Roseanna Cunningham said: “The CareerWISE programme has made a considerable impact over the last 18 months however there remains the need to address gender balance in the STEM sectors in Scotland.
“The Scottish Government still firmly believes that there is no such thing as a job for a boy or a job for a girl. Our continued support for the CareerWISE programme and its new focus to support young women access STEM MAs sits at the heart of our drive for a more productive and fairer work place.
“I am very pleased to be able to fund this very specific piece of work that CareerWISE will take forward. This is further illustration of our determination to respond positively to recommendations of the report into Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.
“We need more women to take up non-traditional career paths to achieve gender equality in the workplace. We are also committed to creating 30,000 new MA opportunities every year by 2020 and more women placed in STEM sectors will help us move towards that goal.
“This year’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week looks like being the biggest yet with dozens of events up and down the country with a number of Scottish ministers getting involved in both local and national initiatives. BT have already seized the initiative by announcing 90 new MA posts on Friday, and I hope the next week’s activity encourages even more employers to consider the advantages of MAs to their business and the wider economy.”
Skills Development Scotland, Chief Executive, Damien Yeates, said: “Modern Apprenticeships provide excellent opportunities for young people to work, learn and earn.
“Programmes such as CareerWISE help young women see the real benefits of Modern Apprenticeships and work-based learning as valuable career options.
“We want Scottish Apprenticeship Week to inspire young people to find out about apprenticeships and take up the great opportunities apprenticeships provide to give their careers a great start.”
Linda Somerville, Project Director at Equate Scotland,added: “Building on the success with Careerwise, Equate Scotland will partner with employers to encourage them to take positive action to offer young women access to MAs, to address skills shortages in these sectors.”
Apprenticeships: it’s a man’s world?
- In Edinburgh, parents are twice as likely to advise boys to take on an apprenticeship compared to girls
- Just over a quarter of parents in Edinburgh said they would offer differing career advice to their sons and daughters
New research from Scottish Gas has revealed that parents in Edinburgh are twice as likely to advise boys to take on an apprenticeship compared to girls. 15% of parents would encourage their son to take on an apprenticeship while only 8% of parents would give the same advice to their daughter.
Parents’ views have a big impact on the career choices young people make. When asked about what career their parents would like them to pursue, half (27%) of teenage boys in Glasgow said an apprenticeship; only 10% of teenage girls reported the same.
As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week (18 – 22 May), an independent national survey* polling teens and parents found that just over a quarter (28%) of parents in Edinburgh admitted offering their children differing career advice depending on their gender.
Only 17% of teenage girls in Edinburgh view an apprenticeship as a viable career option. Yet more than a third of teenage boys (35%) are keen to go straight from school into an apprenticeship scheme.
Scottish Gas, which has trained 500 apprentices from across Scotland since opening the doors to its academy in Hamilton five years ago, is urging more girls to consider an apprenticeship. Explaining this rally to young women, the company said in 2014 only 3.3% of applicants for its competitive technical and engineering apprenticeship schemes were female.
John Lochrie, who is a former Scottish Gas apprentice and is now Operations Director for HomeCare Services at Scottish Gas, said: “It’s clear from this research that apprenticeships are still regarded as something of a man’s world among young people.
“Apprenticeships are a great way into an organisation. A Scottish Gas apprenticeship allows you to earn while you learn and encourages you to develop skills for life. I’d encourage all girls thinking about their future career, or looking for employment, to consider an apprenticeship.”
Scottish Gas’ survey also reveals concerns with careers advice for teenage girls and boys. Over two fifths (44%) of teenage girls polled in Edinburgh complained of receiving unhelpful advice and 47% of teenage boys shared the same complaint.
Poor careers advice has resulted in teenage girls limiting their own career choices. Six in ten (60%) teenage girls in Edinburgh surveyed said they had never considered a career in engineering. Meanwhile, young people in the city felt teenage girls were best suited to very stereotyped roles with their top three career choices including: nursing (67%), beauty & fashion (68%) and healthcare (67%).
Fifer Andrew Ness (above) joined the Scottish Gas apprenticeship scheme in November 2013. After studying for a BSc in Microbiology and then working in the finance sector, he decided to change direction completely.
Andrew, (35), explained: “I had started on the path to a career in IT, getting my A+ and Network+ qualifications. Then I worked in the finance sector for 10 years. At the time I was also volunteering on weekends repairing computers for charities. I wanted to move into computer repair as a career but I found there were a lot of people going after a limited number of jobs.”
Andrew heard about the apprenticeships scheme through his flatmate who works in the Scottish Gas contact centre. He said: “It seemed like a great chance to get all of the skills and knowledge that I needed to make a new career for myself. I was so excited when I found out I’d been accepted. My family were really pleased for me too, because Scottish Gas is such a well-known company.”
Andrew was looking for a career that was more hands-on than his previous office-based jobs. He said: “Learning practical skills was a real change for me, having never done anything like it before. But with the support and training I received from my instructors, and some hard work, I got better at these practical skills really quickly. I’m sure anyone else could do the same.”
Like many of Scottish Gas’ apprentices, Andrew is particularly enjoying the sociable nature of his job. He said: “It’s amazing how many times you arrive at someone’s house to do some work for them and it turns out to be someone you already know! It’s great for someone like me who enjoys meeting new people and being around others.”
Andrew is now looking forward to what the future holds. He added: “I would absolutely recommend an apprenticeship with Scottish Gas. There is a lot of work involved and it takes real commitment but it is definitely worthwhile and really shows that you are someone who can reach a goal.
“I think being engineer is a great career choice for both men and women. It’s definitely practical and you need an interest in fixing things but anyone can do it. It’s really positive that Scottish Gas is encouraging more women to join its apprenticeship scheme.”
Tips for teens interested in an apprenticeship at Scottish Gas:
- Head over to www.gov.uk/further-education-skills the official apprenticeship website to discover more about apprenticeships
- Keep a close eye on : http://po.st/BGNAW2015 for information on apprenticeship schemes
- Attend Scottish Gas’ open day during Scottish Apprenticeship Week. You can register your interest by visiting: http://po.st/BGNAW2015