The nights are darker, and winter is here, so I am glad to illuminate the gloom by announcing that the Twilight Sports Winter Programme returns on Friday 8^th November from 6pm-8pm in Tamfourhill Community Hub. The main activities will be football and rollerblading and on the 8^th we will also have Dr Bike in attendance who will service your bikes for winter and issue every cyclist with a light. The Programme is open to all 10 – 16-year-olds and food and drink will be provided, and this is all free of charge thanks to our funders at the Falkirk Community Schools Fund and the National Lottery Young Start Programme. There will be some special sporting activities on the programme, and these will be confirmed and announced nearer to the particular date, the regular programme is detailed on the attached flyer.

I am very disappointed that the Twilight Sports Programme will not be visiting Easter Carmuirs Primary School this winter and this is due to Facilities Management banning rollerblading from all Falkirk Council school halls and gymnasiums. We did not want to deliver part of the Programme without our valued colleagues and partners the Falkirk Wheelers, so the decision had to be made to not make use of the school hall at Easter Carmuirs. I know this is to the disadvantage off young people from that neighbourhood, but we would consider some type of safe transport provision for these young people ,if there was demonstrable intertest. I would like to explicitly put on record my opposition to this ban and I am particularly frustrated at how an engaging healthy sporting activity like this can be spuriously removed from the community and indeed the school curriculum. There is inconvenience to us locally and community safety concerns however there is also a much bigger picture here where young people are being prevented from participating in a very healthy sporting activity that addresses health inequalities , reduces the attainment gap and facilitates positive social development. There has been objections raised, and an informal campaign being promoted by the Falkirk Wheelers and we fully support all of their actions and would encourage parents , careers and concerned individuals and groups to approach elected members or highlight the matter in any local or national forums. A summary to the background to this situation can be found here: https://falkirkwheelers.co.uk/mitie_ban.php I would also like to use this opportunity of thanking the Committee at Tamfourhill Community Hub who have been willing to accommodate the entire winter Twilight Sports programme from November through to February, it is very much appreciated.

On a much more positive note, I am delighted to report on the formation of a new partnership between the SCYAP and the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling, which will deliver a bespoke angling programme for local young people. I am aware that many young people enjoy fishing on the local canals, and we have also ran fishing trips as part of our summer programmes, so this new partnership will provide an excellent accredited learning opportunity. The course will begin on Thursday 14^th November at Tamfourhill Community Hub at 6pm and will involve some indoor sessions and then coached angling sessions at Magiscroft Coarse Fishery, the local canals and a trout fishery. All the participating young people will be able to gain a national award and the programme will includes: water safety, fish biology, fish welfare and safe handling of fish, fishing tackle and tackling up and of course the best methods and approaches to catching fish. There will also be volunteering opportunities provided and the potential to then go on to gain an angling coach qualification , this is a fully funded package and there will be no cost for the young people or volunteers. If you are interested then please contact me directly at john@ttrohub.co.uk and more details about the SFCA can be found here: https://www.sfca.co.uk/

The Community Climate Action Plan has to date facilitated many opportunities and a wide array of activities like community growing initiatives, encouraging biodiversity, active travel and the Tamfourhill energy efficiency and net zero hub project, and this has involved various groups and schools throughout Camelon and Tamfourhill. The time felt right for a relaunch of the CCAP and in line with the ethos of Youth Action it seemed very appropriate to revisit the Plan and involve young people with confirming the current priorities for tacking climate change at a community level. The SCYAP were recently successful in securing another FEL Seed Grant with the purpose of relaunching our CCAP and fully involving young people with that process. In partnership with FEL we will be holding a number of roadshow events in the community where young people and the existing CCAP Core Group members can revisit the original plan and enhance those actions or indeed set new local climate change actions. These events will provide a hands-on experience with different activities being available that involve active travel, community growing, examples of sustainability and creativity with the arts, and all involving some element of fun based consultation. I will keep the community updated with this project and how young people and others can get directly involved. The key will be to take part in meaningful activities but to also further develop our plan to include a very strong youth led programme of actions.

Another environmental improvement opportunity has been made possible through the Volunteering Matters Action Earth Project. This will be about establishing several community orchards around the local area, and I hope that a variety of groups will come on board with this activity. I again will highlight this Project on our social media platforms and in the meantime if anybody has a particular interest with establishing community orchards then please do get in touch with me directly: john@ttrohub.co.uk

Next months blog will be focused upon the Camelon Community Action Plan and in particular the youth consultation process and the developing work of the Nailer Road Safer Streets Group.

community

Supporting Young People’s Readiness to Learn and Getting on Yer Bike

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I want to use the main section of this month’s Youth Action Blog to celebrate our recent #Summerprogramme2024 and to align aspects of the successes of that Programme with the findings of the recent Youthlink publication: The Role of Youth Work in Supporting Young people’s readiness to learn. This report is also particularly relevant to the recent work that SCYAP carried out in partnership with local schools ,as the Youthlink report notes: The factors impacting upon school attendance and engagement are complex whilst it also acknowledges that school cannot effectively tackle these issues alone. Evidence is presented that highlights the invaluable contribution of a Youth Work approach and how that methodology can positively contribute to successfully addressing the Scottish Governments Attainment Challenge.

A SCYAP key outcome is that Young People should increase their social skills, confidence to learn and their levels of attainment. This was achieved on two levels through our Summer Programme, firstly by the variety and quantity of national accreditations that young people undertook over the summer. Our Evaluation report notes that 18 accredited programmes were completed, including 14 Dynamic Youth Awards, 2 High 5 Awards and with 2 older young people significantly progressing their Bronze Youth Achievement Awards. The second level is not as quantifiable but would include the development of a wide array of soft skills or what are sometimes referred to as core skills, including; resilience, confidence, decision making, forming positive peer relationships, improving their capacity and confidence to learn and a willingness to take on new challenges. The participating young people did this in spades over the summer, the comments and reflections of our partners at the Well Wild Project absolutely highlight these very attributes and the feedback from all the staff and partners involved with the programme delivery scored this facet a very high average of 9.4 on their feedback survey responses. This is similarly reflected in young people’s own evaluation and feedback forms with 72% indicating they had learnt new skills and scoring on average 7.4 on a scale of 10 in relation to how their confidence to learn had improved through their involvement with the programme. This process is very apparent within the Youthlink report : Youth work offers young people a wider range of pathways for learning and achievement that can be offered in the classroom, providing more personalisation, choice and agency in learning This fits very nicely with the experiences of our Group who undertook the Bushcraft and Survival programme, further the Youthlink report notes that the success of a youth work approach is because young people enjoy experiential learning and different contexts for learning, including practical learning and learning outdoors in the community. Young people value the opportunity that youth work gives them to shape their own learning and develop a greater sense of personal agency. This was very much echoed in the work that was undertaken in the Community Arts Project and the Bushcraft and survival programme , John Wells of the Well Wild Project noted in his evaluation feedback that:

