Category: community
Twilight Sports Highlights recent and the past & the SCYAP Mountain Bike Group in action.
This month we have gone for a Vlog instead of a Blog and highlighted past and present activities, thanks to Leo. Gregor and Scott for producing the action clips and groovy music.
Railway Station Arts Project Officially Opens, Experiential Learning in the Wild Outdoors and a Photographic Review of #Summerprogramme2025
Climate Action through Saving Nature, Learning life skills through Bushcraft and Survival activities and having fun through connecting with the local Canals and parks, these were the main themes of the SCYAP Summer Programme 2025. The highlights included the opening of the Environmental improvements and community arts project at Camelon Railway station on Wednesday 16th July when Tracy Stevenson Scotrails Community Rail Executive joined local organisations including: The Fire and Rescue Service, FEL, Falkirk Council , FVSC and local community activists, when the new artwork was officially opened with the ribbon being ceremonially cut by Lucy Auld. Lucy gave total commitment to this project , giving up lots of her own time to work on the project and she was supported by other members of our Youth Action Group, the original designs had been worked up by her P7 Class at Carmuirs Primary School. Lucy will gain a Dynamic Youth Award for her outstanding contributions to this Project along with her friend from school Oliver Mcarthur who will gain a High 5 Award.
The days celebrations then moved onto Nailer Road Park where SCYAP hosted a community active travel day which presented a number of different and fun approaches to active travel. This included our regular partners the Falkirk Wheelers who provided inline skating around the park. FEL again supported our activities with their adapted and led bike rides also around the park , which encouraged a wide range of participants including families and older people. Falkirk Council Energy and Climate Change Team also provided a stall in the park on the theme of sustainable communities. This active travel event was linked to the illustrations detailed on the mural at Camelon railway Station and these ideas are also aligned to our community climate action plan, similarly young people’s priorities for local climate action were also picked up by our Summer Programme arts project when we supported 12 young people to Campaign For Nature.
Standing up for Nature, Appreciating Nature , Helping Nature, Understanding Nature, and Calmness in Nature were all statements from the group of young community artists when we began to plan our summer arts project. The Climate Action Events that SCYAP facilitated back in February and March had clearly demonstrated that young people were most concerned about how climate change was negatively impacting upon the plants, forests and animals around them, this in fact was a clear priority for young people in terms of taking positive climate action. We identified 4 aspects to the natural world around us: Sun, Water, Earth and Air, and we began to explore the areas around Tamfourhill and at the YAG bench on the canal. The Group developed their sketches into 4 large banners which depicted these aspects of nature, and this enabled them to learn new skills in screen printing, calligraphy, drawing and sewing. One of the group Anya was particularly interested in digital creativity, so she got further involved with the project and designed the poster which is detailed below. These images will be displayed around the community in the coming weeks along with a wider #Youthaction visual campaign called: Standing up for Nature, so please look out for the group’s creations appearing in public spaces around Camelon and Tamfourhill, we plan to run a competition where you can report your sightings of any of these images and win climate action prizes.
When I heard the storm and looked out, I made haste to join it: John Muir
SCYAP has formed a really good working relationship with the Well Wild project, and we have successfully developed programmes and activities that have an excellent synergy with our key outcomes, and which take an innovative approach to experiential learning. Our Bushcraft and Survival programme ran over a week and cumulated with the overnight survival experience at the Well Wild Project in the Rough Castle Woods. I would like to congratulate and acknowledge the resilience and adaptability of our group on the overnight experience when they had to contend with a period of prolonged overnight rain, a gathering storm and a degree of discomfort. Their skills were put into action, teamwork and supporting each other were critical, fire lighting and their shelter building were all put to the test. The night was filled with screaming owls protecting their territory, startled foxes passing through the woods and difficult weather conditions. John Muir the Scottish conservationist and explorer famously exclaimed in response to a rising tempest in the Sierra Mountains in North America that: “When I heard the storm and looked out, I made haste to join it” The SCYAP Group in their own fashion did similar and their learning was consequently substantial and will have impact well beyond the 18 hours they spent over night in the woods, with a plethora of life skills being developed. Each young person remained focused on achieving their personal Dynamic Youth Award learning targets and it will be an absolute pleasure to later present their certificates.
