Youth work can restart in Edinburgh community centres following an agreement reached by Councillors yesterday.
The City of Edinburgh Council approved the Community Centres and Libraries Reopening (update) report which recommended allowing community centres to apply for permission to reopen for indoor youth work as long as they can provide assurances they will be following national guidance to keep everyone safe.
The youth work that can be carried out is targeted as defined by Youth Scotland which is limited to small numbers of vulnerable young people.
Up to now their management committees could ask permission to open their buildings for essential voluntary or urgent public support services such as food banks, homeless services, blood donation sessions, regulated childcare or access to retrieve equipment for outdoor youth work.
Today’s decision means community centres can reopen for youth work through agreement with the Council who have already written to all the management committees to gauge the level of interest in restarting youth work indoors.
Eleven of the 35 management committees have replied looking at gaining access to provide some children services and or youthwork – ranging from one session a week up to several sessions for different groups.
The Council has also asked the management committees what support they may need and assurances that they are confident they can reopen in line with the latest Scottish Government guidance.
The Council’s ambition is to have a planned, phased reopening of libraries and community centres for the wider public as part of Phase 4 of the Scottish Government’s Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis – subject to public health guidance and the capacity to support the safe use of the buildings.
As part of this Councillors also discussed plans to reopen more libraries in the coming weeks building on the success of the six venues that reopened last month – Kirkliston, Newington, Fountainbridge, McDonald Road, Stockbridge and Central.
As part of the next phased reopening four more buildings – Wester Hailes, Craigmillar, Gilmerton and Drumbrae – would aim to open their doors in the coming weeks.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “It’s really important we do everything we can to support our young people in these challenging times and youth work is a key element of this.
“I’m pleased we’ve now seen substantial progress to support and enable specific community centres to reopen and the agreed process will see further community centres open up their buildings for this vital service.
“As always our top priority is the health of our citizens so we have to make sure the buildings are safe to reopen. We’ll work with management committees to help them meet national guidance, such as increased cleaning measures to keep everyone safe and prevent spread of infection.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “There’s already a range of youth work services being provided by both the Council and our third sector partners across the city but opening up our community centres allows more of our young people to access these important facilities.
“We know how much young people benefit from the stability and normality youth work provides so I’m sure they will be pleased at today’s decision. We really appreciate everyone’ support and patience as we gradually reopen our services – it’s really important to make sure what is being provided continues to keep our young people as safe as possible.”
New research published today shows youth work makes a significant impact on young people’s skills, confidence, wellbeing and access to opportunities.
The Impact of Community-Based Universal Youth Work in Edinburgh study worked with youth groups from across Edinburgh to identify the key elements of youth work which helped young people achieve positive changes in their lives.
A research partnership between YouthLink Scotland, Edinburgh University, Northern Star and Lothian Association of Youth Clubs, collected ‘significant change stories’ from almost 100 young people from nine voluntary youth work organisations working with Edinburgh youngsters.
The research showed that young people who had engaged with youth work services learnt new skills and behaviours, became more confident, made new friends, developed positive and supportive relationships with their youth workers, and significantly improved their wellbeing.
Almost three-quarters of the young people taking part in the research said that youth work had given them skills for life, while 80% benefited from improved confidence. Just under a third of participants also reported feeling better equipped to vocalise thoughts and emotions they were experiencing, all of which feed into an improved sense of mental and physical wellbeing among young people.
The research analysed testimonies from both the 96 young people and the youth workers they engaged with, giving a context for how each participant had developed over a number of years.
One participant, aged 17, said: “When I started here, I was at CAMHS every day for my anxiety and depression. I didn’t really have any friends or anything that I enjoyed doing.
“I was very suicidal but coming here has made me decide to keep going when I’m at my lowest … I know I wouldn’t have the strength I do today if I had never started coming along.”
Dr Amy Calder, YouthLink Scotland’s Senior Policy and Research Officer and part of the research team, said: “Youth work has an important role in increasing young people’s skills and confidence, by providing opportunities and, building and maintaining positive, respectful relationships.
“Youth workers in Edinburgh provide a key and crucial service for local young people. It offers them a safe and welcoming space where they are encouraged to have fun and challenge themselves.”
Dr Ian Fyfe of the University of Edinburgh commented: “The experiences and behaviour of young people has been front and centre in media coverage of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’ve witnessed outpourings of genuine public and political concern for the impact of the current situation on young people’s education, employment prospects and above all their wellbeing.
“A consistent picture has emerged from this data, and our other two Scottish studies, confirming the key role youth work plays in building young people’s confidence and supporting them to develop essential life skills.
“The consistent findings of the research also point to the importance of youth work as an informal educational practice setting that offers a safe place for young people to meet and reflect on issues important in their lives.”