The entire experience was Young person

friendly and ensured that their learning outcomes/ targets

were met in full. Their learning targets had all been

chosen by the young people themselves, and they had identified what

they would like to gain out of this Bushcraft programme and overnight wild camping

experience.

And further John explains:

They learned how to build trust, good relationships, and the importance of working as a team & also have gained the ability to work on their own independently how to take instructions and how to learn from their mistakes

And in relation to learning in different contexts and outside in the community, Sarah Diver Laing our Community artist noted that:

It was nice to see the young

people directly engage with the

outdoors and I felt there was the

right balance during this

programme of imagination,

creativity, play and engagement

in places and the community.

These young people then have not only gained a recognised certificate of achievement they have evolved in confidence and in their ability and willingness to learn , and this is also a positive outcome for the young people’s capacity to learn within the school curriculum and beyond and will impact positively upon the wider community.

Another significant highlight of the #Summerprogramme2024 was the Junior Sports Leadership Award, and it was really great to see some young people who have been regular participants at the Twilight Sports over the last few months take that involvement onto another level. I have every confidence in this Groups ability to now lead on delivering sports and games sessions with their peers and with younger children, An array of skills in planning , leadership and communication were developed and underpinning all of these attributes was a notable growth in confidence and self-belief. The Group members are now being linked in with the Active Schools coordinators and hopefully they will get further involved with sports leadership activities within their respective schools. An important aspect to this is community capacity building and it would be the SCYAP longer term aim to support these young people to become sports leaders and coaches at our Twilight sports programme and other community-based sports and youth provisions.

My concluding remarks about our Summer of activities relates to our significant key outcome: that Young People will have better connections with the wider community. This featured heavily in our evaluations and feedback responses and undoubtedly this has been a significant success. We focus our activities on local assets like the Tamfourhill Community Hub , the local parks in Easter Carmuirs and Nailer Road and our outdoor learning is generally focussed on the canals and local woodland. We support young people to be visible in their own community and to link in with local community assets and other projects and organisations. Underpinning all of this is our commitment to make community Learning and development a fun experience and one that is built around the views, circumstances, needs and aspirations of the young people themselves.

SCYAP #Summerprogramme Evaluation report is available in full here:

summer programme 2024 Evaluation report Download

Youthlink report: Role of Youth Work in supporting young people’s readiness to learn :

Click to access The-Role-of-Youth-Work-in-Supporting-Young-Peoples-Readiness-to-Learn-.pdf

On Yer Bike!

We are fortunate to have the support of volunteers without whom we could not deliver this range and quality of programmes and activities for young people and indeed link that Youth Action in a meaningful way with the wider community. In that respect I would like to take this opportunity to both thank and highlight the contributions over the last year and beyond of Rachel Timblin. Rachels contributions are dynamic and varied and go way beyond the activities delivered by SCYAP, in particular her work with community growing , the Scottish Wildlife Trust and with support services for people impacted by Hepatitis B. Rachel is also a stalwart of the Twilight Sports Programme and quite simply the programme could not run without her involvement and support. It therefore was fabulous and fitting that Rachel was recently awarded with a bicycle from FEL as part of their Free Bikes For Forth Valley Volunteers Scheme, more information about this initiative can be found here: https://felscotland.org/news-and-events/free-bikes-for-forth-valley-volunteers/

Here is Rachel being presented with her new bike by FEL staff at a recent Twilight Sports session in Easter Carmuirs Park:

Thanks Rachel

#Summerprogramme2024 can be viewed here:

Summer prgramme 2024 SCYAP Download

community

Summer Programme 2024, Tackling climate change with Tamfourhill Community Hubs journey to net zero and supporting creative recycling youth action:

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Tackling climate change and facilitating local environmental improvement are the keynote highlights of this month’s Safer Communities Youth Action Projects blog.

The great news is that Tamfourhill Community Hub has secured sufficient funding to retrofit the building with a sustainable and renewable energy efficient system which will see the installation of solar panels on the roof of the building 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 has received 80% funding from the Scottish Governments Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) with 15% match funding being recently secured from the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Environmental Trust and the final 5% being committed by the National lottery’s new Awards for All programme. 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 local 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.

It is then absolutely fitting that the new recycled plastic bottle lid mural was formally unveiled on the exterior wall of the Tamfourhill Community Hub on Thursday 6^th June

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle:

Tackling Climate change through creative Youth Action in Camelon & Tamfourhill

The Safer Communities Youth Action Project in collaboration with community artist Sarah Diver have been tackling climate change through creativity and Youth Action. Groups of young people have been out litter picking around Lock 14 on the Forth & Clyde Canal and other locations in Camelon and Tamfourhill to survey the number of plastics and other significant forms of litter that are being discarded. The bigger plan was to come up with innovative ways to recycle plastics into a useful and decorative community-based arts project. The recycled plastic bottle top mural is both an artistic creation which will brighten up the external wall of the Tamfourhill Community Hub and a hands-on way of exploring climate change and environmental damage through direct action. This has been a great learning experience for the groups from Carmuirs Primary School, Falkirk High School and the Community based Youth Action Group. Young people made posters located at school and at Tamfourhill Community Hub to collect bottle lids for the artwork. School groups attended led walks and litter picks and identified things in their local area which were important for them to protect including: animals, birds, insects, trees, plant life and importantly each other. The finished mural was officially opened on Thursday 6th June when the young people from Carmuirs Primary School created their own commemorative badges made entirely from recycled plastic. The Project has been part funded by Forth Environment Links Climate Change Seed funding and the Falkirk Community School Fund 2008. The mural project forms part of a wider conservation, biodiversity and Climate Change Project which has been developed and delivered by the local Youth Action Project . This has involved wild gardening and planting pollinators, tree planting in local parks and paddle pickups on the canal as part of the national upstream battle to stop plastics getting into our waterways. #Upstreambattle

