YMCA works with thousands of young people across Scotland every week many of whom struggle to achieve their best at school and have little confidence or aspiration for their future.
One of the very important elements of YMCA programme, that can build aspiration and channel the potential of those young people, is through training and employability work. You may find these programme areas reflecting different approaches in different YMCAs but they will commonly include some of the following:
Confidence and Self Esteem
One of the key building blocks to having a positive attitude towards employment; very low self esteem can become a major barrier to having hope for the future.
As such many YMCAs will address this vital issue through personal development programmes which challenge the young person to be honest and which support them to recognise their potential, their strengths and talents. This field of work is a real strength of the YMCA in Scotland rewarding us with young people who change from feeling worthless to being full of confidence for their future.
This, for us, is deliberately the first element of employability that is so often missed by other providers yet is absolutely essential to the future success of the individual.
Training programmes
Whether ‘Get Ready for Work' or Future Jobs Fund support for the long term unemployed or tailor-made programmes for young people who are struggling with employability issues you will find a range of such programmes across Scottish YMCAs.
All such YMCA programmes will share excellent relationships with the young people, will attract those young people least likely to engage elsewhere and will work in close partnership with schools, colleges and local employers.
Professional Youth Work Training
YMCA is a leader across the UK in the delivery of training for professional youth workers using a distance learning method that allows students to continue to work and learn as they study. This method keeps the learning closely related to practice.
The training is delivered by the YMCA George Williams College based in London but with staff right across the UK, including in Scotland. The range of training runs from Introductory Studies, for young leaders and volunteers who are only just beginning their youth work career, to the full degree course.
YMCA College is currently working on an exciting new programme of support and training for new youth workers in deprived parts of Glasgow in partnership with the Rank Foundation and the Church of Scotland.
For more information on YMCA George Williams College follow the link: http://www.ymca.ac.uk/
Volunteer board member training
YMCA's PositivelyBoard programme has been designed to provide a highly skilled and objective evaluation to local voluntary organisation Boards of management. An organisation can choose to focus on one of the following topics:
Vision & Purpose
Programmes: Design & Delivery
Leadership of the Organisation
Monitoring & Evaluation
PositivelyBoard provides the Board of Management with an objective assessment of where they are at as an organisation, how they compare with other organisations and what the next steps might be. A comprehensive website is opened to all user groups providing over 40 tools for Board members to use in their organisation.
For more information on PositivelyBoard click here