Young Start awards help young Scots reach their potential

18 Feb 2016 04:08 PM

Groups in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Kinross, South Lanarkshire and South Ayrshire all awarded funding.

A ground breaking project which aims to fill a skills gap and boost the economy by engaging young scientists of the future is one of nine projects today (18 Feb) sharing £343,850 from the latest Young Start awards.

An award of £12,810 to Edinburgh International Science Festival will allow them to stage a special careers fair for budding mathematicians, engineers and scientists later this month.  The event will take place at the National Museum of Scotland between 29 February and 4 March where 3,000 youngsters will get the chance to take part in hands on workshops, guided experiences and be inspired by talks from industry experts.

Dr Simon Gage, Director, Edinburgh International Science Festival said, “It’s fantastic to have the support of Young Start for the first Careers Hive  It’s a brand new venture for the Edinburgh International Science Festival in 2016, between 29 February and 4 March. We are looking to inspire thousands of Scottish learners to keep enjoying Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects because if they do there are exciting careers opportunities open to them. 

“This funding is allowing us to train hundreds of volunteer mentors from different STEM companies to help them speak to young people who are considering their subject choices.  We are delighted Young Start shares our ambition to help young people make the most of their interests and talents.”

Creative youngsters in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife will have a unique opportunity to put together a show which will feature as part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival thanks to an award of £13,084 to BE United.  
The charity, which has bases in Scotland and South Africa, works to engage young people to realise their potential through the creative arts.  Youngsters will get the chance to collaborate with African musicians and artists in a series of workshops to develop a programme which will be showcased to young people across the country before culminating in a very special performance at this year’s Festival.

Emma Picken, Founder, BE United, said, “We are over the moon to receive a Young Start award for the Discovery! Youth Music and Performance Programme. This grant will allow us to expand on our successful pilot project of 2015 to reach more young people across Scotland. It also offers the opportunity to set up a Youth Board to steer the project and deliver workshops with groups of young people led by talented African musicians.  These workshops will lead up to an exciting performance in this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

“As well as learning about different cultures from around the world and giving a prestigious performance, young people from youth groups in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife will meet to share their creativity, talents and skills.  We are so passionate about this project and it’s inspiring that Young Start shares this passion. Edinburgh Festival 2016 ….. look out!”

Announcing today’s funding totalling £343,850, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “Today’s funding will help to unlock the talents of children and young people across Scotland. Creative projects which use science, technology or the arts can engage and inspire them to follow their dreams while building skills and confidence for the future. The Young Start programme creates opportunities for children and young people to help them be all they can be and every one of these projects reflects that aim.” 

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

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

The other seven projects receiving funding from Young Start today are:- 
Remake Scotland, Perth and Kinross
£50,000
The organisation will deliver an outreach arts and crafts programme using reusable materials

Blantyre Soccer Academy, South Lanarkshire
£50,000
The group will run a series of workshops for local young people to train them as community sports coaches.

Positive Action in Housing Ltd, Glasgow
£48,269
The organisation will develop an employment training programme for marginalised young people in Glasgow.

Cadder Housing Association Ltd, Glasgow
£35,706
The organisation will provide a range of youth services in the Cadder area that will take place on Wednesday and Friday evenings and in school holidays.

Royston Youth Action, Glasgow
£49,986
The group will run a series of music and drama for local residents to help integrate generations and build community relations.

Magdalene Community Centre, Edinburgh 
£49,153
The organisation will run a personal development and activity programme for disadvantaged local young people involving a range of physical, social and informative actions and challenges.

South Ayrshire Befriending Unit
£34,842
The organisation will run a two year befriending project for young people experiencing isolation due to a learning disability or diagnosed medical condition.

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 0141 242 1451
Email: lorna.mcniven@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Twitter: @BIGScotland #biglottery
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