Summer Programme 2024

We have another summer of exciting youth action planned and much of this programme has been funded through the Scottish Governments School Holiday Food and Activity fund. There are opportunities for 12–16-year-olds to get involved with community arts projects, a junior sports leadership award, an overnight survival challenge with the Well Wild project, angling, water-based activities on the canal and some nature, conservation and cooking based activities. Every young person who is registered onto the programme will be given an opportunity to use the summer programme as the basis to gain either a High Five or Dynamic Youth Award with some of the young volunteers working towards their Youth Achievement Awards, to book onto the activities please go to this link:

https://tamfourhill-gymnastics-club.classforkids.io/

The full programme with booking information is detailed below:

community

A review of Year 1 of the Youth Action Project and the Summer Twilight Sports Season 2024 is announced:

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Twilight Sports returns for the summer season 2024 on Friday 7^th June from 6pm-9pm in Nailer Road Park, the main sports will be Rollerblading and football but there will also be big games and nature activities to get involved with. Food and drink is available free of charge and to register you need to be 10-16 years old and you just turn up and take part and the registration form can be returned on the next Friday that the young person attends. The full programme is detailed below and there will be other activities and opportunities which will be announced nearer the time; and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our main funders and supporters, including: The National Lottery, The Falkirk Community Schools Fund, the Local Police and Fire and Rescue Services, Camelon Community Sports Hub, Tamfourhill Tenants and Residents organisation and off course our ongoing delivery partners: The Falkirk Wheelers, Stenhousemuir FC Community Foundation and Forth Environment Link.

There was a smooth transition in May 2023 from the Our Place Project and the Community Safety work over to the establishment of the Safer Communities Youth Action Project. The emergence of this Youth Action Project has been possible due to the funding and support of the National lotteries Young Start Programme and the Falkirk Community Schools Fund. At the conclusion of the first year the Tamfourhill Tenants and Residents Organisation are obliged to report back to the funders about the progress over the first year and to detail what has been achieved in relation to the SCYAP agreed outcomes and targets. Although these are the two core funders of the Project we have also received funding support form Forth Environment Link to support climate change activities in the community and grants from Falkirk Council holiday activities and food fund and Link Housing. Needless to say, securing funding and resources to support projects and new Youth Action activities is an ongoing process that takes time and effort from the Project staff, volunteers and the TTRO.

Climate change project with Easter Carmuirs Primary School
Planting Pollinators on the canal towpath

May 2024 then is an appropriate time to review the Projects achievements and areas of progress through year one and to also take stock and reflect upon priorities and look to where there may be gaps that need to be addressed. The ethos of work has been focused upon Youth Action which has the dual approach of benefiting local young people directly and also contributing to local community developments and improvements. We acknowledge our successes and I am very pleased to be highlight the following:
• The twilight Sports Programme delivered 35 sessions on Friday nights 6pm-9pm which were delivered at 4 venues , there are 113 young people registered onto the Programme and 730 contacts were recoded over the entire programme.
• Community development projects focussed upon climate change and environmental improvement have taken place, involving: the installation of mindfulness benches into a local park, designing and creating a wall mural from recycled plastic bottle tops and plastic bags, designing new benches along the local canal towpath. An array of conservation and biodiversity programmes were also supported which included: paddle pick-ups on the canal, community litter picks, planting pollinators, building bird boxes, planting trees & bulbs and making natured themed t shirts.
• Outdoor learning has been used in a number of contexts and sessions have been focussed upon learning Bushcraft and survival skills and using nature therapy to facilitate social and personal development opportunities for individual young people and groups.
• There has been significant partnership and collaborative work undertaken involving local community organisations and voluntary and statutory service providers.
• Support is being provided locally to set up a youth drop-in facility.
• Outreach work has been delivered in an ad hoc basis and targeted at young people 14-18 years old.
• Established a community-based Youth Action Group , involving 10 core members 10-14 years old. They have been involved with peer consultations, community arts projects and volunteering within the community.
• Designed a young people’s information leaflet with logos and priorities and a young person led Project development plan.
• 4 Youth Action Groups involving 38 young people 10-14 years old established in local schools, one of these groups was targeted at 6 specific young people who are facing challenges at school and who were causing concern within the local community.
• A young volunteer’s group has been established with 8 young people 10-15 years old.
• 28 Dynamic Youth Awards achieved through the project in year one and one Bronze Youth Achievement Award
• 12 High- 5 Awards were achieved through the Project in year one.
• 6 young people, 12 -14 years old completed their Junior Sports Leadership Award
• 31 Saltire volunteering Challenge Awards made in year one
• A 6-week summer programme 2023 delivered 27 sessions involving 135 young people 10-15 years old
• 3 community arts projects were delivered which contributed to environmental improvements and building new facilities in the community involving 63 young people 9 -14 years old.

Fab Feb Fun with this group receiving their Bushcraft and survival skills certificates at the Well Wild Project.

