Working together for wellbeing
I firmly believe that the wellbeing of people is paramount. It directs the work we do at Inspiring Scotland, as well as the work I do personally as a member of several community and advisory groups. It directs the work I do as a sports coach for children and young people.
That’s why I was so encouraged when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled the 2019-20 Programme for Government with wellbeing at its heart. This came weeks after a TED Talk she gave in Edinburgh, which argued the objective of economic policy should be collective wellbeing, not just to increase wealth.
Scotland is now at the forefront of a global wellbeing movement as part of the network of Wellbeing Economy Governments along with the governments of Iceland and New Zealand.
These are heartening developments but improving the wellbeing of people and society is not just the responsibility of the public sector. It is everyone’s responsibility. We in the third sector are particularly well placed to support this agenda.
To me, wellbeing means the accumulation of many, often simple, things that a lot of people take for granted – but far too many others in Scotland live without.
To be well means having confidence and self-esteem. It means being and feeling safe, loved and encouraged through supportive relationships with others. It means having hope and aspirations for the future and the opportunity to realise them; to be able to live independently, free from poverty, in happiness and health.
The charity sector can support people to achieve these things. Charities can help people to build confidence and self-esteem, through something as simple as giving children the chance to play with their peers or through a structured education programme. They can offer trusting relationships and non-judgmental safe spaces to those who have experienced trauma and have become isolated.
Charities can help people develop supportive relationships with others through shared activities or volunteering opportunities where they can reconnect with their community and develop new interests.
They can nurture aspirations in young people who struggle in mainstream education by helping them to learn the skills and gain the qualifications to get a job – a job that can be the means to a financially independent life and a hopeful future. Sometimes, all charities need to do is listen to people and help them to share their experiences.
All these things are predicated on human relationships – people working together to support one another. That is the foundation upon which we can improve wellbeing, for everyone. If elected members, public sector heads, charity staff, philanthropists and investors, businessowners and workers, community leaders, local people, families, friends and neighbours all worked together, supporting one another and those around them to improve our wellbeing, we would truly be a wealthy nation.
At Inspiring Scotland, we want a healthy, happy and thriving Scotland without poverty and disadvantage. We all must work together to achieve it.
Celia Tennant
Chief Executive
Read our annual review Working Together: Inspiring Scotland in 2019
How to overcome a social media crisis
We can all remember times when companies have got it badly wrong. As social media continues to become the essential medium through which organisations engage with the public, social media blunders have become all too frequent.
Not every company error makes headline news and, if it does, it’s often forgotten about amidst the next day’s news agenda.
But what happens when the issue just won’t go away? What if consumers take to social media to hold you accountable, and your organisation becomes inundated with complaints? Strap in, you’ve got a social crisis on your hands.
What is a social crisis?
To understand how to react correctly to incidents of these kind, you’ll first need to understand what a social crisis actually entails.
Although complaints are never pleasant to receive, individual complaints do not constitute a social media crisis. Provided you handle them appropriately, problems like these are unlikely to damage your organisation or its reputation.
A social crisis usually involves a multitude of people complaining or discussing your organisation negatively, and there is usually an aspect of virality involved. They tend to have a snowballing effect, and can’t easily be quashed.
Planning for a social crisis
Social crises are, by their very nature, unpredictable, meaning you can never be totally prepared for one. However, in order to be as prepared as possible for a potential social crisis, you’ll need to have a plan in place. For that, you’ll need to put on your pessimist’s hat. Consider worst case scenarios, and decide in advance how you would react should the worst happen.
For this, an escalation chart will come in handy. Categorise problems by level, and assign responsibility to different people in your organisation per level. The response to the highest crisis level should almost always involve the sign-off of the person with the highest authority at the organisation.
Consider your stakeholders – who will be affected by potential problems at your organisation and how? What are their biggest concerns? How will you effectively communicate with these groups?
What if the worst happens?
When a full-blown social crisis arrives, it’s how you respond that counts.
If you already have a plan in place, this should reduce panic at your organisation, and at least give your team a frame of reference on what to do next.
Importantly, do not go out immediately without a measured response. If your organisation has got something wrong, it’s now time to demonstrate how you do things right. You don’t want to risk poking the hornet’s nest and making the situation even worse.
Instead, consult internally, or with your PR agency’s crisis communications unit, and make sure that everyone is briefed on the organisation’s stance – ‘toeing the party line’ is essential in this kind of situation.
Use your social channels effectively, putting out clear, coherent and consistent messaging. We recommend a clear graphic with strong copy, such as those used by KFC and Pepsi in light of their recent PR problems. Importantly, convey that you are listening to the concerns of your stakeholders, and demonstrate what you are doing to fix the issue.
Although you can never predict exactly what will trigger a social crisis, considering the worst-case scenario and your company’s response in advance of a problem arising puts you in a much better position to deal with the issue should a social crisis occur. Remember to assign responsibility to particular people at your organisation per crisis level, and make sure everyone is briefed on the company’s stance.
Judith O’Leary is Managing Director of Represent
Sit Up Awards help to highlight the compassionate humanity at the centre of complex issues
I am passionate about the potential of people and communities to create lasting positive change. I wouldn’t be able to do the work I do – as chief executive of Inspiring Scotland and as an active member of several community and social advisory groups – if I didn’t believe it wholeheartedly.
