WIREDGOV

Ten projects giving young Scots the skills and confidence to take greater control of their futures are today (MARCH 14) sharing in £412,127 from the Young Start programme.

Run by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Young Start awards money from dormant bank and building society accounts to support a range of projects that help young people aged eight to 24 years old reach their full potential. These latest awards will allow young people across Scotland to access a wide range of new opportunities.

Glasgow based charity Nordoff Robbins is Scotland’s only music therapy centre and supports people from all walks of life, facing challenging circumstances, using music therapy. An award of £22,286 means they will be able to support 25 young people with life-limiting illnesses aged 18 to 25, who have been referred to them from the Children’s Hospice Associaton Scotland, over two years.

Jo Edgar, Project Leader & Music Therapist, Nordoff Robbins, said, “This grant will make a big difference to young people who are living with serious life-limiting illness by giving them the chance to develop their music composition, recording and production skills using our recording studio in Glasgow.

“Isolation is often a problem for these young people, especially as they move on from children's into adult services. This project, Moving on With Music, will give them a unique opportunity to collaborate creatively with their peers and build up their confidence and independence. The project is innovative and, as far as we are aware, the only one of its kind in Scotland.”

Able2Sail is a charity based in Inverclyde which provides sailing experiences for people of all ages who have a disability or for those affected by disability, such as family members, carers and siblings. Thanks to an award of £40,000, they will be able to extend their successful “Youth Forum” project, meaning young people will be able to continue participating in yacht sailing, dinghy sailing and powerboating at a range of inland waters and coastal locations in Scotland.

Gerry Campbell, Chairperson, Able2Sail, said, “This award will enable us to build on the successes of our Youth Forum project which matches disabled and able bodied young people in developing sailing skills. It will also help us to support three of our members competing in the 2017 UK Special Olympics and allow us to grow the Youth Forum.”

Announcing the funding, Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, said, “Young Start helps Scotland’s next generation unlock their talents through a wide range of activities. These are designed to engage and inspire young people, and ensure they have the best possible start in life. Every one of the ten projects we are funding today shares that ambition and so I am delighted to announce this latest investment.”

For more information about Young Start visit the website at:- https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/scotland/young-start

Other projects receiving funding today are:-

Freedom Unlimited Enterprises, Edinburgh
£49,687
This group will establish a new programme providing young people with convictions with up to 12 months of work experience and employment, empowering them to move on to full-time employment. The project will consist of a 13 week work experience programme in the furniture making workshop, placements with local businesses and tradesmen, and the sale of wood products to provide funding beyond the life of the grant.

Skapade Inspirational Development Solution CIC, West Dunbartonshire
£36680
This group will work with young people aged 12 to 24 years to deliver training programmes and work experience opportunities in event management, music recording workshops and online video/live streaming. The project will work with 60 young people across West Dunbartonshire to build confidence and skills, and help them become better prepared to find a job or start a business.

The Junction, Edinburgh
£50000
This group will continue to deliver their walk in appointments service, which offers young people in North East Edinburgh an accessible health and wellbeing service, for a further two years. The service will benefit 200 people each year and is open to young people aged 12 to 21 seeking advice on topics such as substance abuse, and sexual and mental health issues.

Options in Life, Fife
£50000
This group will extend their successful volunteer project, aimed at giving the vulnerable young people they support more opportunities to gain confidence, get fitter and learn new work and life skills, for a further two years. The project will consist of varied work placements, challenging outdoor experiences and participation in mentoring roles for young people aged 18 to 25.

Morton in the Community, Inverclyde
£30932
This group will support and develop 48 young people to become volunteer sports coaches and role models by equipping each person with appropriate skills, qualifications and experience, through a programme of activities and mentoring support.

Central and West Integration Network, Glasgow
£48248
This grant will be used to establish an after school youth project for young people from black and minority ethnic, asylum seeker and refugee communities. The project will encourage friendships, help reduce isolation, increase children's confidence in themselves and will benefit 100 young people.

Gilded Lily Inspiring Enterprise CIC, Glasgow
£36300
This group will run a one year project for 20 young mothers aged 13 to 21 across Glasgow. The project will consist of two workshops of up to ten young mothers per workshop and each will run for 12 weeks. The project aims to build confidence, develop skills, encourage enterprising and employable attitudes amongst the participants, and help the mothers to become better connected.

Lanarkshire Rape Crisis, North & South Lanarkshire
£47994
This grant will continue to fund the Stamp Out Media Patriarchy (STAMP) project for young people across North and South Lanarkshire. The group will empower young people aged 16 to 24 to actively lead activities that challenge and tackle gender based stereotyping in the media and attitudes towards sexual violence.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1524
Email: scott.oakley@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #BigScotland
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundScotland

Notes to Editors

• Dormant accounts are defined in the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008 as those which have seen no customer-initiated activity for at least 15 years.
• In September 2011 the Scottish Government formally issued instructions to the Big Lottery Fund to distribute dormant accounts funding for the benefit of Scotland’s voluntary and community sector.
• The Reclaim Fund Ltd. (RFL), which was established in March 2011 to receive and invest dormant account balances across the UK, transferred the first tranche of monies from dormant bank and building society accounts to BIG on 2 August 2011. Scotland will receive an 8.4% share of the total funds to be distributed.
• The Distribution of Dormant Account Money (Apportionment) Order 2011 prescribes that Scotland will receive 8.4% of the dormant accounts money to be made available for distribution by the Big Lottery Fund under the 2008 Act. The estimated grants budget for 2014/15 is £4.8m. It should be noted that this figure is a median projection and may go up or down.
• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Every year we fund 13,000 small local projects tackling big social problems like poor mental health and homelessness.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.
• The Big Lottery Fund Scotland is focussed on helping people and communities most in need throughout Scotland through its five-year £250m funding scheme as well as small grants schemes Awards for All and Investing in Ideas.
• Since March 2007 Big Lottery Fund Scotland has taken devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee, led by Chair, Maureen McGinn plays a strategic role in the future direction of the Fund in Scotland.