As year 2 rolls in , we have considerable plans and have priority areas of Youth Action that will be progressed in line with our agreed development plan. There are challenges ahead and not least having the capacity to sustain and deliver on the wide array of existing activities and the evolving opportunities that can happen for local young people. This does not all sit within the responsibilities of the SCYAP and there has to be other services and organisations playing a role with local youth provision. It is extremely positive to see the formation of the Camelon Community Group and the development of the Camelon Community Action Plan. I know that the Camelon CAP has a strong commitment to engage, involve and consult with local young people and that this will be carried out in an empathetic and empowering fashion. This augers well for the establishment of more opportunities for local young people and to recognise them as key stakeholders in the further development of the local community.
In the immediate future the SCYAP will be delivering a full summer programme 2024 and this will be published and highlighted in next month’s blog. We are also currently supporting Tamfourhill Community Hub to establish a drop in for older young people and this age group will remain a priority throughout year 2 of the Project.

community

Climate Change and Creativity

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Youth Action in March 2024:

Our Youth Social Action throughout February and March has been focused upon tackling climate change, encouraging biodiversity and facilitating learning through creativity and public arts projects. We are grateful for the Climate Change Seed Funding we received from Forth Environment Link as this has enabled us to collaborate with the local schools, the Youth Action Group , Scottish Canals, Tamfourhill Community Hub and local volunteers. This approach has allowed the SCYAP to tackle local environmental issues and priorities in a creative way and in that respect I would like to thank our Community Artist Sarah Diver for her amazing inputs with the ongoing recycled bottle lids public mural project and her T-Shirt making at our Fab Feb climate change workshops. We have also worked closely with Scottish canals Environmental Manager Olivia Lassiere and Rebecca at their activities team who have significantly contributed to our Climate & Biodiversity Action Day at the Falkirk Wheel, our citizen science and towpath pollinator planting sessions and with several paddle pick-ups along the canal through Camelon and Tamfourhill. Encouraging active travel and the notion of the low traffic neighbourhood has also been on our agenda and it has been inspirational to work with @MakeitGlasgow from the wonderful Maryhill, who have been facilitating the creation and design of much required seating through the creation of six new benches for the canals towpaths. This Project has been enthusiastically supported by the Youth Action Groups from Carmuirs and Easter Carmuirs Primary Schools and the Community based Youth Action Group who have all been identifying themes through a mapping process and then designing and making ceramic and clay tiles for these new benches. The FEL funding has thus provided us with addionality to our ongoing Youth Action Programmes and enables aspects of our community development approach to be underpinned with improved biodiversity and very practical environmental improvement activities for young people which are also aligned to our Community Climate Action Plan. In addition, Rachel Timblin as part of her involvement with the Scottish Wildlife Trusts Pioneers Programme has been able to also support some community activities that have involved planting pollinators and building bird boxes and involved groups from Tamfourhill Community Hub, SCYAP and the Camelon Early Years and Childcare Centre.

The groups from the local schools are all being supported to complete Dynamic Youth Awards and this approach is demonstrating how experiential learning and wider achievement can be recognised and effectively accredited. This wider community development approach is evident within all of our current Youth Action Projects where strong links between young people , the wider community, local agencies and the schools are being established. Here are some key examples of local youth action that have been happening over the last 6 weeks:

The Recycled Bottle Top Mural Project

The Recycled Bottle Top Mural Project involves groups from Carmuirs Primary School , the Community based Youth Action Group and a group from Falkirk High School who are all tackling the problem of littering and in particular the environmental damage caused by plastic bottle tops. Climate Change and environmental improvement were key issues that young people had identified in the summer of 2023 through their involvement with the Safer Communities Youth Action Projects Development plan.

The recycled bottle tops mural project is funded in part by Forth Environment links Climate Change Seed funding. Tackling climate change creatively is the focus of this project where the different groups of young people have carried out community litter picks and gathered plastic bottle lids and instead of them ending up in landfill to take hundreds of years to breakdown are being used to create a community mural which itself will contribute to community improvement. This is an upcycling project which is facilitating young people’s expressive and creative skills, improving the environment whilst raising awareness of climate change at a community level. This Youth Social Action approach has a dual benefit where there is community improvement and also a direct benefit to the participating young people where their involvement has enabled them to gain Dynamic Youth and Saltire Awards which are nationally recognised certificates of achievement

The New Canal Benches Project with We Make It Glasgow.

This Project began with groups from the local primary schools and the community YAG mapping out the local canals and the key locations and sites in their community. We looked at different perspectives of the canal, its central role through the history of Camelon and Tamfourhill , its polluted past and its more recent regeneration as a location for recreation, active travel and improved biodiversity. The young people have been designing ceramic and clay tiles based on these different themes and the natural environment around and in the canal which they identified as being significant. The finished benches will be decorated with these individualised tiles and each groups bench will present a distinct story about that groups involvement with the design and making of their tiles. This is a much-needed addition to local community safety and active travel on the canal towpath which will provide new bespoke seating for anybody who is walking, cycling or just wants to sit and ponder the natural environment around them.

Easter Carmuirs Primary School Climate Change Project

The Primary 7 class from the school have been undertaking a climate change project with great enthusiasm and positive commitment as part of their Dynamic Youth Award Programme. Last week the class took part in a Climate & Biodiversity Action Day at The Falkirk Wheel with the aim of tackling climate change. This was an empowering learning experience as we looked at our Carbon footprints, the environmental damage of plastics and glass, marvelled at the biodiversity in the canal and the excellent water quality, discussed active travel to and from school, two bags of rubbish were also cleared from the canal from canoes, and congratulations to everyone who received their Climate & biodiversity Action Day Certificates for taking part and contributing to our #communityclimateactionplan. The towpath and canal also received an extensive litter pick as part of Keep Scotland Beautifull’s national #upstreambattle campaign to address the issue of plastics polluting our seas by preventing them getting into our waterways in the first place. The Group also planted pollinators around the Ochiltree Ave access point to the canal towpath so we can all look forward to a riot of colour and biodiversity on the towpath this spring.

Carmuirs Primary School : Dynamic Youth Award Group

This Group has been following an issue based and activity programme of Youth Action in the community on their journey to achieving a Dynamic Youth Award. This has been a very diverse programme where we have covered outdoor learning ,nature therapy , survival skills, canal clear up, planting pollinators, cooking and a workshop on alcohol and substance use. This Group has excelled in the outdoor learning environment where their den building skills were notable as were their skills with using tools and lighting fires with natural materials. A Group goes through many stages of development and this Group from being very tentative have evolved through an experiential learning process to be a creative and resilient group with a host of skills and positive attributes.

