Youth culture is ever-changing! As such any youth organisation which remains unaware of the needs and demands of young people today will quickly become ineffective. YMCA Scotland maintains a cycle of monitoring and evaluation which identifies gaps in services and youth needs which triggers new programme development. This is achieved through the weekly contact with over 12,000 young people provided by YMCAs in Scotland. Programmes are designed for the direct benefit of this local YMCA movement. This section mentions only a few of the most up-to-date programme developments which are emerging as a result of this process.

Boys and Young Men

On 1^st April YMCA convened a discussion about young men in Scotland. Hosted by Children In Need at the new BBC building in Glasgow the event brought together key stakeholders in the lives of boys and young men.

Participants included representation from Strathclyde University, Police, Directors of Social Work, NHS Health Scotland, Youth Work, Children’s Panel, Licensing Board, Scottish Government and the media.

The discussion focused on how we support and perceive young men in Scotland today and YMCA Scotland led the debate by suggesting that there needed to be a fresh look at how we perceive and nurture young men.

The conversation was both passionate and vibrant on the day exploring current practice, issues and challenges and potential solutions. The multi-agency environment provided many different perspectives on the subject.

The conversation dealt with many significant factors in the lives of young men and ultimately agreed that there was a critical need for a whole new approach to work with young men in Scotland, that the group should work on stating the case for action and on producing a ‘manifesto for young men.’

YMCA Scotland will take this challenge forward over the coming months as we seek to work with colleagues from different professions to better support and nurture our young men.

Borders Youth Trust

"Achieve Your Potential" Publication Launched

At the Youthlink conference in March YMCA Scotland launched the publication which has emerged from the schools partnership project in the Borders. The "Achieve Your Potential" programme is an eight week resource aimed at building relationship with late primary age pupils identified to be most at risk of future disengagement.

Piloted in the Borders last year the programme also engages parents and targets self esteem as a particular need. The programme contains full guidance and a resource section providing all that you need to deliver in your own setting.

The resource will be provided free of charge to every YMCA in Scotland. Those external to the YMCA movement will be charged a £20.00 fee. Copies can be ordered by email including contact name and address for invoicing purposes from Jeanette Third.

Family Monitors launched to provide long term support

Following the success of the pilot 'Achieve Your Potential' programme in 2007 the YMCA Youth Trust has established a new role for volunteers as it seeks to support young people and families over the long term.

Children referred to the programme by the local primary schools were each linked with a voluntary youth worker who has now graduated to become their family monitor. This is a different and specific role which monitors the child's progress through the school, with the parents and directly with the child.

As the children progress through Primary 7 and into high school the family monitors will move with the children, engaging with the appropriate teacher or guidance staff. Family monitors have already been active in responding to calls for help and advice from some of the parents.

YMCA is committed to testing this new model of support for parents and young people journeying with them over a period of several years.

Evaluation of schools pilot a resounding success

In early 2007 YMCA Scotland launched an innovative pilot project in partnership with three primary schools in the Borders. The programme emerged from fresh thinking about how to support and provide positive learning for teenagers disengaged from high school.

Several close mentoring relationships with teenagers referred from the high school reinforced the fact that this approach was both costly and an increasing group of referrals. It was also seen to be too late in terms of the best interests of the young people ie intervening when behaviours were both established and complex did not consider best stage to engage with the individuals concerned.

Following this line of thought YMCA developed an early intervention strategy aimed at preventing young people from disengaging through building relationship at an early stage and providing support to the child and family throughout adolescence.

In partnership with three local primary schools the project, entitled "Achieve Your Potential", selected children with very low self esteem and confidence to participate in an eight week programme designed to raise self esteem and establish a relationship with children and parents.

YMCA had indentified particular early risk factors in the backgrounds of the teenagers from the high school which were considered in the selection process. YMCA decided to engage with children at P6 stage who were showing early signs of these risk factors.

If these early signs can be taken as an indication of possible future problems and if engaging at this stage can be achieved with less expense, less difficulty and with better results... then this new approach would effectively prevent these children from becoming the complex case studies of tomorrow.

In addition to this early identification of need YMCA is committing to long term monitoring and support of these children in order to measure outcomes which orientate around their effective engagement in high school and their positive development as active citizens.

Following the eight week programme an evaluation was completed in June 2007 with the children, their parents, the volunteer team and the schools. Feedback from the children was enthusiastic and confirmed that a firm basis of friendship had been established with Youth Trust volunteers. Parents unanimously agreed that YMCA could continue to monitor and support their children through P7 and the early years of high school.

