Young people – Page 67 – The NEN

Scotland’s young people: the future’s in your hands

First Minister Alex Salmond published a youth version of Scotland’s Future at a youth engagement event in Glasgow yesterday.

The young person’s guide to Scottish independence (see below) was made available as the Scottish Government hosted the first ever ‘Youth Cabinet’ – an opportunity for over 100 young Scots from across the country to quiz Scottish Ministers directly on independence plans.

In the first event of its kind event at Glasgow’s SECC, the young people quizzed the politicians who were seated at portfolio-themed tables. Then, after a rapid-fire 15 minutes a ‘gong’ was sounded and the young people moved on to ‘grill’ the next Minister!

Young people were involved in all aspects of the event, including hosting duties and the filming and live streaming of the session.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCQeB_6iNxE

Speaking at the youth cabinet First Minister Alex Salmond said: “I am proud that for the first time ever we have ensured 16 and 17 year-olds will get the vote.

“The case for independence rests on the talent and ability of our people. It will be better for all our futures if decisions about Scotland are taken by the people who care most about Scotland – the people who live and work here.

“No-one else will do a better job and no-one else has a bigger stake in our success and that fundamental truth applies to young people more than anyone else. In an independent Scotland your future – Scotland’s future – will be in the hands of our young people.

“Today we are also publishing a version of Scotland’s Future which focusses, in particular, on issues of interest to young people. It’s a plan to demonstrate how, working together, we can build a better, more prosperous and fairer country.

“For young people the prospect of an independent Scotland really is the opportunity of a lifetime and my message to them is let’s ensure Scotland’s future is in Scotland’s hands.”

Scotland’s Future

All set fair for Saturday’s Summer Blast!

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s the place to be for children and young people this Saturday (21 June). It’s Summer Blast Saturday!

Billed as ‘ a celebration of children and young people in North Edinburgh’ you’re guaranteed a day (and evening) of fun fun fun – and it’s all free!

Summer Blast kicks off at 11am …

For further information contact Callum McLeod on 332 6316 email Callum.Mcleod@ea.edin.sch.uk

Summer_blast_2014

New clubs for young people in Muirhouse

Muirhouse Community (Millennium) Centre

We are pleased to announce that four new children’s clubs opened in May.

These four clubs are funded for one year by the Social Justice Fund, Total Craigroyston and CLD.Each group will have space for 16 young people and be supported by at least two professional youth workers – they will run in 3 eight week blocks with a different focus for each block i.e. getting physically active, new hobbies, joining in wider community activity and a half day outdoor adventure.

There’s more info on muirhousecommunity centre.co.uk

or call 0131 467 3578.

Peter Airlie.

Youth Employment blueprint launched at Craigroyston

Education Working For All report

The final report by the group tasked with helping Scotland develop a world class system of vocational education and training has been welcomed by the Scottish Government and education leaders.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment Angela Constance joined Sir Ian Wood, fellow members of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce and representatives from COSLA, at Craigroyston Community High School to mark the publication yesterday.

Its recommendations include:

Youth unemployment should be reduced by 40 per cent
Enhanced careers education in Primary School
The opportunity to prepare for a Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in the senior phase of school
More support for employers to take on young employees
Closer links between employers and schools and colleges
Measures to improve gender balance in training
Measures to remove barriers for young disabled people, care leavers and black and minority ethnic groups taking up training opportunities.

Sir Ian believes that Scottish businesses have ‘got out of the habit’ of employing young people and said schools must prepare young people better for the workplace and ensure vocational training was offered as well as academic qualifications.

He explained: “It’s all about building a bridge between school and college into business and industry.

“We’re suggesting that we set up 15 to 20 employer-led groups across Scotland. They’ll have a three-year life and will facilitate every secondary school in Scotland having a long-term partnership with local employers, to include work experience.

“We’re suggesting a really worthwhile work experience and also better advice and career information.

“Frankly, business says ‘we would like to employ more young people, but we’re not sure how to, we don’t have the resource’. We’ve tried to do something quite concrete to change that.”

The Scottish Government will respond formally to the report in the coming weeks, with £12 million budget consequentials already set aside for youth employment.