Easter Carmuirs Pocket Places Project

I was really pleased to attend the concluding session with the SUSTRANS pocket places team at Easter Carmuirs Primary School last week to get a tour of the installations and new features which were designed with the school and community to improve safe access to the school and encourage greater levels of active travel to and from the school. The new seating and planters are visually very impressive and provide an excellent new social space for parents and carers to meet when dropping of and picking up the youngsters at the school. New layouts and fencing in the school campus better manage vehicular traffic in the playground and create a much safer route and space for active travel in and out of the school. The installation of an extensive new ramp and expanded pathways make a significant contribution to more inclusive access around the school. I had originally got involved with this project back in the early days of the Our Place Camelon and Tamfourhill Project and the development of our local community safety strategy, it was therefore very rewarding to see this long-term project come to fruition.

Twilight Sports in the Easter School Holidays

After a very busy and high energy winter twilight sport sprgramme concluded at Easter Carmuirs Primary School on Friday 23^rd February, I am happy to announce three twilight sports sessions for the Easter School holidays. We have been involving young volunteers with the Twilight sports and this is a feature we will build upon over the Easter holidays with young people receiving development training and the opportunity to gain certificates in first aid, sports leadership and with food and hygiene. The programme over Easter will include football and rollerblading but there will also be opportunities to get involved with biodiversity and conservation activities in the park like tree planting and some basic Bushcraft skills. As always food and drink will be provided and its all free for 10–16-year-olds, the programme is detailed below, please contact john@ttrohub.co.uk if you require any further information. (The full summer programme will return on Friday evenings in June)

community

Fab Feb Youth Action Activities

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In this month’s short blog, I am highlighting some great opportunities for local young people, 10-16 years old to get involved with creativity, community development, tackle climate change and learn some Bushcraft and Mindfulness skills in the Rough Castle Woods. The Programme is entirely free and food and drink will be provided at each session.

On Wednesday 7^th February from 6.30pm-8.30pm in Tamfourhill Community Hub there will be an arts codesign workshop using ceramics and tiles. This is the first of two workshops, and the aim of the process is to design new benches for the Forth and Clyde Canal between Lock 16 and the Falkirk Wheel. It has been an ongoing concern the lack of seating at this section of the canal and the benches will be a really useful and valued addition to the local community. There installation will encourage further active travel along the towpath and be a very useful resting area if you are cycling or walking or just wanting to have a mindful moment in the surroundings of the canal. The benches will become a great legacy of the creativity of local young people as this new seating will be a permanent feature for many years to come and will represent a heritage and cultural celebration of the local community.

On Friday 9^th February we will be running a one-day climate change project which will involve clearing and preparing an area of ground in the local woods for a wildflower meadow. The young people will be sowing pollinators which come the spring will produce a riot of colour in the woods thus attracting butterflies, bees and other pollinators which will all contribute to helping nature and addressing climate change. In the afternoon the group will be screen printing their own t-shirts with the theme of climate change and tackling the nature emergency.

A 2-day programme is available on Monday 12^th and Tuesday 13^th February for learning Bushcraft and Survival Skills with an element of nature-based mindfulness. A few young people started this programme back in November last year through the twilight sports programme when we ran a session in the woods at Tamfourhill, however anybody can still join in and book onto the programme. A certificate of achievement will be awarded to every young person who completes the programme. This will be happening at Rough Castle Woods and will be delivered through our ongoing partnership with the Well Wild – A Therapeutic approach to Forest schools and Bushcraft. This is a great opportunity to learn an array of life skills through the outdoors and build up your knowledge and experience of survival skills.

I recommend booking onto these activities as there is a limit to the numbers that can Take part, you can do this at these links:

https://tamfourhill-gymnastics-club.classforkids.io/camp/12

https://tamfourhill-gymnastics-club.classforkids.io/camp/13

https://tamfourhill-gymnastics-club.classforkids.io/camp/14

I would also like to use this opportunity for highlighting the excellent and ongoing work of the Youth Action in the Community Group from Carmuirs Primary School. The 6 young people have put in an outstanding effort on the towpath as part of the Keep Scotland Beautiful #Upstreambattle litter pick and survey. This day also involved clearing ground and planting pollinators and was carried out in collaboration with Scottish Canals. The Group are all working towards their Dynamic Youth Awards and have also been involved with Survival and Bushcraft skills, Pizza and fruit kebab making and are scheduled to be out clearing the canal again with a paddle pick up later this month. My congratulations to Carmuirs Primary school and gratitude to Scottish Canals and the Well Wild Project for all working together to support and deliver this local #YouthAction

And finally one of the members of our YAG has begun work on his Bronze Youth Achievement Award and here is some work he has done as part of one of his targets for that Award which involves Leo with taking photos and producing promotional films for the Twilight Sports, Leo explains: I edited the pictures and short clips that I took during twilight sports…./ this can be used to create promotional media for the local area and for the Falkirk Wheelers, I am using my skills for the benefit of other young people” Leo Cierpikowski (Youth Action Group)

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AhirdOD0wCFcvCyaeFzpl5bCKEol?e=7zPjQn

community

Connecting with the outdoors in all seasons:

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This may not sound like a very seasonal topic to be highlighting in this the last Safer Communities Youth Action Blog for 2023, however our recent partnership with the Well Wild – A Therapeutic approach to Forest Schools and Bushcraft is proving to be an exciting and inspirational way of supporting both local youth action and our ongoing #ConnectingwiththeOutdoors programme. The nights may have got darker and the weather colder and wetter as we have moved through the autumn and into the winter, but these conditions can in fact add value to the quality of our outdoor experiences whilst continuing to facilitate positive mental wellbeing.

https://www.well-wild.co.uk/

After our successful summer programme 23 and our ongoing Connecting with the Outdoors programme where we have enjoyed a wide array of outdoor experiences, including: water-based activities on the canal in canoes and a fantastic cruise with the Seagull Trust, angling at different fisheries and locally at the Falkirk Wheel, archery, Bushcraft and survival skills out in the woods at Tamfourhill and Rough Castle. These sessions received very positive feedback from the members of the Recovery Community , local volunteers and the young people who had taken part over the summer. These outdoor activities are also underpinned by a therapeutic and mindfulness approach to being in the outdoors and this was reflected in our Mindfulness Monday Programme with the Forth Valley Recovery Community and supported by Scottish Canals. The positive value to our mental wellbeing through engaging with the outdoors has been well documented and our Falkirk Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing funding from the Scottish Government is focussed upon these very attributes. The primary aim is to better connect people with their community through them engaging with the natural assets and wild green places within Camelon and Tamfourhill. This process will facilitate improved mental and physical wellbeing and encourage greater community cohesion through connecting people with natural local places. The Project was also very much concerned with raising awareness of the benefits of being outdoors and how activities in nature can have a lasting positive impact upon your mental and physical wellbeing. A very successful aspect of our Connecting with the Outdoors Programme has been how it has enabled people to come together in groups to form supportive relationships and share learning and outdoor experiences and this aspect has been recognised and expressed by the members of the local Recovery Community and other local volunteers. The local Recovery Community will be undertaking a programme of four consecutive sessions with the Well Wild Project starting in early January and I will regularly highlight these sessions on our social media platforms in the New Year.