Summer Programme 2025 in a compendium of photos:
Unfortunately, some Bad news:
Everyone connected with SCYAP were absolutely deflated and disappointed to be informed that the only Community Orchard in Camelon has been wiped out by extensive ground clearance on the canal towpath. The planting of this orchard was a joint project that was planned and implemented with Scottish Canals and involved considerable SCYAP funding and resources. The members of the Carmuirs Youth Action Group along with our community volunteers who planted and then maintained this orchard are upset and angry with this inexplicable action. I want to reassure the community that as an organisation we are looking into the circumstances that have led to this, our understanding is that Scottish Canals now have a team investigating this incident which they view as an act of vandalism which has been carried out on their Land. We will off course follow this matter up until some sort of resolution is found, we will report back through our social media and other channels when we have an unequivocal explanation of who was responsible and what actions are being taken.
Let’s conclude with some good news:
We are very pleased to announce that we were successful in our application to the UKSPF Community Empowerment Small Grant Fund and we will therefore be implementing two new opportunities for local young people 10-18 years old. These projects will run from September through to December and will involve creativity and community improvements through an arts drop-in initiative and also the delivery of an accredited groupwork programme. The funds are administrated through Falkirk Council and are well aligned to the SCYAP five key outcomes and aim to also address aspects of the recent Camelon Community Action Plan. A central aim is to include young people and volunteers who are not regularly involved with any of our current project’s and especially those that are linked to National Youth Awards. I will in next month’s blog explain how young people and volunteers can take part and highlight the benefits to young people and the wider community.
And finally, we were also successful with our second round of funding from the Volunteer Matters Action Earth Fund, which is resourced by Nature Scot and the National Lottery Community Fund. This is all about tackling climate change and promoting volunteering in the community and we will be linking the activities to our Climate Action Plan and the priorities identified by local young people earlier this year. This Project will be taking place in the autumn and again we will highlight in a future Blog how you can get involved.
Opening of the SCYAP Biodiversity & Community Arts Porject
The official opening Celebration of the Safer Communities Youth Action Projects (SCYAP) Camelon Railway Station Biodiversity & Community Art Project will take place at 12 noon on Wednesday 16th July on the footbridge leading from Nailer Road onto Camelon Railway Station. This Community Arts Project is a collaboration led by SCYAP and supported by both Scotrail and Network Rail Scotland. The mural on the bridge and the totem pole installations were developed and designed by young people from P7 at Carmuirs Primary School and members of the SCYAP Youth Action Group.
Active Travel Event:
The day will then continue from 1pm to 4pm at the nearby Nailer Road Park with an Active travel Event which is open to all the community. (To take part in the activities youngsters under 10 years old must be accompanied by a responsible adult 16+ years old) The Active travel Event is linked to our young person led Community Climate Action Plan and was a recommendation of the SCYAP Climate Action Events which took place in February and March this year and involved over 80 local young people.
The Active Travel Event will include the following:
- Cycling Without Age will provide guided rides on their Trishaws from 1pm-4pm in Nailer Road Park.
- Forth Environment Link will provide rides on their adapted bikes from 1pm-4pm in Nailer Road Park
- Forth Environment Link will provide a led walk departing from Camelon Railway Station at the conclusion of the mural opening: approx. 12.30pm
- The Falkirk Wheelers will provide inline skating at Nailer Road Park 1pm-4pm
- Falkirk Council Energy & Climate Change Team: Information stall all day in the park
- SCYAP Design your own plant pot, fun football led by our community coach & Snacks and drinks.1pm-4pm in Nailer Road Park.
Active travel day planned, COP2 and SCYAP Summer Programme 2025:
The SCYPA Summer Programme 2025 is detailed below and there are still places available for some of the activities, the booking link is here:
https://tamfourhill-gymnastics-club.classforkids.io/
The programme offers a wide variety of opportunities for young people including hands on arts and creativity workshops, outdoor learning and an overnight survival experience and our Summer Fun in the Park sessions.
A key community event on the Programme will be our Active Travel Day scheduled for Wednesday 16th July from 12 noon to 4pm and which will also coincide with the opening of the Community art mural and nature project at Camelon Railway Station. The day will begin at the Railway Station where there will be an official opening of the public art mural and the nature installations and will involve both Scotrail and Network Rail along with the young community artists from SCYAP. This has been an excellent partnership and collaborative Project which will bring about environmental improvements and also much improve the experience of traveling to and from Camelon Railway Station. It made absolute sense to align this celebration with our Active Travel Day as the themes of both events are focused upon environmental improvement, helping nature and promoting climate action. The Active Travel Day, which will take place in the nearby Nailer Road Park, is an outcome of the involvement of over 80 young people who took part in the SCYAP Climate Action events which were held at Tamfourhill Community Hub back in February and March of this year. The day will include various forms of active travel, including: Inline skating, bicycles, rickshaws, adapted bike rides and also information stalls provided by Falkirk Councils Energy and Climate Change Team. SCYAP will also provide some snacks and drinks, and a fun football session, so please keep an eye out for these events details which will be posted on our social media and will also feature on the Falkirk Council website and other local forums.