Speaking at Craigroyston, Ms Constance said: “Today’s report sets out recommendations to deliver a 40 per cent reduction in youth unemployment by 2020 and a challenging programme to transform the way we work with young people, employers, schools and colleges to ensure that all our young women and men have the choices and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.

“Our young people are an enormous asset in helping us to achieve our aspiration to strengthen Scotland’s economy. Our ambitions to see significant improvements in our youth employment numbers go beyond a return to pre-recession levels when, during a period of growth, youth unemployment stood 7.7 percentage points above that of the general population.

“A substantial amount of activity to help young women and men towards employment is already in place, including our very successful Modern Apprenticeship programme, which has seen over 77,000 new opportunities in the last three years. Opportunities for All also guarantees every 16 to 19 year old the offer of a place in education or training.

“The £12 million we announced earlier this year will help accelerate progress, and we will discuss with our partners in local government how best that is deployed.

“I would like to thank Sir Ian, members of the Commission and all those who have contributed to this landmark report which both matches the scale of our ambition and clearly sets out the challenges we face in delivering it.

“There is now much to consider and we will work closely with the public, private and third sectors on how the recommendations could be taken forward. Our partners in local government have a pivotal role to play in tackling youth unemployment and will be very much part of this work going forward.”

Minister for Learning Alasdair Allan added: “Curriculum for Excellence has been designed to equip our young people with the skills they need to succeed both in Scotland and in the global workplace, with local authorities having the freedom to shape education to meet the needs of our pupils, whatever their background.

“In order to truly give every young person the best possible chance of finding a sustainable career we need world class vocational education and training, allowing schools and colleges to join up with employers so that learning can be even more aligned to student needs.

“Today’s report builds on the steps we have already taken and I look forward to considering with our key stakeholders how it could make the difference we seek.”

Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, has also warmly welcomed the findings in the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce report. She said:

“The Wood Commission report’s emphasis on ensuring young people at college study courses that will lead to employment in the prevailing labour market echoes our commitment to delivering opportunities that are relevant to the economic needs of Edinburgh and Scotland.

“The report’s objectives of establishing of a world class vocational training system that puts employers at the heart of this process is positive and something we have already embraced at Edinburgh College.

“Greater involvement between employers and colleges fits well with our activity at Edinburgh College. One of our aims is to ensure most full time students have a practical work experience embedded in their course. This is already well established in some areas such as catering and hair and beauty through the college’s restaurants and salons as well as our close links with industry in areas such as creative industries, health and social care, engineering and construction. We are seeking to extend this across all the full time courses we offer, where practical and beneficial to our students.

“The South East Scotland Academies programme that we are involved in is an excellent example of education institutions working closely with schools and employers to equip young people with the skills, experience and attitude to make a difference in industry. We will continue to pursue such initiatives to ensure we provide young people with the experience and opportunities that will help them into employment.”

Cllr Douglas Chapman, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People added: “This landmark report today by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce comes at a time of great change for Scotland. Whatever happens in September we have already embarked upon a decade long journey of renewal in education as a result of Curriculum for Excellence. The report today by the Commission in many ways represents the next steps that we need to take if we are to have a first class system of vocational learning in schools alongside the more established route to academic success.

“The report recognises the crucial role that our schools and teachers in local authorities across the length and breadth of the country can play at expanding pupil’s knowledge about the world of work and the job opportunities that are out there.

“The report’s recommendations are ambitious and transformational but in no way unachievable. This is because a key strength is that the recommendations are based, in part, on existing good practice which has been developed by local authorities, colleges and partners”

“We look forward to considering the report in more depth with Government in order to work together to progress the recommendations, as it is essential not only to support but also inspire young people with new opportunities to develop long-term rewarding careers.”

CY4You: New service for vulnerable young people launched

CY4You, a one-to-one support service to help vulnerable young people, has been officially launched by the specialist relationships and sexual health charity Caledonia Youth.

Stacey Burns and Rachael Mulhern, two young women who have benefitted from Caledonia Youth services, helped launch the initiative and were joined by Kezia Dugdale MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and the Caledonia Youth team for the CY4You launch at the charity’s city centre facility at Castle Terrace.