Laurene Edgar, Lothian Association of Youth Clubs added: “This research not only reinforces to voluntary youth work organisations in Edinburgh the impact of services provided for young people, but it will be used with a variety of stakeholders to demonstrate why community-based youth work needs continued investment for prevention and early intervention.”
Young people are being reduced to meeting under gazebos and tarpaulins to access vital local services as a new survey reveals a lack of facilities threatens to keep youth work out in the cold this winter.
YouthLink Scotland, Scotland’s National Youth Work Agency, released the latest results of a two-month survey of the youth work sector’s access to facilities, which painted a picture of youth work organisations up and down the country struggling to find appropriate indoor spaces due to confusion over lockdown restrictions.
It has now issued a call for national and local leadership to help the sector overcome the barriers to youth work resuming, with YouthLink CEO Tim Frew warning that a lack of access to facilities threatens to leave young people in Scotland without vital support.
The calls are backed by Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner and See Me, the national mental health charity.
The results show an extremely concerning situation for young people involved in youth work, in particular vulnerable youngsters who rely on that support.
While some youth work organisations had previously been able to offer limited services in public spaces such as cafés, youth workers voiced concerns that even this offers little privacy for vulnerable young people who need intensive support.
Lack of access to appropriate facilities has left many youth work organisations unable to return to face-to-face indoor youth work. Over 50% of council youth work services have not been able to resume, and this rises to over 80% for national voluntary organisations like Scouts, and local voluntary youth work projects across the country.
The survey also revealed that over three-quarters of youth work organisations still have no access to any school facilities, while around 95% remain locked out of local leisure centre facilities.
This is despite Scottish Government guidance enabling indoor face-to-face youth work to resume from 31st August.
The agency says it is not acceptable to leave many vulnerable young people without access to vital support at a time when youth work is needed more than ever, as we face an increasing youth mental health crisis as a result of the ongoing pandemic.
The situation has meant that youth workers are having to deliver services in parks, school grounds, on the streets, using tents, gazebos and tarpaulins for shelter as it gets colder.
It’s clear that although youth work organisations have the necessary risk assessments for practice in place, access to buildings and facilities is still being restricted or denied. Guidance is being interpreted differently in local areas.
Commenting on the findings of the latest survey, Tim Frew, CEO, YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work, said: “We need to move forward and ensure that access to facilities for youth work increases.
“From our survey we can see that almost all youth organisations responsible for facilities have completed risk assessments. Detailed guidance for school facilities and for outdoor centres has been developed.
“For centres where youth work is the tenant and not the landlord we need to understand what the barriers are to their re-opening.
“If the issue is guidance from the Scottish Government on the use of Community Centres, we know that this is in development and is needed urgently. If the issue is more about the cost then we need to ensure that extra funds are found, as we cannot allow for young people to be prevented from accessing youth work when they need it now more an ever.”
Gina Wilson, Head of Strategy for the Children and Young People’s Commissioner said: “Youth workers play a significant role in ensuring children and young people can access their rights to good mental and physical health as well as their educational, social and recreational rights.
“The pandemic has highlighted and further entrenched existing inequalities and providing vital youth work services over the coming winter months and beyond must be a priority to ensure children and young people’s rights are protected and promoted.”
Wendy Halliday, director of mental health charity, See Me said: “At See Me, youth work has been vital in allowing us to tackle the stigma and discrimination that young people can face when they’re struggling with their mental health.
“Youth work provides a platform for young people to speak out about mental health to other young people and to the adults in their lives, while also getting help and support for themselves.
“Through this pandemic more young people than ever are struggling with their mental health and to help those young people it is essential that youth work can resume in a safe way. We know that youth work is key to reaching and engaging young people that can be missed by other services and forms of support, while also connecting young people who can feel alone and isolated.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, Cosla’s children and young people spokesman, said: “Sadly there is no denying that these are difficult times and we are dealing with an issue the likes of which we have never seen before.
“Councils have an extremely difficult balancing act between supporting local services, their responsibilities as employers and adhering to local restrictions, however, above all else the health and safety of everyone remains our number one priority.
“The best way to get through this is by a collective push and working in partnership both locally and nationally.
“That is what we are committed to continuing to do and why we would be happy to work with YouthLink, Scottish Government and others to find solutions.
“The seriousness of this situation, the speed at which things can change and the pressure on councils are all very real.“
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We recognise the valuable role that the youth work sector has to play in supporting the health and wellbeing of young people in Scotland.
“We are investing £3 million through the Youth Work Education Recovery Fund to ensure youth work services are supported to deliver vital interventions to young people across Scotland.
“Community centre opening guidance is being developed with input from a number of key stakeholders, including YouthLink Scotland.
“Local authorities have responsibility for their buildings, including community centres, and make decisions over what activities can take place in them.”