On Wednesday 18th June we had the pleasure of attending a Picnic in Easter Carmuirs Park to celebrate with family , school and community the installation of the new Wild Bench. SCYAP had over the last 3 months worked with the P7 class at Easter Carmuirs Primary School to design a seating bench with a planter which was to be located into the play park within Easter Carmuirs Park. The young people designed this Wild Bench which in addition to providing some much-needed seating for the play park also encourages biodiversity through helping local nature and the wildlife that lives in the park. Our Youth Action approach is always concerned with facilitating multiple benefits for both local young people and the wider community, and in this Project the park and local families will now be able to enjoy this new facility when visiting the park, the participating young people have all gained Dynamic Youth Awards through their participation and there is also the additional benefit for the local environment and its biodiversity. The young people have designed the benches with wild nature in mind, and this is reflected with the artwork which decorates the bench and planter, and through planting pollinators this will truly be a Wild Bench for Easter Carmuirs Park.
I was pleased to be invited to Falkirk High School on 5th June to attend and participate in the Falkirk School Pupils Climate Summit or COP2. SCYAP has supported our own Community Climate Action Plan, so it was really useful and pleasing to see how well aligned that our climate actions are to the work of young people from schools throughout Falkirk. The workshops were interesting and reflected the commitment of young people to take positive action to tackle the climate crisis. I would want to give a big shout out to Green New Deal Rising for facilitating an excellent workshop, as an organisation they are focused upon campaigning for climate justice and making Scotland a greener, more equitable and environmentally sustainable nation. Green New Deal Rising is building a movement of young people to fight for a response to the climate crisis that totally transforms our economy to deliver a safe climate and fairer society. We believe in people power, and through a combination of disrupting the political system and reaching into our communities, we plan to make the Green New Deal an era-defining issue.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank the pupils from Falkirk high School, Maya and Olivia who regularly attended and contributed to the work of our Community Climate Action Plan Core Group, and I wish them well as they move onto further education.
Finally, I would like to convey our thanks to the Camelon Community Sports Hub who have awarded a grant to SCYAP to operate our Twilight Sports Programme over the winter of 2025/26. The longer-term funding which has supported this programme over the last three years concludes at the end of this calendar year, so there are longer term challenges ahead in terms of the Twilight Sports and other programmes we deliver with local young people.
Light Nights and Twilight Sports and the launch of the Camelon CAP
The seasons seem to move so quickly and with the arrival of the lighter nights and with such an amazing spring we have speedily arrived at the start of this year’s Twilight Sports Programme. We look forward to welcoming lots of regular faces and hopefully plenty of new ones to the opening session on Friday 30th May 6pm-9pm in Easter Carmuirs park. Once again we will have the Falkirk Wheelers providing the Skating and the football being provided in conjunction with Stenhousemuir FC Community Foundation. The full programme is detailed below and over the 12 weeks we will have all the usual big games , food and drink , a monthly barbecue, nature based and creative activities and Forth Environment Links Dr Bike in attendance for 6 weeks of the programme providing their fabulous bike maintenance service. Dr Bike along with our regular visits from the Fire and Rescue Service and community police officers are reminders of this programmes community safety approach. The origins of the Twilights sports are to be found in the Our Place Community Safety Strategy for Camelon and Tamfourhill and we continue to align the Twilight Programme to that purpose. This is achieved through providing local young people a safe place to socialise, take part in games and sport , form positive relationships with the different services and link into other community learning opportunities all on Friday nights in local public parks.
