£1.9 million to boost skills and confidence of young Scots
1 May 2014 03:39 PM
Projects giving young
Scots the skills and confidence to embrace the future are today sharing in
£1.9 million from the Young Start
programme.
Run by the Big Lottery Fund
Scotland, Young Start awards money from dormant bank and building society
accounts that have seen no customer-initiated activity for at least 15 years.
The money supports a range of projects that help young people aged eight to 24
reach their full potential.
Many of today’s 48 Young
Start projects will provide young people with work placements, training and
volunteering opportunities to improve their skills and
confidence.
Announcing the
awards, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Director, Jackie
Killeen, said: “I am delighted to see the different ways that
today’s funding will help young people. Every young person has
something unique to offer that these latest projects can tap into and develop.
One of the aims of the Young Start fund is to help prepare young people for the
world of work and, with many being out of work or not in education for some
time, today’s funding will make a big difference where it’s needed
most.”
Young people in Leith will learn
new skills to prepare them for the word of work, thanks to a Young Start award
of £21,084. YMCA Edinburgh and its Sliding
Doors programme will match the young people with local business mentors who
will provide training and coaching over six months, which will culminate in
paid work placements.
Kerry Reilly, YMCA
Edinburgh Manager, said: “Sliding Doors is a programme run by
YMCA Edinburgh, providing a coaching and learning model for young
people who are unemployed alongside local businesses. The programme will
encourage young people to identify their own inner strengths and skills, raise
aspirations and develop an increased sense of personal purpose. It will
also enable young people to build positive working relationships with business
people who would normally be out-with their comfort zone, and gain employment
placements.”
In the north west of
Glasgow DRC Generations trains and supports young
people aged 11 to 18 years old to become peer mentors and educators. Through
its substance misuse and sleep mentoring programmes the organisation will train
these young people to share their newfound knowledge and skills with other
young people, as well as members of the wider community.
Welcoming
the £50,000 award Isabel
Dunsmuir, DRC Generations, Innovation Development Director, said:
“We are absolutely delighted that the work our young people do is
recognised and wish to thank Young Start for supporting our project. This
will enable the young people to continue to develop and grow confidently within
their roles.”
Cameron Ironside S4 Peer
mentor, said: “This is amazing news, we will be able to spread
the word further out in the community.”
Kieran Duncan S1 Peer
Educator, added: “I am looking forward to continuing
my role as a Peer Educator and hope that I will be able to be like
Cameron and stay with project for another three or four
years.”
A project providing coaching
qualifications for budding young swimmers in Aberdeen receives an award
of £25,668. Aberdeen Sports Village
Limited will make use of its new Olympic sized swimming pool to
offer 40 pupils from local secondary schools accredited swimming
qualifications. On completion of training, these pupils will volunteer, under
the supervision and guidance of senior coaches, to teach Primary 6 and 7 pupils
who are unable to swim.
David Beattie, Chief
Executive of Aberdeen Sports Village, said “We are delighted to
have received this funding which will allow young people from some of the
city’s most deprived areas to develop their confidence, communication and
leadership skills in a world class sporting environment. We hope that the
youngsters who will learn to swim as part of the programme will continue to
participate in the sport and lead and active and healthy lifestyle in the years
ahead.”
Many of today’s funded
projects will also support young people through difficult
times. The Haven Caring Counselling Communication
Centre receives £37,142 to
provide additional support to young people aged 8 to 16 years across South and
North Lanarkshire, who have been affected by the diagnosis, progressive
condition or death of a loved on.
Connie Postlethwaite,
Fundraiser, The Haven Caring Counselling Communication Centre, said:
“The Haven is delighted to receive this funding to build on a successful
initiative at the centre which has been delivering support to young people
across Lanarkshire faced with the complex emotions experienced through family
illness and bereavement. The project will enable the centre to capitalise on
existing resources within the community to part fund the delivery of
weekly activity based peer support groups. The after school groups are
designed to make a positive impact on the emotional health and wellbeing
of young people who may otherwise be isolated and miss out on opportunities to
realise their full potential as a result of coping with family illness and
loss.”
A full list of projects to be
awarded is available here
Big Lottery Fund Press
Office: 0141 242 1458
Out of hours media
contact: 07823 552889
Website:www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter:@BIGScotland #biglf
Facebook:www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland
Notes to
editors
- The Big Lottery
Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for
good causes by the National Lottery.
- The Fund is committed to
bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need
and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and
charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded
close to £6bn.
- In the year ending 31 March
2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was returned to the Good Causes.
Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £31 billion has been raised and
more than 400,000 grants awarded.
- The Scotland Committee makes Big
Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects. As well as taking devolved
decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn, has
and will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of BIG in
Scotland.
- The Big Lottery Fund is
investing in Scotland’s communities through its Investing in Communities
portfolio, as well as a number of small grants schemes.