The Recovery Community angling at the Lilly Loch in North Lanarkshire

Having noted how positively local young people in particular were responding to outdoor learning and our previous successful John Muir Award Group and linked to our key outcome: Young People will improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing, forming a partnership with the Well Wild Project based in the local Rough Castle Woods made absolute sense. That Project had also positively engaged a group of local young people with an innovative programme of restorative justice in response to some acts of vandalism and with the support of our Local Community Police Officers we have begun a new collaborative approach to delivering outdoor learning through Bushcraft , survival skills and mindfulness . The Well Wild Safer Communities Outreach Programme will endeavour to connect with young people who may be at risk of becoming involved with Anti-social behaviour and other community safety concerns through a programme of street-based outreach engagement, through our Twilight sports programme and through linking with the local schools. A key aspect of this collaboration with the Well Wild: A therapeutic approach to Bushcraft and forest schools, is to utilise that local facility and approach as a means for young people to build a wide array of social skills which will improve their resilience, self-esteem, confidence, problem solving skills and ability to adapt to challenging circumstances. The therapeutic underpinning of the outdoor learning aspect of this project will offer a unique opportunity for some local young people to tackle personal issues and better equip them to deal with challenges that they may be facing at home, in the community and at work or in education.

The accreditation aspect which can be provided through the SCYAP will facilitate an important method of enabling young people to acknowledge their own learning and achievements and this is well aligned to another of our key outcomes; Young people will increase their social skills, confidence and levels of attainment. The new year will bring in several new Youth Action Groups who will directly benefit form this new local partnership and work has just begun with a group of P7 young people at Carmuirs Primary School. Potentially there are three additional groups from Easter Carmuirs Primary School a group from Falkirk High School and the continuation of our community-based youth groups one of whom took part in an introduction session in the Tamfourhill woods a couple of weeks ago.

And to finish with the outdoors theme the Scouting movement are keen to start activities in Camelon, Tamfourhill & Bantaskin, I am sure there would be lots of local young people interested in getting involved , however volunteer leaders would be required to get this established in the area.

I recently met with representatives of local scouting. They are trying to see if there is any demand for scouting locally. They are looking at the possibility of starting scouting in the area for the 4-14 age groups and potentially also older age groups. They are particularly interested at this stage if any adults over the age of 18 who might be interested in getting involved as leaders in the initiative

Please get in touch with John@ttrohub.co.uk or on 07391524528 or contact Falkirk District Scouts directly at: development@falkirkscouts.org.uk

community

Winter Twilight Sports Programme dates confirmed, Mindfulness Benches installed into local park and Development Plan for Youth Action Project published.

31/10/202325/01/2024 bighosie

Twilight Sports returns for the winter programme 2023-24

The first block of the winter twilight sports programme will take place from Friday 10^th November until Friday 15^th December from 6pm-8pm in Tamfourhill Community Hub, the programme is open to all 10–16-year-olds and is entirely free. The weekly Programme will be split between Fun football provided by the fantastic Warriors in the Community and Rollerblading run by the fabulous Falkirk Wheelers, all equipment is provided and there will be a snack and drink for everyone who comes along. The Twilight sports will continue to work closely with our local community Police Officers and the Fire and Rescue Service who will be making regular visits to the Twilight sports sessions to get to know the young people and promote positive community Safety messages. The programme will run indoors until March 2024 and the intention is to move to Easter Carmuirs after the Christmas and New Year holidays and we will publish the dates and venue ASAP.

twilight-sports-winter-prg-tch-flyer-feb-march-23 Download

Mindfulness and Sensory Benches installed in local park:

Two of the key activities for the local area that were identified by the Youth Action Group through their summer programme arts project were: (1) Arts Projects to improve the appearance and quality of the local area, and (2) Developing community green spaces and parks through new facilities, opportunities and environmental improvements. The Youth Action Group have responded to these priorities through their very recent design and installation of the mindfulness and sensory benches within the public park on Carradale Avenue in Tamfourhill. The Benches will provide a chill out and relaxed location for anybody to just sit and enjoy the green space around them. The experience will be enhanced through the different sensory plants by smell and taste that the Group have planted into the benches, The Group had spent time during the summer programme considering what they felt were the best values that they wanted their group and the wider community to aspire too. These values and statements reflect the Groups aspirations for improving their community and some of these values are detailed through the painted designs on the benches and these include; Mindful, Calmness, Kinder, Inclusive, Aware, Diverse and Respect. We would like to thank Link Housing Association (https://www.linkhousing.org.uk/) who provided the funding for these benches through their new Community Fund and the professionalism and commitment of our Community Artist Sarah Diver.

Many photos taken by Alba Coventry as part of her Target for the Groups Dynamic Youth Award

Safer Communities Youth Action Project (SCYAP) Strategic Plan 2023-26:

In confirming strategic outcomes and a Development Plan for the SCYAP it is critically important that local young people’s views, opinions and aspirations are at the centre of that plan and that they are also fully aligned to the relevant National Youth work Outcomes and the expectations of the Project’s main funders. The Safer Communities Youth Action Project is itself a legacy of the local Community Safety Strategy: Camelon and Tamfourhill will be a safer, happier and more attractive place to live, therefore a number of those key outcomes remain very much relevant and ongoing. The types of activities and programmes that will be developed will always be young person led, involve the wider community and will be an empowering and learning process for the participating young people. The published Development Plans proposed youth activities also strongly reflect the types of activities that young people themselves expressed as strong preferences through the work led by our Youth Action Group over the summer of 2023, namely: Arts Projects, Improving outdoor spaces, Sports & Games, Campaigning and learning new skills through training and recognised accreditations.

