Young people – Page 66 – The NEN

The Gang’s back at the King’s!

This year’s Gang Show is biggest ever

This year the annual Edinburgh Gang Show will be not only the biggest of its kind in the world but also the biggest production to be staged on the King’s Theatre. With over 330 young people from the Scouting and Girlguiding movements, it will be a busy and exciting show!

Running from 18 – 22 November at the King’s Theatre, the Edinburgh Gang Show includes slick song and dance numbers from Michael Jackson to Disney’s Frozen and many more, as well as topical comedy sketches.

Andy Johnston, the Edinburgh Gang Show Director said: “This is my 12^th year as Director and it features the largest cast ever assembled for an Edinburgh Gang Show. Over 330 young people will get to experience the amazing buzz that you only get when the houselights go down at the start of a Gang Show and that almighty roar resounds around the auditorium.

“It is a very, very special show, one which is forward looking, while at the same time keeping in line with the format that was created 82 years ago by Ralph Reader. The show is a reflection on what has happened throughout year and we strive to make sure there really is something for everyone.”

It will be a special occasion for the youngest female cast, the Brownies, as the section turned 100 years old in 2014! In celebration there will be a special Big Brownie Birthday number with 170 Brownies, in two casts, 70 more than usual! This party number includes songs from Sister Act and Hannah Montana.

This modern, fast paced and funny production is not a show about Scouting and Girlguiding it is a performance by those in Scouting and Girlguiding. It allows these young people the chance to develop their performance skills in a professional environment and continue to do something that they clearly enjoy and love.

Edinburgh Gang Show 2014

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh

Tue 18 to Sat 22 November

Evenings 7.00pm

Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)

0131 529 6000

0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)

www.edtheatres.com/gangshow

Tickets from £10.00

The Gang's back at the King's!

This year’s Gang Show is biggest ever

Edinburgh Gang Show 2014

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh

Tue 18 to Sat 22 November

Evenings 7.00pm

Saturday matinee 2.15pm (Audio described & BSL interpreted)

0131 529 6000

0131 529 6005 (Group bookings)

www.edtheatres.com/gangshow

Tickets from £10.00

Search is on for top youth worker

Scotland’s National Agency for Youth Work is looking for the very best work being done with young people in and around Edinburgh. Youth workers and volunteers in the local area are being encouraged to nominate entries for the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015 organised by YouthLink Scotland.

The 8th National Youth Worker of the Year Awards will be an outstanding showcase of the remarkable work that is being done right across the nation. We are searching for a wide range of entries and it’s not just traditional youth workers we want to hear from.

In every local area of the country there are countless examples of people paid and unpaid who do great work with young people. The parent who runs a youth work project on a Friday night, the local Girlguide leader, the student who helps younger pupils who are struggling with bullying or a respected youth work manager at a local council or voluntary organisations.

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People, said: “Every year the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards rightly celebrate the often-unseen heroes who do valuable work in our communities.

“In the past, these awards have recognised a very broad range of individuals who have shown a true commitment to youth work. I encourage everyone in the Edinburgh area to consider people in their community who could be nominated and I look forward to hearing more about the nominees and winners.”

Jim Sweeney, Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland, said: “These awards are a true celebration of our unstinting belief in our young people. I would love to see each category packed with nominations as there is so much life changing work going on.

“Right across the country in clubs and organisations, on the streets and in the great outdoors, youth workers give of their time to help young people achieve their potential and be all they can be. Youth work is a wholly positive experience that changes lives and adds to the commonwealth of Scottish society.”

Each of the 10 categories for the 2015 Awards will see three finalists chosen with the winners being presented with their award on the night of the Awards Dinner in March, and the overall Youth Worker of the Year will be chosen from across the individual category winners.

The deadline for nominations for each of the 10 award categories is Thursday 18 December 2014. An Awards Dinner to announce and celebrate the achievements of the finalists will be held on Thursday 12 March 2015 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow.

The 10 categories for the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015 are:

• Youth Worker of the Year (Full-time or Full-time equivalent)
• Youth Worker of the Year (Sessional paid/part time)
• Volunteer of the Year
• Innovative Practice ¬– Team of the Year
• Youth Worker of the Year (Uniformed Organisations)
• Youth Worker of the Year (Intergenerational)
• Role Model/Mentor of the Year
• Youth Work Manager of the Year
• Agencies and Partner Organisations (Worker of the Year)
• Lifetime Achievement Award (Fellowship of YouthLink Scotland)
• Overall Winner (selected from winners of other categories)

To find out more information about the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2015 and to download a nomination form, visit the YouthLink Scotland website at www.youthlinkscotland.org

Apprenticeships at Scottish Parliament

Open Day Friday 21 November

An apprenticeship scheme to employ 20 young people in the Scottish Parliament over the next four years has been launched by the Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work in a range of areas including Visitor Services, Events, Security, HR and IT.