The Community safety strategy remains a relevant framework for supporting wider local Youth Action, and that has been reflected over the last six months with the SCYAP and local young people’s ongoing role and involvement with developing and confirming the Camelon Community Action Plan. The Falkirk Community Planning Partnership describes a community action plan (CAP) as a participatory tool that helps community members identify and address the problems, needs, and potential within their community. It also aims to encourage community involvement and management of their environment. A community action plan can include various programs and activities that are designed to improve the quality of life and well-being of the community The Camelon CAP was officially launched last Tuesday evening 20TH May in the Forth Valley Sensory Centre and it was an amazing experience for some of the young people involved with SCYAP , along with members of our Youth Action Group , young people from the local primary schools, staff and volunteers to all attend the multi-agency community launch and provide three youth action stalls. I cannot praise the young people highly enough, they were brilliant ambassadors for their peers, schools, youth project and the community and they provided a real sense of community participation throughout the event. The Link to the Camelon CAP is below:
Our Community artist was also in attendance at the launch and aligned to the CAP ethos and its engagement process we showcased our two big community arts and environmental improvement projects. The nature, active travel mural and totem pole installations for Camelon Railway Station were well received by the leader of the Council and the representatives of the other organisations and the mural in particular also received lots of interest from local people. The benches and planter for Easter Carmuirs Park was also very popular and people got a chance to add their decorative prints to a scaled version of the bench. There is a diary of sessions and workshops for community involvement and participation with the Railway Station project , young people just turn up at the workshops at Tamfourhill Community Hub and the sessions at the railway station will operate on a drop-in basis. The plan is to hold an official opening of the Railway station art installations along with an active travel day in mid-July, and we will off course publicise that day’s events and how you can get involved. I would like to personally thank Scotrail for their funding towards this project and the support of Network Rail.
Our third stall was presented by our young volunteer Leo Cierpikowski and highlighted and celebrated our various Youth Awards programmes and activities. Leo himself has recently begun his Silver Youth Achievement Award after successfully gaining his Bronze. His Silver challenge is focussed upon further developing his leadership skills and community involvement. This young man is an outstanding role model and community activist and can have a significant leadership role with the relvevant aspects of the Camelon CAP.
The SCYAP Summer Programme 2025 is scheduled to begin on July 4th, and it will be a programme that includes creativity, community projects, outdoor learning and an overnight survival experience, canal-based activities and lots of summer fun in the park. In next month’s blog I will publish the full programme and details of how to get booked onto the sessions.
The Sun shone on our Easter Programme and our canal bench celebrations and also introducing two new community arts and environmental improvement projects:
April has been a busy time at SCYAP, and we were so happy with the amazing weather we had for both our Easter Programme and the Canal benches celebrations. The parks were busy with activities, and I would like to personally thank all our partners who made such a significant contribution to the success of the Programme and ensuring that it was fully enjoyed by the staff and young people. Forth Environment Link who delivered their Dr Bike Service, and the amazing oven baked pizzas at each of the three parks, the artistic and the creative inputs of our community artist Sarah Diver and the amazing FEL Smoothie bike at Nailer Road Park. The Falkirk Wheelers kept everyone wheeching around the parks and the Stenhousemuir FC Community Foundation who despite the heat kept the football flowing. It was also great that our young volunteers were able to carry out some much needed weeding and re-planting at the mindfulness benches in the park on Carradale Avenue in Tamfourhill.
The Canal benches have now been available to users of the towpath for several months, but it was really important to host a community celebration to acknowledge the creativity and the inputs of the young people of Camelon and Tamfourhill. The new benches are an integral part of the Falkirk Five Trail https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/about-us/maintaining-and-developing-the-canals/our-projects/5km-active-travel-route-development and it was a day of community celebration at the location of Canal bench two at Tamfourhill. This was a Jagtastic day with such an amazing atmosphere with the members of our Youth Action group arriving at the event on the Jaggy Thistle canal boat, thanks you so much to Go Forth and Clyde for providing this opportunity , and for many of our group it was their first experience of both cruising on a canal boat and the entire Falkirk Wheel experience. Gus from the Scottish Federation of Coarse Angling provided a taster experience of coarse angling and this was also a new opportunity for many of the young people and James was overjoyed to catch his first perch. The Falkirk Wheelers along with our young volunteers provided guided skating trips along the towpath with Make it Glasgow running creative activities under the gazebo. The day was made even more memorable by the live music and the tasty barbecue with fruit kebabs.
There are two local community arts projects which we have been supporting, initially with the local primary schools, and both are aligned to our Climate Action priorities and are focussed upon; active travel and helping nature and wildlife.
Camelon Railway Station: Biodiversity and Community Arts Project
The first phase of this Project has involved the P7 class at Carmuirs Primary School designing a mural which will be painted onto the footbridge at Camelon railway station, a location that will greatly benefit from an environmental and creative upgrade. We picked up on the nature and animals theme that young people had highlighted at the recent Climate Action Events, and they worked over several weeks with designing and creating their own animals. The active travel element of the different designed animals was explored through interactive games in the playground. The mural as illustrated above depicts how long it would take for their different animals to travel to the young people’s important locations in the neighbourhood.
