Tag: youth

Calling young people in Pilton – more interviewees needed!

Are you aged 16 – 20 and live in Pilton? If so, would you be willing to share your experiences of growing up in the area?

You may recall the appeal we ran for interviewees to help with research last month? Well, that appeal was a success, but more interviewees are now needed. Eric Carlin is carrying out research for a PhD and wants to talk to local young people – all interviews will take place locally, are totally confidential and a small fee will be paid.

Eric said: “You very kindly helped me some time ago when I was starting my fieldwork with young people in Pilton and I’ve now had some really good interviews with twenty young people. I thought that would be enough but I now think I need another six or so.”

If you’d like to take part in the research, you con contact Eric by email at ecarli01@mail.bbk.ac.uk or call 0750 508 1784.

See the attached flyer for more information:

Pilton flyers for youth interview recruitment, February 2013

Vicki says goodbye to Granton

Vicki Ridley is to leave Granton Youth Centre. Vicki, who has managed the youth centre since 2003, is taking up a new post with Canongate Youth Project.

Granton Youth Centre opened on West Granton Road in 2003 in a building shared with the Pilton Partnership. The new Centre did not have the most successful of starts, however, and it was only with the arrival of Vicki as new manager that the Centre started to live up to it’s potential.

Ten years on, under Vicki’s drive and leadership, Granton Youth Centre has gone from strength to strength: constantly building and developing to offer a comprehensive range of services in a programme that’s always been planned with, and centred around, the needs and requirements of the young people themselves.

Vicki said: “Ten years is a long time to be involved in any organisation, and it’s certainly the longest that I’ve been involved with an organisation.  Granton Youth Centre has been an amazing place to work, often challenging, but never a dull moment and occasionally loads of fun! I have lots of fond memories to take away with me, and I have met some truly amazing people whose courage and resilience, kindness and positivity have blown me away, and kept me, the service and everyone else at GYC going when things got tough.

“Although the choppy waters of local community politics don’t always help with plain sailing, some of the partnerships, networks and local organisations we have worked with have been really valuable.  I hope young people throughout Forth continue to benefit from a range and diversity of provision which meets their needs, and that all the organisations in the area have a sustainable and prosperous future.

“It’s great to see how GYC has become a viable and valued resource for young people where once there was none.  My favourite memories are largely concerning situations where young people do well – they receive certificates, awards, or make a small/medium/large breakthrough.  My least favourite memories will be collated and written up in small novella format for publication at a later date!

I look forward to working with friends and colleagues in my new role as Manager of Canongate Youth Project.”

When advertising for a replacement, Granton Youth Centre’s voluntary Board of Management said they were seeking ‘an exceptional candidate to lead our organisation and take our plans forward’. Interviews take place this month, but Vicki will indeed be a hard act to follow.

Young People’s Forum to stage ‘barrie’ event!

North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum (NEYPF) is holding an event to celebrate the success of their ‘Barrie, Radge and Mingin’’ project next week. The event will also provide an opportunity for young people to decide their next project.

‘Barrie, Radge and Mingin’’ was a collaborative project centred around young people’s views on their local environment – the ‘clean, green and safe’ agenda. Among the highlights of the project was a drama produced with young people from Liverpool’s Collective Encounters theatre group, staged at North Edinburgh Arts Centre in September 2009 (pictured). Next week’s event gives the young people involved the opportunity to share their findings, talk about the highs and the lows and participants will also put forward ideas for what NEYPF should do next.

Danielle Ward, NEYPF’s treasurer and support worker, said: ‘Barrie, Radge ‘n’ Mingin’ in the council means clean, green and safe. Basically what we’ve done is gone around the area taking photos and talking to people, working in groups to develop a general generative themes strategy within these three areas. What people find good about the area, what needs changed and what could do with just a wee re-paint or that. Next week’s event will highlight how we have achieved this. For our future project, each individual young person will have a stall with what they think our next project should be and everyone that attends shall get two votes to choose the project we should do next”.

The NEYPF event takes place at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday 3 April from 4.30 – 7pm. And you don’t have to be a young person to attend!