Representatives from education, social workers, the voluntary sector and funders heard Rachael (18) and Stacey (24) describe their experiences and explain how they were supported by the Caledonia Youth one to one service.

Rachael had suffered from serious confidence issues at a transitional stage leading up to her leaving school and moving into employment, and Stacey had experienced relationship difficulties, stemming from a brain tumour when she was just five. The service helped them cope with these problems.

“We are delighted that Rachael and Stacey shared their own stories to help us launch our innovative CY4You initiative, along with Kezia Dugdale MSP who has been most supportive of our services,” said Caledonia Youth Chief Executive Hawys Kilday.

“CY4You is a fundamental part of our overall strategy to ramp up the provision of preventative services in Scotland. It builds upon years of experience delivering specialist one to one support and counselling services, which have benefited hundreds of vulnerable young people.

“It supports them by providing sessions tailored to suit each individual’s personal circumstances. We focus on a young person’s ability to cope with the transition into adulthood, aiming to improve resilience, reduce risk taking behaviour and enhance personal and family relationships. We also support those at risk of sexual ill health, sexual abuse and exploitation.

“We are most grateful to our funding partners, the R S Macdonald Charitable Trust, the Volant Charitable Trust and Ponton House Trust, whose support lets us deliver CY4You in the Edinburgh and Lothian region. Moving forward, we will be actively seeking further backing to help us extend as a centre of excellence and widen the reach of this unique service across Scotland.”

Kezia Dugdale MSP said: “Caledonia Youth has a strong track record in being dedicated advocates for young people, and I am delighted to see the launch of this innovative one-to-one service.

“Caledonia Youth excels at providing specific sexual health services for young people, something which I firmly believe should be supported. Young people need dedicated services, with people trained to deal with the needs of a young person, be it medical or emotional.”

The CY4You service, which complements statutory Relationships, Sexual Health & Parenthood Education (RSHPE) by providing much needed and more intensive individual support, begins with the preparation of an individualised plan and bespoke materials following a discussion based needs assessment, when learning outcomes are also agreed.
Young people are given the opportunity to attend up to 10-one hour sessions with an assigned member of the CY4You team. Information is only shared with the young person’s consent unless it is deemed a Child Protection or Vulnerable Adult issue when the relevant individuals are informed.

Young people must be under 25 and, at present, resident in Edinburgh and the Lothians when CY4You sessions begin. One hour sessions are delivered at Caledonia Youth’s Edinburgh facility at 5 Castle Terrace, unless otherwise agreed.

For more information on how to refer to the service contact the CY4You team on 0131 229 1402

email: cy4you@caledoniayouth.org

or online at www.caledoniayouth.org

£2.1m CashBack to support youth projects

25,000 young people set to benefit from seized proceeds of crime this year

The Scottish Government has announced that more than £2 million is to be invested to create life-changing opportunities for vulnerable young people.

The CashBack for Communities funding will be invested by national youth work agency, YouthLink Scotland, over the next three years in projects that will empower and guide Scotland’s young people towards a more positive future.

It’s estimated that around 25,000 young people will be able to access new opportunities in each of the three years as a result of the new funding. This will continue the support of the youth work that has already provided 330,000 opportunities for young people and created a 73,000-strong army of volunteers and workers.

Minister for Children & Young People Aileen Campbell welcomed the news yesterday when she visited the Green Shoots project – on the same day the recently-published National Youth Work Strategy Scotland was debated in the Scottish Parliament.

Green Shoots – a 12-week programme that gives young people at risk of becoming involved in antisocial behaviour or alcohol and drug dependency the opportunity to take part in community-based environmental volunteering – is a great example of criminals’ ill-gotten gains being used for the benefit of communities.

Ms Campbell said: “Youth work is a hugely effective force for good for hundreds of thousands of people and the perfect way to reinvest the CashBack for Communities funding. This money will help offer activities, skills and training opportunities and, most importantly, a place to turn for many young people facing difficulties or at a crossroads in their lives.

“Investment in youth work is not just the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. I am lucky to have seen first-hand the difference youth projects make in giving young people confidence to make their voice heard, seize the opportunities in front of them and make the right decisions for themselves and their families.”

Jim Sweeney, CEO, YouthLink Scotland, said: “Over the last five years, CashBack for Communities has created a generation of local superheroes, giving power back to young people and their communities by using the cash seized from criminals as a force for positive change.

“This money has helped young people access life-changing youth work opportunities which has given them more optimism for the future and has proved to many young people that they can achieve their ambitions despite difficult life circumstances.”

Since 2007, over £74 million of money seized through the Proceeds of Crime Act has been put to excellent use through CashBack for Communities, funding around 1.2 million activities and opportunities for young people.

Sainsbury’s supports Scotland’s senior youth club

Sainsburys Blackhall have been helping FetLor Youth Club do some much needed repairs to their old building to keep it going until funds can be raised to build a new one …

Young people from FetLor have written to thank the Craigleith store for their help, attaching some before and after photos to show the difference that’s been made (attached below).

Sainsburys 1 page fixing jobs TQ

FetLor Operations Manger Lindsay Coulton said: “FetLor Youth Club is Scotland’s oldest Youth Work Project, set up in 1924. The Club is currently housed in a wooden hut built in the early 1960’s on Crewe Road South.

“It has served the North Edinburgh community well over the past 40 years and holds many fond memories, but it can’t last much longer and the cost of repairs is rising every year. Thanks to Sainsbury’s Blackhall some of the urgent repairs that the Club needs have been carried out, making the building safe and secure for our young people and allowing us to commit funds to the new building project.

“The support of organisations in the local community, such as the support offered to us by Sainsbury’s Blackhall, will be key to the success of our project. If you are interested in helping, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at FetLor Youth Club – we would be delighted to hear from you.”

Police issue safety warning following Pilton road accident

Police in North Edinburgh are urging local youngsters and their parents to heed a safety warning following a recent road accident in West Pilton that has left a 15-year-old in a critical condition in hospital.

Enquiries are ongoing and police are appealing for witnesses after two males riding on a motorbike collided with a car in West Pilton Gardens at around 5.40pm last Tuesday evening (22 April).

Inspector David Happs, who is based at Drylaw Police Station, said: “The dangers in riding a high-powered motorcycle without the relevant training, experience or protective headgear are clear.

“We have charged several young people over recent months in connection with the dangerous and antisocial riding of motorbikes in the area, but a small minority of local young people continue to cause disruption to their local community.

“We are committed to tackling this antisocial and dangerous activity and officers have this week visited a number of local young people and their parents to reiterate this safety message and highlight the danger these young people are placing themselves and others in.”

Police Scotland acknowledges the strong feelings in the local community regarding the motorcycle issue and Inspector Happs is keen to reassure residents that the force is continuing efforts to identify those involved in such incidents and is urging members of the public to report any relevant information to the police.

He added: “Given the increased risk to the rider and other members of the public, the circumstances in which we will pursue a motorcycle in a police vehicle are rare. However, we have and will continue to make appropriate use of the police helicopter, other specialist and plain-clothed police resources, as well as CCTV and other evidential opportunities to identify the riders and investigate any offences committed.

“Many of the bikes involved are stolen from elsewhere in the city and I would also encourage motorcycle owners to take what reasonable steps they can to prevent their bike from being stolen. We continue to respond to calls from the public providing information on the location of hidden motorcycles, and we work with local Council teams to locate the bikes to prevent further misuse.

“There is a wide range of diversionary activities and facilities in the local area for young people and we work closely with these groups, the City of Edinburgh Council, Total Craigroyston and other agencies to develop longer term strategies to reduce the offending behaviour and danger to the local community.”

Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or, alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Encouraging signs as wages outstrip inflation

Brighter outlook for job seekers as unemployment falls again

There have been more indications that economic recovery is gathering pace with the publication of the latest figures by the Office of National Statistics yesterday.

Unemployment has dropped below 7% for the first time since the recession and employment has seen the biggest annual jump in a generation, the latest figures show.

Unemployment fell by 77,000 in the last 3 months, taking the unemployment rate to 6.9% for the first time since 2009.

In the largest annual rise in nearly 25 years, the number of people of people in a job rose by 691,000 – more than double the population of Newcastle – bringing the record number of people in work to 30.39 million.

Wages also rose on the year by 1.7%, against yesterday’s announcement that March’s inflation had dropped to 1.6%, and job vacancies rose again, up 108,000 over the past year bringing the number of vacancies in the UK economy to 611,000.

Minister for Employment Esther McVey said: “More young people are in work, more women are in work, wages are going up, and more and more businesses are hiring – and it’s a credit to them that Britain is working again.

“But there is still more to do – which is why I’d go even further and call on more employers to work with us to tap into the talent pool the UK offers.”

In Scotland, employment levels are at their highest since records began with 2,575,000 people over 16 now employed. The employment level is now 13,000 above its pre-recession peak of 2,562,000 in 2008.

National Statistics also published yesterday by the Scottish Government showed Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.2 per cent over the fourth quarter of 2013 and increased by 1.6 per cent during 2013, the fastest annual growth since 2007.

The highest employment level record has been met by an increase in employment of 68,000 over the year, driven by an increase of 46,000 in the female employment level. The female rate of employment in Scotland is now 1.8 percentage points above the UK.

Scotland has again outperformed the UK across all headline labour market indicators, with a lower unemployment rate, higher employment rate and lower economic inactivity rate: details not missed by First Minister Alex Salmond.

Although the Scottish unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points over the quarter, over the year it fell by 0.8 percentage points and now stands at 6.5 per cent compared to 6.9 per cent in the UK as a whole.

For the 17th consecutive month the claimant count decreased in Scotland with the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance falling by 2,400 over the month to March.

Welcoming the latest labour market figures, First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Today’s historic jobs figures show the Scottish Government’s policy of investing in infrastructure to boost the economy is making significant progress with employment levels at a record high. To put it in perspective, there are 285,000 more people in employment today than there were when the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999.

“Scotland is outperforming the UK across employment, unemployment and inactivity rates which goes to show even with the limited powers over the economy at our disposal we are improving our country’s economic health.

“Everyone aged between 16 and 19 is guaranteed an offer of a place in training or education through Opportunities for All and just this week we revealed we will create thousands of additional Modern Apprenticeship places, bringing our total target for MA’s to 30,000 every year by 2020 – double the level we inherited in 2007.

“This commitment to equipping our young people with the skills that they need will be further strengthened with the appointment of Angela Constance as Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Female Employment.”

The Charge of the Young Brigade

The Charger

Bloomin’ kids! They stand around on street corners, play football in the street and have absolutely no respect for their elders. All they’re interested in is X Factor, FaceBook and computer games. They’ve never had it so good – now, when I was a boy …

Is that your view of young people? Well, a new publication produced in North Edinburgh may just change your mind. Local Community Learning and Development worker Callum McLeod has produced ‘The Charger’ to let the wider community know about the wide variety of positive activities many of our young people are involved in.

Callum explained: “This is its first edition, but I’m hoping to get at least one out each term and I’m sure it’ll improve with each edition. Iit’s worth having a wee nosy at it to see some of the stuff which has been happening on your doorstep.

“There are plenty of fab examples of where children and young people have been and are involved in decision-making in North Edinburgh – and so I’m planning that the Charger’s focus will be about showcasing as much of this as possible.

“It’s being aimed at children and young people, agencies and individuals within the community and so please pass it on to people you think might be interested. It’ll provide an opportunity to shine a spotlight on children and young people-led issues, achievements and developments in future editions, so please get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to add for the next one!”

Callum now plans to produce and distribute some hard copies of the current ‘Charger’ as well as the digital version (attached above). To pass on your comments or to contribute content for the next issue, you can contact Callum at:

Callum McLeod

Community Learning & Development, Broughton High School

29 East Fettes Ave, Edinburgh, EH4 1EG

Tel: 0131 332 6316

Email: Callum.mcleod@ea.edin.sch.uk

Web: www.edinburgh.gov.uk

CLD Web: www.joininedinburgh.org