The CALM Project Glasgow YMCA

The Calm Project, based in Greater Pollok, provides a range of services for young people aged 12-21 years old who have been affected by violence, violent crime, bereavement and/or loss.

The project was established in April 2002 after a series of youth murders in the Leithland and Brockburn areas of Pollok. The murders affected the mental well being of the young people in these areas and therefore, the projects works to improve their mental well being, confidence and self-esteem. The Calm Project aims to promote mental health and relieve inner pain and suffering among young people in Greater Pollok. 

The project developed in two stages with the first stage incorporating a six-month research period, with several local young research assistants, carrying out a questionnaire to the local young people in the Leithland and Brockburn areas of Pollok. The responses from the young people highlighted that there was a need for the project to offer support to young people affected by violence through support groups, befriending and counselling.

The project entered stage two in January 2003 and saw the launch of the Calm Projects befriending service. The project accepted referrals from Pollok Social Work Department, St. Paul’s High School, other agencies and partners as well as self-referrals. During the second stage, the project offered befriending to young people on a one to one basis, working with the young person on a weekly or fortnightly basis, helping them to cope better with their issues. The project also offered support groups to young people in single sex groups as well as running various other groupwork programmes to improve the young peoples confidence and esteem levels.

In August 2004, the Calm Project entered another new and exciting stage as a result of securing funding for the next 3 years. The project was able to employ 2 full time staff, a Befriending Support Worker and a Groupworker as well as increase the number of project assistants. The project has now expanded into the whole of Greater Pollok and offers befriending and groupwork opportunities to the young people in this area.

In the near future, the project is looking to employ 2 part time youth specialist counsellors to provide a seamless service to the young people. This will allow us to offer one to one counselling to the young people thus increasing the range of services that we offer.

Services Provided:

Befriending - One to one support,
Groupwork- Support Groups
Single Gender Groups
Breakthrough to Excellence
Seasons For Growth

Contact The Calm Project:
Tel: 0141 892 0430 Fax: 0141 892 0346
Email calmproject@ymcaglasgow.org

Bellshill & Mossend YMCA - Video Interactive Guidance

Project Background

Bellshill and Mossend YMCA has a Video Interactive Guidance project supported by North Lanarkshire’s Social Work Department. The project (VIG for short) works with Youth Justice and Children and Families teams to try and enhance and rebuild the relationship between a young person or child and an adult.

VIG works on the principle that people are born to communicate and on the premise that the key to future development and change lies primarily in the quality of interactions that takes place between individuals. The key factor in VIG is that it enables clients to build on positive interaction, no matter how scarce.

The project works in partnership with Dundee University and contracts the time of an Educational Psychologist and VIG Supervisor.

How VIG works.

A social worker identifies a situation where a breakdown in communication within a family is causing stress and leading to other problems such as behavioural difficulties, at home, parental inability to cope and / or anti social behaviour in the community. The social worker then refers the family to the project using a simple form and the VIG worker (known as a guider) then meets with the family. From here the guider works with the family once a week to record 10 minutes of video footage. Positive moments of interaction between the participants are edited and fed back and participants are encouraged to explore their relationship and identify positive interaction. This process of feedback enables those involved to own their own progress.

Parents or guardians have the opportunity to be listened to but are also encouraged to listen to the opinions of their children. Thus the family identifies their own progress and builds upon existing communication skills, gradually rebuilding stability while encouraging reintegration to the wider community.

The VIG project is a very flexible and robust approach to working with families as it can be used in a wide variety of situations. The work of the project takes place in the family home as this is where the change is sought. This also has added advantages as it enhances the self esteem of participants by allowing families the opportunity to express themselves using their own language utilising existing skills and attributes.

A recent expansion of the project has been agreed with the Social Work Department which will see VIG involved in the Restorative Justice arena. The initial focus will be upon preparing the way for victim / offender meetings by videoing each separately and enabling the other to view the footage. In addition VIG will also enable Restorative Justice staff to develop positive communication skills and enhance interaction between victim and offenders.

Penicuik YMCA - Bike Project

Youth Bike, a motorcycle project based at the 'Y' in Penicuik is a dynamic venture that has been in operation since 2000.  It caters for young people at risk, or on the margins, and works very effectively with its participants through the medium of motorcycles - building and repairing.  By-products of this process are personal safety, road safety, personal and social development along with promoting and building positive relationships with other agencies and community members - all good stuff for active citizenship, social inclusion and life long learning.

One of the main highlights of the project is attending the annual National Youth Bike event in Lincoln.  Attending this requires a lot of prior planning and preparation. For this participants work together to build a working motorbike from scratch and whilst doing so, develop their own portfolio to record their own progress along the way. On top of that the project members find innovative ways to raise the funds to purchase bike parts and travel to the event.

I first started working with Youth Bike in January 2004.  At the time the project was operating from one garage and had few resources to speak of.  It was staffed by one dedicated volunteer and was open to local young people, aged 12 – 25, on only one night a week. The template for the project's operation was already in place, but more staff time, resources and garage space were needed as the interest and numbers for the project grew.

Over the course of 2004 the project acquired 4 more garages from the Y, more staff were recruited and meeting nights expanded to two nights per week.  Applications for funding and ambitious fund raising events also took place. Youth Bike participants organised their own rock band concert to cater for over 100 people as an example of just one of their fund raising bids.  A successful funding application to the Local Action Fund (Community Safety) enabled the project to buy much needed tools and health and safety equipment.  That year Youth Bike Penicuik romped home from the National Youth Bike event with 3 trophies under its belt.

Youth Bike now operates 3 nights per week - The Spray Art project, the Wee Crew and the The Girls Crew.  Participants are now involved in Youth Achievement Awards to ensure that their skills are accredited.  Plans are in place to have a short life sculpture/welding course over the summer, and yes, work is still going on fervently for this years National Youth Bike entry.

For further information, please contact Lea Taylor at Penicuik YMCA/YWCA.

Lea.Taylor@midlothian.gov.uk

Date Last Modified 14th January 2008

YMCA Scotland | 11 Rutland Street | Edinburgh | EH1 2DQ
Telephone: 0131 228 1464 | Fax: 0131 228 5462 | Email: YMCA Scotland