This is my last Blog of 2024 , and I would like to finish the year on a positive and upbeat tone. I will be highlighting the recent Youth Action work with young people where we have provided opportunities for giving them a meaningful voice within the Camelon Community Action Plan and in their achievements through gaining various national Youth Awards.
The Camelon Community Action Plan is concerned with confirming a 10-year strategy and vision for Camelon that includes local improvements and priorities that are agreed by the local community. This process is well aligned to the SCYAP Key Outcome: Young people becoming active citizens, expressing their views and enabling change and Young People having better connections with the community.
SCYAP therefore worked with the Councils Community Planning Officer and facilitated a number of youth engagement workshops with P7 classes at Carmuirs and Easter Carmuirs primary schools and young people who attended the Twilight Sports in Easter Carmuirs Park. A wide array of aspirations were documented through a mapping and photo auditing process, some of these issues will form a part of the finalised CAP but there were also a number of specific local youth action projects which SCYAP is now very enthusiastic to move forward.
- The installation of new benches and planters into Easter Carmuirs Park based on the mindfulness benches that the Youth Action Group designed and installed for the Basketball Court and Park in Tamfourhill back in 2023. This Project will hopefully be taken forward in early 2025 by Easter Carmuirs Primary 7 class as part of their Youth Action in the Community Programme. There will be further community consultation about these benches and this process and how to get involved will be highlighted on our social media in the new year.
- In addition, the P7 Class will also be clearing up the park and planting an orchard in Easter Carmuirs Park as part of the Community Volunteering Action Earth Project which is funded by Nature Scot.
- Carmuirs Primary School P7 and the Youth Action Group will both potentially be contributing to a community arts project at Camelon Railway Station along with other environmental improvements and biodiversity activities at the railway station and other local green spaces in Camelon.
It was with great pleasure that on Friday 6th December that I awarded 14 Dynamic Youth Awards to young people who had gained these awards through their involvement on our Summer Programme 2024, this included the Community arts project; The fantastic animals woodland trail, The Junior Sports Leadership Award and the Bushcraft and overnight survival programme. This is a great credit to all the young people, and I would want to also give special mention to Jorga Muir who earned 2 Three Star Dynamic Youth Awards and Leo Cierpikowski who received a certificate of distinction for his outstanding contributions to local youth action. The awards ceremony took place at Tamfourhill Community Hub and was attended by parents, families and friends and included a power point presentation from Jorga and a display of photographs from the various award activities that took place over the summer.
I have previously highlighted in our blog and Facebook page the new partnership we have agreed with the Scottish Federation of Coarse Angling which has arisen from an interest amongst young people in fishing the local canals. This programme is a further accredited opportunity for the 8 young people in the Group and we started with a session in the Hub where we learnt how to set up a float rig and make a loop knot. Unfortunately, due to the freezing conditions we have had to cancel our planned trips to Magiscroft Coarse Fishery, however we will reschedule this trip for the new year along with other indoor sessions looking at fishing tackle and techniques.
I have previously written about our plans to relaunch the Community Climate Action Plan for Camelon and Tamfourhill and I am now able to confirm the dates for three young person led Climate Action events which will form the basis for the Plans relaunch:
- Friday 7th February 2025 10am-2pm in Tamfourhill Community Hub: P7 local primary schools.
- Sunday 23rd February 2025 11am – 3pm in Tamfourhill Community Hub: Young people From the local area.
- Friday 7th March 2025 10am-2pm in Tamfourhill Community Hub SI & S2 from FHS
Staying on the Climate Action theme there is great news that Tamfourhill Community Hub has begun installing a sustainable and renewable energy efficient system which includes cavity wall and roof insulation , positioning solar panels on the roof of the building and with a ASHP heat pump system along with a number of new energy efficiency measures and a battery storage system. The Tamfourhill Energy Efficiency and Net Zero project received 80% funding from the Scottish Governments Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) with 15% match funding also being secured from the Scottish Power Networks Net Zero Fund. This really is a success story with the Hub leading the way in Falkirk district on Scotland’s journey to net zero, this project will have significant positive environmental impacts, reducing our carbon footprint whilst massively reducing the Hubs energy costs. This project was originally stated as a longer-term aim of the Local Community Climate Action Plan which was also linked to the local community safety strategy so on many levels both personal and professional I am overjoyed to have played a supporting role with the Hubs committee in bringing this environmentally progressive project to its actual realisation.
Finally on behalf of the staff and volunteers at the Safer Communities Youth Action Project and the Tamfourhill Tenants and Residents Organisation we wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a guid new year.
Safer Communities Youth Action Project 