This has now become a partnership between YMCA and parents seeking to provide the best possible opportunity for these children to develop into successful and confident young adults. Trained volunteer family monitors have been appointed to liaise with each family and child over the long term. YMCA will monitor behaviour and attitude at school as the children move through P7 this year and on into high school.

The head teachers of the three primary schools also recognised the contribution of the programme to the confidence and wider educational potential of the pupils, expressing their desire for an extension of the pilot and embarking now on selection of the 2008 cohort.

Communication with school staff, weekly review of the programme with volunteers and a commitment to one-on-one staffing were identified by the evaluation as areas for improvement.

YMCA Scotland hopes to be able to find funding to evaluate this longitudinal study of a new approach to prevent disengagement. By the end of 2007 YMCA also plans to publish and make available the first programme working with P6 age and the issue of self esteem.

YMCA Youth Trust: a community network

In early 2006 YMCA Scotland launched an experimental project in the Scottish Borders aimed at testing new and innovative ways of resourcing and building sustainable communities.

The project which has developed to become the YMCA Youth Trust completed a comprehensive consultation prior to a meeting of an advisory committee which was tasked with the decision when to launch the project and in what form. The advisory committee included local businessmen, Head of Community Learning SBC, a local head teacher, voluntary sector representatives and was chaired by YMCA.

The Youth Trust began working in response to demand from the local high school for mentoring and support for young people disengaged from school as described above and which has developed into an innovative early intervention programme.

On a broader front the Youth Trust sought to find new ways to engage volunteers in 'building community'. This emerged from concerns across the Scottish voluntary sector that our risk averse culture was preventing the natural desire to help others in local community settings due to the fear of litigation, violence and liabilities. Initial consultations confirmed that residents wanted to help those in need, just did not know how to do this.

In response YMCA launched the volunteer network committed to serve the needs of local children, young people and families. Over 100 volunteers were recruited by word of mouth committing to help if that helping role could accommodate their commitments. A launch event held in the Glentress hotel in September 2006 raised almost £10,000 which has been used to support many children, young people and families in very practical ways.

Throughout 2007 the Trust has regularly received requests for practical support for children and families in need and over 50 volunteers have actively participated in responding in a variety of ways. The Youth Trust recognises the boundaries of low level community support and is clear about the need to refer cases to professionals were issues so demand. However the early intervention and support level of the Youth Trust allows volunteers to provide easy and practical supports to vulnerable families in most cases.

The initiative both provides a preventative community support role and a means of recruiting and engaging volunteers. Risks are measured and monitored by YMCA including management of disclosures, monitoring of relationships and responsibility for all complex cases. Providing this core support for the volunteer role takes away the fear of risks and provides numerous opportunities for many individuals to flourish and grow in their own confidence as they help others.

YMCA Scotland is excited about the prospect of a Youth Trust being possible in every community, recruiting volunteerism around local needs and managing risks and administration at the centre. The Scottish Government is currently considering proposals to replicate the Youth Trust in other parts of Scotland.

YMCA Scotland International Strategy Review

At it's June 2007 Executive meeting YMCA Scotland agreed to set up a short life working group to review international strategy for the organisation. The group will run to the end of the year and is chaired by YMCA Scotland President, Ted Milburn. It's membership includes young people and staff from local YMCAs and representation from Y Care International (the international development agency for YMCAs in the UK).

YMCA Scotland makes a very effective contribution to international youth work through the European Alliance of YMCAs and the World Alliance of YMCAs. Scottish YMCA youth work programmes feature in the knowledge management database of the world movement and Scottish delegates fill key leadership roles at European level. Scotland's YMCA is closely involved in the preparations for the 2008 European youth festival planned for 3rd-9th August when we expect 10,000 young people to gather to celebrate their achievements in the YMCA and to explore new learning opportunities and activities together.

In addition to the global YMCA network YMCA Scotland has developed a national youth work partnership with Belarus YMCA supporting local youth workers in areas of severe deprivation and struggling to combat the growth of HIV/AIDS. Other international commitments and new opportunities in Malawi, in international learning and exchange and in support of YMCA youth festivals have created a vibrant field of work yet one which requires significant resource and organisation.

The task group is reviewing all existing international commitments and considering the purpose and benefits of such work to young people in Scotland. It will make recommendations to the Programme Committee of YMCA Scotland in February 2008.

Widening the horizons and experience of Scottish young people can provide challenges and opportunity that lead to the development of a very healthy world view and greater understanding of cultural and ethnic differences that increasingly impact upon our communities in Scotland.

Date Last Modified: 6th May 2008

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