COMMENTS FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS:
“Safe and supportive conversations with young people on their own who are grieving, and exploring coping strategies, need to be carried out in a safe, nurturing space and not in the public domain of outdoor pitches or fast-food eateries.”
“Blanket bans on lets for Council-owned properties such as school lets but also some community halls. Groups are responding by only meeting outside or online but this issue will grow as we approach colder and darker evenings after October half term.”
“Outdoor group work has been possible, but with reduced light and poor climate, it is challenging. Youth workers are seeking spaces in coffee shops, supermarkets, and car parks to be able to have shelter/conversations with young people for support and meetings on projects. The digital challenges continue and return to face-to-face is what young people are requesting.”
“Unfortunately we are not providing any youth work at the moment (indoors or outdoors) as we do not have access to any spaces that are classed as safe. The restrictions mean that we can’t host the number of young people we used to and as such the service is struggling to organise youth work opportunities for young people in our area.”
“We remain frustrated at not being able to use our youth centres for indoor youth work. Our local Recovery Group initially granted us access to resume indoor youth groups but have since withdrawn that permission. We are unable to operate school-based youth groups as we don’t have access to school lets in the evening and after school. Only school groups are using our youth centre on a few hours per day.”
“I feel that fear has caused a blanket ban on all group meetings instead of allowing choice and thinking about the needs and capabilities of different groups. All our local Girlguiding units are affected in the same way as we all meet in a hall or community centre.”
“Barriers accessing schools to provide informal learning. Community centres still not opened and youth centres the same. All of our work is still digital. Real want from youth workers to get back to work but no physical spaces to do this.”
“Our group has to rehearse outside in the back playground of our usual venue. The back of the hub is covered in glass from broken alcohol bottles and is clearly a ‘den’ for some. We have to sweep the ground every week and risk assess to ensure the area is safe. There is no sufficient lighting, which is going to pose a major problem when the darker night come in! The area is an old school shed that is no longer in use – there is an old couch and rubbish dumped and it smells of urine! The young people I work with are happy to be together again but it poses a challenge – drama is an activity that requires a space that is safe for them to explore ideas and develop confidence.”
New fund to help education recovery from COVID-19.
Scottish Government funding for youth work is being increased by more than 30% to recognise the vital role the sector will play in making up any ground lost in learning during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A newly created £3 million Youth Work Education Recovery Fund will be targeted at those communities and young people who need the most support, bringing Government spending in the youth work sector this year to at least £12.5 million.
The Recovery Fund will be administered by YouthLink Scotland, the national youth work agency. The fund is open for applications from Community Learning and Development services that help young people engage and re-engage with learning. Submissions should support partnership work between November 2020 and the end of August 2021.
Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland’s vibrant youth work sector plays a crucial role in supporting children and young people’s well-being, and in closing the attainment gap.
“Throughout lockdown we have seen the sector rise to the challenge of providing services remotely, supporting some of the most vulnerable young people across Scotland.
“This £3 million investment in youth work will help education recovery from COVID-19 by providing additional targeted services for young people, where they are needed the most.”
Tim Frew, CEO of YouthLink Scotland, said: “This fund presents an opportunity for the sector to continue to innovate and develop new models of practice in collaboration across the public and voluntary sectors, alongside our partners in schools and colleges.
“Young people across Scotland have shown extraordinary resilience. They have had to put up with so much, missing out on many things that we often take for granted, and as they face the uncertainty of what comes next we will be there to support their educational recovery. In supporting them to achieve, the youth work sector can demonstrate its unique role in closing the poverty-related attainment and achievement gap.”
Background:
More information on the Fund and its application process with YouthLink Scotland.
Corstorphine Community Centre has resumed youth work and from next week the venue will be different: they are moving to Gyle Park, where the Youth Work team will be on Thursday evenings throughout July and August from 6 – 8pm.
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A police-led partnership initiative aimed at diverting young people from criminal activity in Edinburgh is to receive Scottish Government funding.
As part of the CashBack for Communities Scheme, £19 million, which was seized from criminals, is to be shared with a range of organisations to further their work in diverting at risk youths away from potentially criminal or anti-social behaviour.
One such project receiving a share of this funding is VOW, a unique collaborative project, where police in the Capital work along a number of partners to engage and empower vulnerable young-people to make positive life choices.
This partnership helps break the cycle of offending and prevent individuals from continually entering the criminal justice system. So far 167 young people have been helped through the work of the team and the funding will ensure this vital work continues and even expands.
Also receiving Cashback support is Police Scotland’s award- winning partnership project with City of Edinburgh Council, Turn Your Life Around (TYLA).
Turn Your Life Around is a mental health and wellbeing project where local volunteers with a range of difficult childhood experiences are supported to share their stories of adversity and resilience with school pupils, families and staff.