Here is a pictorial representation of the 5 strategic outcomes for the SCYAP:

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 reduce 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

Underpinning these outcomes and proposed areas of youth action will be the values that have been identified over our Summer Programme 23 and these should be reflected in all the work developed and delivered by the SCYAP and in terms of the work undertaken with the wider community:

The Community will therefore be improved through making it Safer, More Positive, Greener, Mindful, Calmer, More Respectful, Creative, Expressive, Inclusive, Aware and Diverse.

Documents for reference:

SCYAP Key Outcomes and Development Plan (Full document)

scyap-development-plan-sept-23 Download

Camelon and Tamfourhill will be a safer, happier and more attractive place to live

community-safety-strategy-for-camelon-and-tamfourhill Download

Young People and Community Safety in Camelon and Tamfourhill

young-people-and-community-safety-priotities-recommendations Download

community

Launching the Safer Communities Youth Action Project

21/09/202322/09/2023 bighosie

Review of the Summer Programme 2023

Staff, volunteers and young people who all took part in #SummerProgramme23

#YouthAction #Summerprogramme23

Rather than arrange a high-profile launch for our new local Youth Project we believed it would be more effective to get young people involved from the outset and use the summer school holidays as an opportunity to have young people immediately participating. The Summer Programme 23 provided an array of outdoor learning activities, sports, creativity, accredited learning opportunities, and community development projects and this was delivered with the view to involving young people directly with the planning of the Youth Action Projects longer term aims and priorities.

The Youth Action Group and Community Arts Project:

An important outcome from the Summer Programme has been the formation of the Youth Action Group who had initially got involved through the Summer Programmes community arts project and who were also undertaking their Dynamic Youth Awards as part of that project. This was ostensibly an arts project which was concerned with creativity and enabling young people to design logos and images for banners and publicity materials for the new youth project, but it was built around a strong commitment to youth empowerment and where peer consultation was utilised to ensure that the confirmed priorities for future local youth action were relevant and meaningful. The process and workshops were initially focused upon young people identifying what they felt were local community assets and similarly encouraged them to identify areas and locations they felt required improvement and development. Underpinning this approach was a commitment to empowerment and giving young people a greater voice in the community and a means for them to take collective action to bring about positive change for themselves and the wider community. The group consulted their peers at the twilight sports, fun in the park sessions and at the Tamfourhill community fun day and encouraged young people to take part in the consultation through t-shirt making and supporting them to vote on their priorities through using designed themed badges and ballot boxes. This enabled the Youth Action Group to confirm five key themes which they believed were the most important for future local youth action, would be relevant and meaningful and would best reflect young people’s aspirations for their local community.

The Five Agreed Themes that will form the basis of the Projects work and activities over the next three years are:

Arts Projects to improve the appearance and quality of the local area.
Developing community green spaces and parks through new facilities, opportunities and environmental improvements.
Sports and Games, building on the success of the Twilight Sports Programme.
Campaigning on youth issues and having an effective voice within the local community and beyond.
Skills and Training through nationally recognised accreditation opportunities and gaining certificates and awards.

There will be a wide array of opportunities for local young people to now be involved with these activities and projects and the intention will be to take this forward in partnership with local groups and organisations along with our partners from other voluntary agencies, statutory services, and Falkirk Council. The Youth Action Group themselves will be working on a number of local improvement projects over the next few months which will put young people and their aspirations right at the centre of local community developments.

The Junior Sports Leadership Award and Community Capacity Building:

This programme was delivered as a Dynamic Youth Award and was designed to provide an opportunity for some of the young people who regularly attended the Twilight Sport programme on a Friday evening to develop their leadership, organisation, and communication skills, facilitate confidence building and to focus that process on their interest in sport. An important aspect of the Twilight sports is to build local capacity and therefore to embed the programme in the longer term. This will require building the capacity of local people to become qualified coaches and skilled instructors who can deliver the programme locally and this award represents the first rung on that development ladder. We are absolutely delighted to announce that we now have 6 junior sports leaders who it is hoped will now be further involved in a peer leadership role at the winter twilight sports programme when it gets underway in November.

Summer activities and Learning Programmes:

The summer programme provided a wide range of fun sports and nature activities in local parks along with some more challenging outdoor learning activities like days in canoes on the canal, a visit to a trout fishery in Balmule in Fife, bike maintenance classes and sessions which focussed upon mindfulness, environmental clean ups and survival skills in the woods. Young people could undertake accreditation through the Dynamic Youth Awards that were offered as part of the Community Arts Project and the Junior Sports leadership Award and Saltire volunteering certificates will be issued to those young people who took part in the environmental clean ups and paddle pick-ups on the canoes.

93 young people completed session evaluation forms over the 6 weeks of the programme, and here are some of the key findings from that feedback:

88% really enjoyed the activity session they attended

What did young people learn that surprised them:

What would they remember about the activity?

Qu (5) How much do you feel that you have learnt today about teamwork and or working in a group? (Score between 1 for you never learnt anything to 10 Yes, I learnt a lot about teamwork today)

85 responses to this question were returned with an average score of 8.4

Qu (6) How much do you feel that you personally have used different skills like decision making & problem solving at today’s activity session? (Score between 1 if you felt you used no skills and 10 Yes, I used loads of these skills today)

82 responses to this question were returned with an average score of 8.4

Here is a breakdown of the ages and genders of the young people who took part over the programme:

AGE	MALE	FEMALE	NON-BINARY	NUMBERS
12 years and under	28 (21%)	65 (48%)	5 (4%)	98 (72.6%)
13-15 years old	21 (16%)	16 (12%)	0	37 (27.4%)
TOTAL	49 (36%)	81 (60%)	5 (4%)	135

Breakdown of participating young people by age and gender.

14 Dynamic Youth Awards were successfully achieved, 1 High 5 Award and 8 Saltire Volunteering certificates will be issued.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals and organisations who supported, delivered and contributed to a magnificent #SummerProgramme23 of #YouthAction.