An Open Day for young people interested in hearing more about the available opportunities will be held in the Parliament on 21 November.

Presiding Officer the Rt HonTricia Marwick MSP said: “The Scottish Parliament is an employer in its own right and we hope to lead by example. This apprenticeship scheme will provide opportunities for young people to build the skills to help them in their future careers. We will offer a range of positions to help build skills and to develop confidence.

“From today, through a dedicated website, young people aged between 16-24 can access details of these opportunities and next month we will be hosting an Open Day at which I hope to welcome young people from across Scotland.”

Clerk and Chief Executive of the Scottish Parliament Paul Grice said: “The Scottish Parliament is a vibrant and modern workplace and we want a workforce that reflects the diversity of Scotland’s population. We know the talent is out there – and we want to see it in the Parliament.

“This scheme provides a great opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to use their different abilities and to develop new skills to help build a successful career. We are always looking for people with initiative to inject different ideas and fresh thinking and, in return, we offer a great organisation where young people can begin their career.

“Young people have much to offer the Parliament and we have much to offer them – a supportive work environment and the first steps on a career path.”

The Parliament piloted a Modern Apprenticeship programme in 2012 and one of the successful applicants, Lynsey Mackay, backed the scheme. She said: “I wasn’t sure what to expect when I applied to the Parliament. But I quickly realised there were lots of different roles here and I was encouraged to experience them.

“Nearly two years on, I now have a vocational qualification and can compete for full-time posts within the Parliament – all thanks to the apprenticeship programme.”

Another apprentice, Tess Schmigylski, said: “Some people might assume that the Parliament is a very dry, boring place to work. Well I can safely say that I’ve enjoyed every minute of my time here – my colleagues have been very supportive and there is always so much going on.

“I feel far more confident now about my life and my career than when I first started and I would encourage any young person who is unsure what they want to do with their life, to find out more about the Parliament’s apprenticeship programme.”

Apprenticeship A4 Open Day poster – v4

Play in the Park this weekend

Broughton High School Community Learning & Development (CLD) Team is launching a fun new activity this weekend.

Drylaw and Inverleith Parks will be the venues for young people to get out to enjoy games, sports, trips, arts, challenges – and more!

Weekly ‘Play in the Park’ sessions start this Sunday (9 November) in Drylaw Park from 1 – 3pm and will also be taking place in Inverleith Park on Sturdays from 2.30 – 4.30pm – starting date details will be announced later.

For further information contact Callum McLeod at Broughton High School CLD, telephone 332 6316.

Weekends will never be the same again!

Poster Nov2014

Muirhouse young team JASS it up at Ratho

Ratho residential for JASS groups

Muirhouse Community Centre and the Junior Award Scheme Scotland (JASS) which is based in the Centre held a joint residential during the October break.

The residential was at the ever popular Pilton Retreat at Ratho. The first group (girls) went on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and when they arrived back at 4 pm it was a quick change over with the boys jumping onto the minibus for the Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday and Friday!

The young people had a brilliant time as did the staff and the volunteers (apart from the age old residential problem of trying to get ten hyper children to settle down at bedtime! The children took masses of photos and the best ones will be copied to a CD as a memento of their trip (a wee selection of the photos are pasted below).

A special thanks to Donna (Youth Worker) and Tyler Sherriff (our new local volunteer with the girls) and Chris and Paul (our boys group volunteers). Also thanks to Ken and Paul at Ratho for all their help and their local knowledge when planning our activities.

Peter Airlie(Muirhouse Community Centre Manager) and Allan Hosey(CLD) were there for all five days and by the boys group’s return on Friday night the workers were moving like zombies … this was due to sleep deprivation rather than the approach of Halloween!

It was the first time for several years that the Centre has been able to organise a residential for primary school aged children and the initial evaluation from all involved was very positive.

James McGinty

Broughton's Good Samaritans!

You never have to look too hard to find articles critical of young people, so it’s always nice to be able to tell the other side of the story. Step forward Comely Bank woman Helen MacDonald.

Helen, who is 76, was clearing up following a family birthday party at LifeCare House. Whilst leaning over to dump bags of rubbish in a big bin in Comely Bank Street she took a dizzy turn and fell. Disorientated, Helen was confused and unable to get back to her feet.