Pupils at the schools are then given a platform to discuss the stories, reflect on risk and resilience factors and encouraged to seek help if they are experiencing similar difficulties.
The nature of these projects means that officers, peer mentors and volunteers are regularly asked to revisit, share or support childhood trauma and this funding will be used to provide trauma counselling and additional support for all those involved in delivering these services and will augment the existing skills they already have.
This in turn will increase the capacity for them to help young people turn their lives around.
Chief Superintendent Sean Scott, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh said: “This partnership and public health approach, using these inspirational peer mentors and courageous young volunteers, was a first of its kind here in Scotland.
“The proof that it works is testament to the number of young people that have managed to turn their lives around and the fact that on average the young people who engage with the peer mentors and officers manage to reduce their offending by around 80%.
“Traditionally, it has been difficult for police to identify and engage with at risk youths while working in isolation. This collaboration opens a number of doors, not only in preventing further criminal activity, but signposting those we engage with to a range of support services that can help them make positive lifestyle choices.
“With this essential funding, the excellent foundations and work that has already been commenced, will be continued and expanded to include trauma counselling, with the model being rolled out in Glasgow and other Policing Divisions looking to follow suit.
“This peer mentoring project transforms not only the lives of the young people who engage and take part, but transforms their families and communities, through working in partnership to deliver prevention and interventions that have been evaluated and proved to work at reducing harm”
Councillor Ian Perry, Education, Community and Families Convener at City of Edinburgh Council said: “This funding is fantastic news and will help the programmes continue to go from strength to strength.
“Set up in 2016 with Police Scotland, the Turn Your Life Around project delivered by the Health & Wellbeing Team was recently recognised as Education Initiative of the Year by Herald Society Awards.
“This is testimony to the feedback received from over 1000 children, young people and staff in schools last year who heard the inspiring stories from the TYLA volunteers and were involved in follow up sessions.
“It is of paramount importance that the volunteers are also appropriately supported and this funding will ensure we can continue to provide this as the project continues.”
Scottish youth projects putting young people front and centre of their work are today sharing in £1.4m from the Young Start fund.
Amongst the 25 projects receiving the dormant account and building society cash is Youth Vision in Edinburgh which receives £76,000 to get young people outdoors taking part in educational activities that boost their physical and mental health.
Young leaders, like 21-year-old committee member, James, will support the planning and delivery of the programme while taking part in training and achieving qualifications.
James, who joined Youth Vision at the age of 13 after experiencing mental health difficulties, said: “Before I joined the project, I was severely depressed. I was having a horrendous time at school and was badly bullied. It wasn’t until much later that I got a diagnosis of Asperger’s and Autistic spectrum disorder, so for a long time I felt quite low and isolated.
“The project is special because it gave me something to put my focus into – I was already quite an outdoorsy person, but the one to one support and skills I learned such as, chopping wood, starting fires, tool safety and gardening, were great things for me to get started with.”
Now on the committee, James attributes much of his personal and career development to the project. He said, “I would never have seen myself as a leader before joining and I certainly would not have seen myself teaching people new skills – let alone enjoying it! It’s important for young voices to heard so we are very excited about this funding.”
Wester Hailes-based About Youth have received £75.000. The group will use the funding to run a programme of youth work activities for young people aged 8-19 living in The Calders area.
This will include three weekly youth groups, holiday activity programmes, outreach projects, training opportunities, and one to one support. The
project will benefit 290 young people and involve 9 volunteers over 3 years.
Also welcoming their Young Start grant today is Sports Futures Trust who will use an award of £76,995 to deliver a youth-led health and wellbeing community programme, for vulnerable children living in the north east of Glasgow.
Led by a team of Young Leaders, this will include physical activities and training opportunities, coupled with nutritional and wellbeing advice for young people and their families.
Welcoming the funding, Project Lead, Jim Boyd, said: “SSF are delighted to receive the Young Start funding for the next two years. The investment means we can support children and young people to make positive changes in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing while building better connections with their local community.”
Young Start is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund and awards dormant bank and building society cash to projects led by and for young people, to help build their confidence and reach their potential.
Announcing the funding, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “I am very pleased to announce this funding, which will help children and young people to have their voices heard while growing in confidence and develop new skills.
“The Young Start programme creates opportunities for children and young people to achieve their potential and every one of these projects reflects that aim.”
Tuesday 3 September at 7pm – West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
Please find attached an agenda for Tuesday’s Community Council meeting at the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre, starting at 7pm. I also attach the Minutes from the September meeting.
I’m delighted that Alan Hosie has accepted an invitation to attend to talk about youth work, especially given the concerns that exist in the community about youth crime. Willie and I are therefore keen for all attending to hear more about the latest situation and what we positively can do together to address this.
Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday. If you cannot make it and would like to tender your apologies, please let me know by 5pm on Tuesday.