John Wells at the Well Wild- A therapeutic approach to Forest school and Bushcraft

Sarah Diver: Community artist who worked with the Youth Action Groups Community art project

Martin Wylie Community Sports Hub Officer at Falkirk Council for delivering activities for the junior Sports Leadership Award

Gregor Watson at the Falkirk Wheelers for the rollerblading at the summer fun in the park sessions.

TCV and Laura Hindle

Scottish Canals for canoeing

Balmule Fishery

Ginger our mini bus driver

TTRO: All the committee for their positive encouragement and volunteering

TCH: Use of the Hall , Hub , kitchen and lots of support

Falkirk Council and the school food and activity funding

Ryan Flaherty at Forth Environment Link for bike maintenance drop-ins & Dr Bike

Next month’s blog will feature a review of the #Connectingwiththeoutdoors programme, the Youth Action groups Mindfulness and sensory benches project which is scheduled for a local park in Tamfourhill and news and details about the Twilight Sports Indoors winter programme.

The Safer Communities Youth Action Project supports young people to have an effective voice and take #YouthAction:

community

Youth Action in Camelon and Tamfourhill for Summer 2023:

21/06/2023 bighosie

The forthcoming summer school holidays provide an excellent opportunity to launch the new Safer Streets Youth Action Project (SSYAP). Since the Project began in April, we have been supporting the Friday night Twilight Sports Programme which has had a fantastic series of sessions at Easter Carmuirs park and in the last couple of weeks has moved to Nailer Road Park. This open approach to providing young people with sports activities in public parks will be extended over the summer holidays with additional Monday afternoon sessions taking place in 4 local parks. The Project is fortunate in having recently employed our new Youth Outreach Worker Rachael Hardy who joined the team in early May, and she has been settling into her new role and enjoying the opportunity to meet some local young people, community volunteers and the partners we will be working with over the next three years. Here is Rachael helping put on a Climate Action Plan litter pick.

The Summer Programme 2023 has a community safety and youth action theme, and this will be reflected in an exciting programme of outdoor learning, activity-based opportunities, bike maintenance and a community arts project. We will provide an additional opportunity for local young people to use these experiences to gain nationally recognised accreditations like the Saltire volunteering award, and the High 5 and Dynamic Youth Awards. The Summer Programme has been funded by Falkirk Council School Holiday fund and will involve a range of delivery partners, including: The Falkirk Wheelers, Well Wild, Scottish Canals, Camelon Sports Hub, Forth Environment Link and will also be connected to local community groups and organisations. The Community arts project will be led by an experienced community artist, and this will involve young people exploring their community for its positive assets and potential improvements along with peer consultation events. We are using this summer engagement to get to know the young people better, build good positive relationships with them and most importantly listen to their views, opinions and aspirations about their community. The full programme is below and many of the activities and projects have limited places so pre booking is essential and we will be operating a first come first served system, and to book a young person onto these activities please go to this link:

https://tamfourhill-gymnastics-club.class4kids.co.uk/

please also speak to myself if you want to chat about any matters concerning the actual programme; john@ttrohub.co.uk

The Open Doors Safer Streets event is taking place on Friday 23^rd June form 11am-2pm in the Forth Valley Sensory Centre and the theme is tackling poverty and especially within the context of the current cost of living crises. The Councils Debt Advice Team will be present who can help you to manage your money and if you are worried about debt or are struggling to manage your money, they can help. The Debt Advice Team can give you help and advice on all types of debt including rent and mortgage arrears, council tax, personal loans, hire purchase agreements, credit cards, store cards, payday loans, catalogues and fuel bills. They will attend this Event, and they will provide free advice which is confidential and impartial and is available to anyone who lives or works in the Falkirk Council area. There will also be welfare advice available and that will include support with issues of claiming the right benefits, and they can provide support with getting you relevant training and potential employment. The other partners at the event will include Community Police, Fire and Rescue Service, Forth Valley Recovery Community, Transform drugs agency, The Sensory Centre, Forth environment Link with Dr Bike, Falkirk Council and providing confidential advice and support will be the Central Scotland Regional Equality Council. It will also be a great opportunity for our new Youth Action Project to be introduced to this wide array of organisations and services and to highlight the summer school holiday programme, so please pop in for a visit and hear what’s happening locally and perhaps make some suggestions which can contribute positively to improved community involvement and action.

An important aspect of the local community safety strategy was the production of a Community Climate Action Plan and I have continued to support and develop this area of work. The Core Group who steers the Plan forward met recently and it was great to hear how much work is going on locally to combat climate change and support environmental improvements and our contribution to Net Zero. I have been working with the Tamfourhill Community Hub committee to look at retrofitting the building with improved energy efficiency technology. We are currently examining funding options through the Scottish Government’s Community Renewables Energy Scheme or for short the CARES programme in order to install heat pumps, solar panels and a new heating system which would create a sustainable net zero community hub, so watch this space over the next year. The Climate action plan also facilitates fun activities, and it was an enjoyable day back in May when we supported a group of Community Champions from Falkirk High School take part in a canal clear up and Action for Net Zero workshop. The young people from Falkirk High School with the support of their teacher are very active and vocal members of the Climate Action Plan Core Group and now with our local youth project fully active we will look to build and expand local young people’s role within the Core Group and with Net Zero and climate change activities around Camelon and Tamfourhill.

Tag: community

The Return of the Twilight Sports Programme, and does anyone want to go fishing ?

Supporting Young People’s Readiness to Learn and Getting on Yer Bike

On Yer Bike!

Summer Programme 2024, Tackling climate change with Tamfourhill Community Hubs journey to net zero and supporting creative recycling youth action:

A review of Year 1 of the Youth Action Project and the Summer Twilight Sports Season 2024 is announced:

Climate Change and Creativity

Youth Action in March 2024:

Fab Feb Youth Action Activities

Connecting with the outdoors in all seasons:

Winter Twilight Sports Programme dates confirmed, Mindfulness Benches installed into local park and Development Plan for Youth Action Project published.

Launching the Safer Communities Youth Action Project

Youth Action in Camelon and Tamfourhill for Summer 2023: