Young people – Page 68 – The NEN

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

LEIPing for joy! Community funding for Leith youth project

LEITH COMMUNITY PROJECT AWARDED FUNDING

A Leith community project has been awarded nearly £72,000. Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) secured funds for Leith Early Intervention Project (LEIP) from the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund.

The partnership project – between Pilmeny Development Project, YMCA Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders Police, PoLHA and local schools – will receive £71,258 over the next two years.

The funds will provide early intervention and capacity building to give support to at least 190 young people excluded from generic youth work provision, and who are at risk of offending or are already offending.

Anne Munro, Project Manager for Pilmeny Development Project, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding as it will go towards providing effective intervention for young people via a tailored programme of street work, weekly drop in youth work, a mentoring service and opportunities to use and develop skills and experience through volunteering.”

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “LEIP is a fantastic initiative and I am delighted we have been able to support them through access to the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund.”

BBC workshops to help young people speak out

The BBC will be running a series of Free Speech workshops for young people in Edinburgh next month. The workshops, which will take place at the BBC Festival Hub on the corner of Marshall Street/Potterow from Monday 5 – Friday 9 August (not Wednesday).

The free sessions, which will run from 10am – 4pm each day, will be hosted by Tina Daheley and Rick Edwards.

The Free Speech workshops are sure to be very popular so book now via learningedfest@bbc.co.uk

Young people map out youth provision

Young Persons Map

The Junction, a health and wellbeing project for young people aged 12-21, has developed and delivered a young person’s mapping project which is based on the principles and features of the Asset Based Approach.

The key feature of asset based working is valuing the potential, skills, knowledge and connections present in individuals and their communities.

During creation of the map staff spoke with young people in their community during streetwork; each map shows where young people hang out, places they feel safe and where they go for support as well as what they saw as the best thing about their area.

The maps were made during May and June at The Junction in Leith, Granton Youth Centre (GYC), Pilton Youth & Community Project (PYCP) and Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG).

Young people attending their regular drop-in at each organisation were given the chance to get involved and those that took part were aged from 12 to 17.

There are 4 maps in total – each is 9ft x 6ft and is made of tie dye material, each map is unique and made up from photos, young people’s comments and opinions about their area.

This is just the beginning; each organisation will be given the map to use as a resource to use with the young people of that area.

Feel free to email any comments you may have about the maps.

Ian@the-junction.org

With special thanks to NEAIC (North Edinburgh Alcohol Initiative Collaborative)

Almost £90m to help young Scots into work

Almost £90 million is to be invested in helping Scotland’s young people into work and supporting small business growth, as part of record funding bringing together cash from the Scottish Government, local councils, Cosla, the European Commission and employers.

Up to 10,000 young people Scotland-wide are expected to be supported into work – particularly in small businesses – thanks to the £87.85 million total investment package detailed today by First Minister Alex Salmond. An additional 3,000 jobs are expected to be created in small business around the country for workers of all ages.

In all, the investment package is comprised of two different funding streams:

The £50 million Youth Employment Scotland Fund, made up of £25 million from the Scottish Government and European Social Fund, matched by £25 million worth of in-kind support from employers and local councils
The £37.85 million SME Growth Programme to support businesses to grow and create employment opportunities for people of all ages – including young people, made up of £15.1 million cash from the European Regional Development Fund matched by £22.75 million worth of support from Scottish Enterprise and Business Gateway.

Details were unveiled by First Minister Alex Salmond this morning at Millar Callaghan Engineering in Irvine. Mr Salmond said: “No government across these islands has ever shown such commitment to ensuring young people are able to build their skills, develop real job experience and find tangible employment as this administration. This work continues to reap rewards, with figures released today showing youth employment rising and youth unemployment falling.

“Since Angela Constance was appointed as Minister for Youth Employment in December 2011 youth unemployment has fallen from 25.4 per cent to 15.2 per cent. Now Scotland has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in Europe. However, there is not a shred of complacency in our approach.

“We know that Scottish progress is threatened by Westminster austerity and Chancellor Osborne’s failure to back economic growth. Therefore, this substantial announcement illustrates our determination for further success in a Team Scotland drive against youth unemployment.

“Today’s announcement of a further £88 million investment represents an enormous contribution to furthering that cause. Up to 10,000 young people will get real jobs thanks to this money – 10,000 young people getting the chance to build themselves real futures with real careers. That’s in addition to a further 3,000 jobs for people of all ages working in Scotland’s small business sector.

“Thanks to working together with employers, councils, Cosla and public agencies, we’ll be able to build considerably on the £25 million of European structural funds earmarked last year to promote youth jobs – more than tripling the original sum.

“These two programmes will help more small and medium sized businesses recruit young people and build capacity for economic growth. The total investment available is unprecedented in its ambition and will make sure employers have the right help in place to take on more young staff and grow their business.

“We already know employers are willing. Here at Millar Callaghan, as at many workplaces around the country, young staff are being taken on, learning new skills and in turn helping bring in new business. We want all small companies to take advantage of the support available to make young people their business and, in turn, to grow their business.

“Our partnership approach was exemplified by the Employment Summit held with the STUC and our partners last year. However, cooperation on this cause is not just for government and social partners. It is the responsibility of every adult Scot, in our national endeavour to defeat youth unemployment.”

Also speaking at the launch event in Ayrshire were Cosla President Councillor David O’Neill and representatives of the Ayrshire Youth Employment Service.

The news came on the day that it was announced that the number of jobless in Scotland fell by 6,000 to 194,000 between February and April this year and that youth unemployment was 6.1 per cent lower than the same period last year.

COSLA President Councillor David O’Neill said: “Scotland’s Councils know that unemployment at a young age can have both dramatic and lifelong repercussions. We have invested significant local resource and effort into giving our young people the utmost support as they make the transition into the world of work. The Youth Employment Scotland Fund will add to this investment and allow us to deliver even more over the next year.

“All of Scotland’s local authorities have been successful in their bids for the Youth Employment Scotland fund and will be focused on delivering the maximum possible for our young people.”

A spokesman for László Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion from the European Commission said: “The European Commission welcomes the package of measures launched by the Scottish Government, in particular the employer recruitment incentives.

“The initiative supports small and medium enterprises to prevent jobless young people from becoming long-term unemployed and providing employment opportunities for youngsters across Scotland, aged 16-24, who encounter difficulty in obtaining employment. These measures are supported by the European Social Fund. ”

European Commission Spokesperson for Regional Policy, Shirin Wheeler, commented: “The European Regional Development Fund is providing a series of targeted investments in Scottish SMEs, enabling them to become more competitive – to realise their growth potential and to create sustainable jobs. We are actively improving business connectivity and access to finance.”

Councillor Stephen Hagan, COSLA’s Spokesperson for Development, Economy and Sustainability said: “The Business Gateway service delivered by local government and its partners already provides support to Scotland’s existing businesses helping them to grow and create employment opportunities. This enterprising combination of funds and support will help Business Gateway add even more value to Scotland’s economy whilst assisting Scotland’s young people gain the skills necessary for a fulfilling career.”

While welcoming the announcement, Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian and a member of Holyrood’s economy committee, said further investment in small businesses is urgently needed to help drive down youth unemployment.

She said: “It’s encouraging to see this drop. But we continue to see problems in our economy where people want to do more hours to cope with the rising cost of living but can’t get the work. And we continue to see small and micro businesses squeezed out of being able to bid for public contracts.

“Investment by the Scottish Government in small and medium sized businesses to take on young people is very welcome. I’d like to see more of this kind of initiative rather than the false economy of tax cuts to lure big businesses with what are usually poorly paid, insecure jobs. By growing our local economies and our small businesses we have a better chance of success.”