The next phase of this project will involve young people from the local area building creative totem poles, bug hotels and planting pollinators around the footpath leading onto the footbridge at the station. I will keep the community informed of opportunities for young people’s further involvement and updated with the progress of this Project, and we are very grateful to Scotrail who have part funded this project.
The Easter Carmuirs Park bench & planter project:
This creation has involved the P7 class at Easter Carmuirs primary school and forms an important part of their Dynamic Youth Award challenge. Again, we picked up on the young peoples main issues as raised at the Climate Action Event that was held in February. The progress of this Project is reliant upon a process of community consultation and is also linked to a planed upgrade of the play park area and that is all detailed on the flyer below:
| Young Peoples Priorities for Climate Action | Suggested Activities | Led by/Partners | Resources | When |
| Encouraging Active Travel | Organise 2 active travel events: including led rides, Dr Bike & experiencing different wheel sports as a means of active travel. | FELFalkirk WheelersSCYAP | Partners existing budgets | Summer/Autumn 2025 |
| Campaigning for local climate action | Deliver 3 public arts projects and or creative advertising/social media campaigns on issues agreed by young people.Develop a local climate charter for businesses, community groups & organisations.Support classroom and community building climate audits. | SCYAPCommunity artistFC Climate Change OfficerFELSchoolsLocal businessesTCH | External fundingPartners existing budgets | March 2025-Spring 2026 |
| Helping Nature and biodiversity | Plant wildflower meadows and establish biodiverse planters & wildlife gardening in public spaces/parks.Build bug houses & Bat/bird boxes and erect them around the community.Arrange tree planting sessions at suitable locations in the community. | FCFELSCYAPForth Climate ForestTCVSCYAP (Twilight Sports) | Woodland trustExternal fundingFalkirk Council | May 2025 – Spring 2026 |
Successful Climate Action Events and our Easter programme 2025
The Community Climate Action Plan for Camelon and Tamfourhill was developed by a core group of local partners and that process was facilitated by Keep Scotland Beautiful throughout the spring and summer 2022. The Plan has facilitated a number of local climate action projects, including: The very recently completed Tamfourhill Energy Efficiency and Net Zero Hub Project, a wide array of environmental improvement projects, community growing initiatives and young person led community arts recycling projects. Although this Plan continues to be a valuable framework for tackling climate change at a community level, SCYAP believed it could be greatly enhanced and reinvigorated by organising young person led Climate Action Events. These would involve various hands-on workshops facilitating experiential learning, were empowering and giving young people a meaningful voice, encouraging further collaboration between the community, schools and relevant agencies and successfully identifying young people’s priorities for future community-based climate action in Camelon and Tamfourhill. The Climate Action Events were delivered through February and March 2025 and were part funded through the FEL Seed Grant Funding and the SCYAP core youth action funds. The intention is to now confirm a delivering plan for local young person climate action over the next 12 months which will be fully aligned to our existing CCAP.
83 Young people, 10-15 years old took part in 3 Climate Change Events held at Tamfourhill Community Hub , involving Carmuirs and Easter Carmuirs Primary Schools, Falkirk High School and members of the SCYAP Youth Awards Group. They all participated in a number of themed workshops, including:
- Recycle, Reuse , Reduce: Our SCYAP Community artist delivered a workshop focused on sewing, using left over materials and fabrics and which attempted to share skills in sewing and reusing materials as a way or example of how to reduce waste. The young people were tasked with creating badges which contained a symbol of a climate opportunity they felt was most important to them and based upon the Falkirk Schools Climate Agreement. It was noted that young people felt most connected to protecting the natural environment and wildlife, with energy and transport also being important – waste and food growing seemed to be much less important.
- Waste Management : Falkirk Council facilitated an interactive workshop around the councils approaches to waste management and highlighting the environmental impacts of waste, litter and fly tipping.
- Sustainable food networks: This workshop was delivered by FEL and involved watching some video footage and discussing facts about the environmental impact of world-wide food production and some food tasting took place.
- Active Travel and reducing our Carbon footprint: These sessions were delivered by FEL Project Officers and Falkirk Councils Energy and Climate Change Coordinator. In the first activity young people were asked to indicate which actions they thought would result in the highest Greenhouse Gas reductions using counters on a table and the groups then talked through discrepancies between beliefs held by the general public and the reality of potential Greenhouse Gas emissions reductions. Young people indicated which actions they would be willing to take using counters, they also discussed the practicalities of taking on these actions and weighing up other concerns with making those emission savings (e.g. financial cost, time, and convenience) the second activity was focussed upon making suitable net zero adaptations in the Communithy and encouraged creativity and problem-solving, with participants sharing their thoughts on how to improve the environment. Over 150 ideas and observations were submitted, covering a range of topics such as reducing pollution, active travel, increasing green spaces, and using renewable energy sources. The workshop helped the young participants understand the importance of sustainable living, showing them how small changes in their communities can have a big impact on the planet. The event emphasised practical actions like better waste management, more eco-friendly transport options, and the need for greener buildings. Finally, was an opportunity for every young person to have a go at the very popular smoothie bike: At this activity the young people spoke about how the energy we create from our own bodies can be used to help the environment, from walking or cycling to school, to powering a blender that would usually be powered by electricity, by bike and therefore our bodied energy. The fruits that were used in the smoothie bike were all healthy and fairtrade and this emphasised the positive impact that healthy food can have on our bodies and on the planet. This approach was further emphasised by the opportunity for every young person to make their own fruit kebab as a low carbon snack
- Helping Nature & the Environment: This input was delivered by volunteers from SCYAP and the Scottish Wildlife Trust and had 2 distinct elements, firstly; young people were tasked with building bat boxes, bird nesting boxes and bug hotels, it was very hands on and very much enjoyed by the young people with 14 boxes being built over the 3 events, and secondly: groups of young people were accompanied to the woodland area beside the Hub to carry out a survey and analysis of the different habitats and places for wildlife, and taking consideration of some of the challenges and risks to these habitats, especially in relation of littering. This session concluded with a litter pick of the woods and later the installation of the bird, bug and bat boxes along with a hedgehog house.
- Plenary and casting your votes session: Each event concluded with an opportunity for every young person to cast 2 votes, a first and second preference vote for their priorities for local climate action. The intention was for young people to cast their votes in line with their experiential learning over the day, and there were six themed ballot boxes for casting their votes:
- Campaigning for Climate Change
- Community Growing Projects
- Environmental Improvement Projects
- Encourage Active Travel
- Helping Nature & Encouraging Biodiversity
- Recycle, Reuse & Reduce
The Next Steps:
Having collated the voting returns as detailed above an action plan will now be proposed for young person led climate action in Camelon and Tamfourhill. Although priorities vary between age groups the feedback from partners workshops allied to young people’s voting response indicates that the key areas for future activity should be focused upon:
- Encouraging active travel
- Campaigning for local Climate Action
- Helping nature and encouraging biodiversity
- Community growing projects.
A draft report with recommendations for a young person led climate action plan will be presented to the next meeting of our CCAP Core Group on 22nd April 2025, I will off course present that outcome in Mays SCYAP blog, with the view to full implementation from the summer of 2025. Watch this space !
Any finally:
Our Easter Programme 2025: All activities are free, food & drink are provided, you just turn up and if required registration forms will be issued. The Twilight Sports sessions are open to all 10–16-year-olds and I am pleased to advise that Dr Bike will be in attendance along with the smoothie bike at each twilight sports sessions over the 3 locations , the snacks will be pizzas and make your own fruit kebabs.
The Canal benches celebration on Friday 11th April 12noon to 4pm is being hosted by our Youth Action Group and is open to all the community, we would advise however that anyone under 10 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. The programme on the 11th will include: arts & creativity, nature activities, active travel, an angling taster opportunity , a barbecue with fruit kebabs and live musical entertainment.
Thanks to our partners: FEL Scotland Falkirk Wheelers Go Forth and Clyde Make it Glasgow
Further details available at: john@ttrohub.co.uk & 07391524528
A Fabulous Fun February ,Falkirk Wheelers wronged and Camelon has its first Community Orchard
Twilight Sports
The Twilight Sports Winter Programme was operational through November 2024 until the last session on Friday 21st February 2025 in Tamfourhill Community Hub . Once again, I would like to highlight that we were unable to operate the second half of the Winter indoor Programme from Easter Carmuirs Primary School and I am aware that many young people have missed out as a consequence of that situation. The Falkirk Wheelers, as many local people will be aware, have been prevented from using the halls and gymnasiums on the Councils school estate, and despite their best efforts and the pressures of others to get this erroneous decision overturned they continue to be unable to make use of these facilities. The SCYAP continues to support the Falkirk Wheelers, and we will get involved with any future public demonstrations that campaign to get this access reinstated. We are however very grateful to the Tamfourhill Community Hub committee for their ongoing support through making their centre available for our use on a Friday night despite all the building improvements and new net zero energy technologies that are being installed. The Twilight Sports programme continued to be well attended with young people developing great skills and confidence on the wheels along with their footballing skills and this has been noted by the respective sports coaches. The social and developmental aspects of engaging with healthy activities in a safe and supportive environment is clearly valued by local young people and their families. My thanks therefore to the Wheelers and our new football coach Ewan at the Stenhousemuir Community Foundation. There has also been significant contributions from our young Twilight Sports volunteers and it’s great to see them all undertaking Youth Awards as part of their volunteering involvement.
SCYAP Angling Group
The angling Group eventually got their opportunity to take part in a coach led session at Magiscroft Coarse Fishery, this was after a third classroom-based session where they had learnt about different species and their anatomies, baits and ground baits and how to set up their rods and reels. This preparation and learning was evident at the fishery, however the freezing cold and snowy conditions made for very difficult angling conditions. The group were using whips prior to practicing their casting with a rod and reel set up. The very cold-water conditions discourage the fish from feeding but despite these adverse circumstances every young person managed to catch at least one fish , including some nice sized roach and a roach bream hybrid. Our thanks to Gus and John from the Scottish Federation of Coarse Angling , these guys are exceptional anglers and a fountain of knowledge on all matters angling. The Group will continue to meet for learning sessions, go on further angling trips and complete their Youth Awards. This Project very much illustrates that learning can be enjoyable , social and take place in so many diverse contexts.
Outdoor learning and nature therapy
We have formed a fruitful partnership with the Well Wild-A therapeutic approach to Forest School & Bushcraft based in the Rough Castle Woods, and this has facilitated a wide array of learning opportunities and the development of core skills for the young people we work with. The activities are really focused on core interpersonal and social attributes , including, communication, trust, resilience and teamwork and our partnership has opened up these opportunities to a wider array of local young people. Our close involvement with the local primary schools has enabled the Youth Action Project to better achieve its key outcomes of better connecting young people with their local community and to deliver accredited learning opportunities. In addition, this February we also had our own Youth Award Group participating in bushcraft and survival activities which have facilitated positive relationship building and improved confidence in wider learning for these young people. An outstanding feature of working with the Well Wild Project is the therapeutic and reflective qualities that are facilitated through young peoples engagement with the natural environment. Often it is those quiet almost spiritual moments that instil an understanding and appreciation of nature and a sense of individual wellbeing that young people will take with them throughout their lives. And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my sole: John Muir I would really like to thank John Wells for his empathetic and flexible approach at his Well Wild Project it has enabled the SCYAP to support young people achieve their various personal targets on their development journey to achieving various youth awards.
Community Orchard Planted in Camelon:
SCYAP are supporting a small group of boys from P6 at Carmuirs Primary School to gain a Dynamic Youth Award with a challenge that involves them getting more involved with and improving their local community. Recently with the support of the Environmental Manager at Scottish Canals we were able to create a new community orchard on the towpath of the Forth and Clyde canal near to lock 16. The Group worked tirelessly as they prepared the ground, digging the holes, planting the fruit trees and putting in the compost. This is a magnificent legacy for these young people and the community will be able to pick their own fruit as they make use of the canal and the towpath. This is a community development project facilitated though local Youth Action and is fully aligned to our Community Climate Action Plan. This then is an appropriate point to conclude this blog and a useful means to highlight next month’s main blog topic of reviewing our three Climate Action Events. I will then next month be able to confirm young people’s priorities for tackling climate change in Tamfourhill ,Bantaskin and Camelon.
Please support the proposed Youth Work (Scotland) Bill , here is how
A happy and guid new year to everyone.
I want to start our first blog of the new year by emphasising the importance of youth work and the positive contributions it makes to both young people and the wider community. I have spent the last year writing Blogs that highlight the successes of our Youth Action Projects and activities and the benefits to both the young people and the community. At every opportunity I have flagged up and reiterated that our Youth Action approach is underpinned by the dual benefits it affords to young people and the wider community. In this respect I want to encourage as many people as possible to contribute to the consultation that is currently taking place in relation to the proposed Youth Work (Scotland) Bill. This is a Private Members Bill, and it will therefore require after the consultation process is completed, the support of at least 18 cross Party MSPS’s, after which the proposals will move through the 3-stage scrutiny process before eventually coming before our parliament, to hopefully be confirmed as a new Act. The deadline to respond to the consultation is 31st March 2025: Here is the link to the draft Bill and the consultation: https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/proposals-for-bills/proposed-youth-work-scotland-bill
The Safer Communities Youth Action Project is concerned and completely focussed upon achieving these key outcomes:
- Young People will have better connections with the wider community
- Young people will improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing
- Young people will have increased opportunities to take part in activities that address community safety and reduces their risk taking.