“To be honest I wasn’t sure what I was going to do”, she said. “It all happened very quickly and it was a bit of a blur. One second I was putting bags of rubbish in a bin and the next I was on the ground. I felt a bit daft!”

Help was at hand, however. Three S2 Broughton High School pupils were on lunch break when they witnessed the accident, and in the finest tradition of the Three Musketeers Justin Youngs, Mason Harrison and Reece Head leapt to the aid of a damsel in distress.

The boys quickly got Helen back on her feet again, and, having been reassured that Helen was none the worse for her mishap, the students headed back to Broughton.

That may have been the end of the story, but for Helen’s daughter – another Helen. When she heard her mum’s story she felt that the schoolboys deserved some recognition for their prompt actions so she embarked on some detective work. Young Helen – it had been her birthday party, incidentally – contacted the Head Teacher at Broughton and the three students were soon traced.

Last week Helen – who has made a full recovery – was reunited with Justin, Mason and Reece at the Inverleith Community Conference at Broughton High School. The boys remained modest about their actions, but Helen gave the lads small gifts to show her appreciation and said: “I am really happy to have the chance to say a proper ‘thank you’ to the boys. I really don’t know how long I would have been there if they hadn’t come to help me. You do hear lots of awful things about young people but these boys are a real credit to their families and their school.”

Broughton’s Good Samaritans!

You never have to look too hard to find articles critical of young people, so it’s always nice to be able to tell the other side of the story. Step forward Comely Bank woman Helen MacDonald.

The boys quickly got Helen back on her feet again, and, having been reassured that Helen was none the worse for her mishap, the students headed back to Broughton.

PYCP AGM this Friday

A quick reminder that Pilton Youth & Childrens Project (PYCP) annual general meeting is on Friday (7 November) at 2pm in The Greenhouse. Details below:

AGM PYCP 2014

West Pilton: tackling the scourge of antisocial behaviour

Brandin, a member of North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum, is concerned about the ongoing antisocial behavior in the area:

A gang of local youths have committed many crimes in North Edinburgh recently: they are an extreme danger to the public and themselves. The groups has at least twenty members and is based in Pilton.

The crimes they commit are inexcusable and disruptive to the community: their crimes include breach of the peace, vandalism and theft. Recently an attack on an innocent Chinese man has created massive fear in the North Edinburgh community.

A local shop in West Pilton is a meeting point for the gang. The shop owner does not want to be held responsible for them being outside his shop as the gang threaten anything that attempts to stop what they are doing.

Local people are keen for the police to start doing something about the gang but they are sometimes hindered by the law – police are not allowed to give chase to the troublesome youths as they tear up local green spaces and the streets due to the risk to the health and wellbeing to the riders, so the gang is able to run free, behaving like lunatics.

The police have caught many of the youths and many have dozens of charges on their criminal record. Many have been given ASBOs, but they just turn up again and never serve any jail time – which many locals think is appalling.

I spoke to an young lady who said that the group are a ‘joke’. She said the police are not doing enough as the group are extreme vandals who are are a big threat to the community. She added: “The young people have taken over the community and are committing needless crimes. The police have said that they don’t have the resources but it is not difficult to ask other police stations for the things they need. They have to do more – and fast – before things escalate.”

Local people are not happy with what the gang are doing and many feel the police are not doing enough to stop the gang. At a public meeting in West Pilton recently the public made their views clear to councillors and police representatives.

The community is now waiting for explanations – and hopes that something is done to tackle the problem in the near future.

Brandin, North Edinburgh Young Peoples Forum

Josh and Nikki of the NEYPF took these photographs in and around West Pilton Park last week:

However local police insist problems in West Pilton are being addressed. In a statement on Facebook last Friday, Edinburgh Police Division said:

‘In North Edinburgh we are continuing to tackle antisocial behaviour and disorder in the area. Additional officers have been brought in from other parts of the East Command area to assist local officers particularly in the Forth Ward. In the last two weeks alone:

– 45 people have been arrested or reported for a variety of offences including possession of drugs, offensive weapons, antisocial behaviour, hate crime and housebreaking.

– 14 people have been arrested on warrants issued by the Court.

– 8 stolen vehicles have been recovered in the area and returned to their rightful owners.

– Over 120 persons have been stopped and searched with 12 being found in possession of suspected controlled drugs.

– Road checks have resulted in 4 uninsured vehicles being seized and taken off the street and the drivers reported.

Local Area Commander Chief Inspector Sara Buchanan added: “Police Scotland are committed to tackling these issues in conjunction with our partners in both the short and long term in order to keep people safe and support the local community”.