- Young people will increase their social skills, confidence to learn and levels of attainment.
- Young people will grow as active citizens, expressing their voice and enabling change.
I am advocating that the adoption of this Bill into Scots law will provide a legal basis and a mandatory commitment for our services, agencies, community organisations and governments to ensure these key outcomes and similar aspirations are delivered universally throughout Scotland. I am being overtly political and requesting your support for this Bill through responding to the consultation, and here are some of the reasons I believe this is a good idea for both our young people and our communities:
The Key Objectives of the proposed Bill would include:
- Universal Access: Mandating youth work services to be available to all young people aged 11–25, with particular focus on targeted support for disadvantaged groups.
- Equity and Fairness: Breaking down systemic barriers to ensure youth work is inclusive and accessible, regardless of geography or background.
- Sustainability: Establishing a dedicated Youth Work Fund to ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery across Scotland.
The Bill mandates that local authorities develop comprehensive Youth Work strategies that align with a National Youth Work Strategy and address the specific needs of their communities.
These strategies will be required to:
• Reflect the voices of young people, involving them directly in shaping
services.
• Respect young people’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child (UNCRC) by ensuring their right to participate, develop,
and access support.
• Integrate youth work with broader community services, including
education, health, and social care, for a holistic approach.
• Establish sustainable funding models to maintain resilient and
adaptable youth work services
The alignment between our own key outcomes and the above proposed strategies are both consistent and complimentary.
The consultation asks questions around a number of themes relating to the Bill, firstly it asks the reasons why we believe legislation is required, SCYAP responded:
There is a need for Youth work to be a statutory service and to have professional parity with other educational and social work provisions, and this is required consistently throughout Scotland. It will ensure that the voices and contributions of young people have a statutory footing, especially in terms of how future services are resourced, planned, provided and delivered. Youth Empowerment will in effect be embedded in law and statute.
Secondly the cost and financial impacts upon other public services and businesses of making Youth work a legal right for every young Scot with its own ring-fenced mandatory budget is questioned, SCYAP highlighted the following:
Making strategic and sustained investments in youth work and ensuring that young people’s services are delivered collaboratively and in partnership will make significant savings to other public sector budgets, including Health, Criminal justice and education. The contributions of young people will have significant financial benefits to the wider community and most importantly much of this will be social capital through improved community cohesion and active citizenship.
How would this proposed Bill relate to and impact upon equalities, SCYAP Stated:
This Bill would require to be inclusive and remove barriers to involvement whether they are by age, gender, poverty, race, geography, sexual orientation and so on. The Law would by necessity have to mitigate exclusion and ensure that all sectors of the youth population were able to access appropriate services and opportunities equitably and on their own terms.
A new law can impact on work to protect and enhance the environment, achieve a sustainable economy, and create a strong, healthy, and just society for future generations, How should this Bill relate to sustainability and protecting the environment, SCYAP highlighted
Undoubtedly there will be an impact upon the environment and the aim of improved sustainability, this Bill will need to give cognizance to Scotland’s journey to Net Zero whilst also aiming to create a tolerant, inclusive and equitable society. Youth work needs to champion these values and aspirations, and this Bill must be an enabler of these conditions and standards. The Bill should be concerned with promoting young people’s involvement with the outdoors, of its therapeutic values and our responsibility to conserve and facilitate environmental improvements. Climate action should be a central facet of all community-based youth activities, and this should be aligned to a strategic climate action commitment
Any finally , SCYAP offered a summary statement of support:
This is a unique opportunity to enshrine youth empowerment and youth action in Scottish statute and it should be progressed. Scotland can be greatly improved nation through active engagement with young people and by communities taking greater ownership of their own development. This Bill must embrace those values through a national strategic commitment to youth work and youth action. Funding should be ring fenced and protected for this to happen; however, it should be devolved to local decision making as much as possible and avoid a recentralization of control by Local authorities. The third sector can play a crucial role, and funding needs to be sensitive to local dynamics and opportunities which can include young people making significant budgetary decisions.
Finally, a reminder that our Twilight Sport programme continues throughout January and into February and won’t be interrupted by the installation of the Tamfourhill Community Hubs new low carbon energy and heating system and upgraded with new toilets. The full programme is below:
In next month’s blog I hope to be able to introduce 2 new community development projects for Camelon and a review of recent groupwork with local young people.
Safer Communities Youth Action Project 