Over the last few weeks, I have also seen the potential for the performing arts to play a part in that by creating the spark that inspires people to make those positive changes as I was lucky enough to be invited to join the judging panel for a brand-new award celebrating theatre which engages with difficult social issues.
The Sit Up Awards were started by philanthropist David Graham in a bid to inspire theatre companies to take action beyond their production and encourage real change by celebrating the productions at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival & Fringe which have a social issue at their heart.
Over the last few weeks I have watched productions tackling issues from disability and race discrimination to mental health and drug addiction, and I have been moved by thoughtful and measured performances which have brought the challenging reality and the compassionate humanity at the centre of these complex issues to life, offering a perspective beyond the statistics and clichés which often define social problems in the public consciousness.
The winning play, Dangerous Giant Animals by Christina Murdock, is a thought-provoking look at the realities of living with disability which thoroughly deserved this inaugural award, but all the shortlisted plays challenged in ways which will inform the way I think about these issues from now on.
I was also heartened that several of my Inspiring Scotland colleagues took the opportunity afforded by the Fringe to go on impromptu evening out together to see Darren McGarvey AKA Loki’s Poverty Safari live show and have told me of a performance which takes a nuanced but justifiably incensed look at some of the complex consequences of living in poverty. Consequences which are inexcusable in contemporary Scotland.
As someone who supports charities that deal with consequences of many of these issues, which often disproportionately affect people who are already facing disadvantage, I was delighted to be part of the Sit Up judging panel.
One of the reasons David Graham established the Sit Up Awards was to help keep the important topics which performing arts can address in conversation after the curtain falls and I am confident my experience over the last few weeks, and that of my colleagues, will factor in our thinking as we continue our work towards a Scotland without poverty or disadvantage.
It’s Volunteers’ Week and we want to say Thank you
From board rooms to community halls, volunteers are the backbone of our thriving third sector. National Volunteers Week (1 -8th June) is shining a spotlight on the extraordinary commitment of the 12 million volunteers who give their time and experience to charities across the country every week. It is an opportunity for those of us who work in the third sector to say a huge thank you.
Volunteers are active across all areas of our work at Inspiring Scotland, and without them we and the charities we support, would not have been able to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland in our first 10 years.
We are continually amazed by the commitment shown by individuals from Scotland’s business community in helping the charities we work to become truly extraordinary. Unlike many traditional corporate volunteering programmes based around staff volunteering days, our pool of 400 Pro Bono volunteers focus on using their skills and expertise to fill gaps in knowledge and help organisations to build their capacity, resilience and sustainability, and be better able to overcome challenges. All our Pro Bono supporters lend their time and knowledge because they share our vision and our values and want to help the voluntary sector to transform the lives of the most disadvantaged people and communities in Scotland.
As an example, please watch this video of Pro Bono supporter Elaine Speirs, an operations expert, using her skills and experience to support Move On to improve the way its food distribution warehouse works.
Inspiring Scotland Pro Bono Supporter Elaine Speirs helps FairShare Glasgow from Inspiring Scotland on Vimeo.
Being a volunteer can also be a very powerful experience for the individual involved; a way to build skills and confidence that can open doors to new life experiences. This is evidenced in our Link Up programme where 1,160 volunteers are now taking an active role in making positive change in their own communities and in their own lives. These volunteers set up and run many of the groups in their communities and go on to create entirely self-managed programmes embedded in their communities.
Volunteering also creates opportunities for individuals to connect and spend time together.
The whole intandem programme relies on the support and commitment of volunteers to make it a reality. In little over a year, 236 volunteers have signed up and are ready to be intandem mentors, offering their time and support to young people whose home life can be difficult and disruptive. By simply taking an active interest in a young person’s life, a mentor can help each young person to go on to realise their full potential.
As a keen cyclist and experienced charity and business leader, I have found my perfect volunteering balance as a board member and volunteer coach for a children’s cycling club. Whatever way you choose to volunteer, I hope you find it fulfilling. Thank you for doing it. Volunteering makes a difference.
Celia Tennant
Chief Executive
Thank you for our first 10 years
The 29th of January 2018 marks 10 years since Inspiring Scotland was founded. The story of our first 10 years is a story about people, a lot of people, the relationships we have built with one another, and the impact we have been able to create together.
We started with the ambition of tackling the long-term, entrenched social problems faced by Scotland’s communities. With the bold idea of developing venture philanthropy in Scotland, a small group of visionary investors committed to an ambitious long-term project. Our first aim was to help 35,000 disengaged and disadvantaged young people into education, training or employment over a decade.
Today, we run nine funds, we work with dedicated and talented staff at more than 200 charities across Scotland and can draw on the experience and expertise of more than 400 pro bono volunteers so that, together, we can help hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland build a better future for themselves and their communities. And this year, we are on track to support 35,000 young people into sustainable positive destinations.
None of this would have been possible without financial support from our funders, the hard work and dedication of the staff and volunteers at the charities we work with, our network of committed pro bono supporters, and the collective knowledge, compassion and belief you have all brought to bear as we strive, together, for a Scotland without poverty or disadvantage.
On behalf of Inspiring Scotland and the thousands of people whose lives have been transformed during our first 10 years, thank you.
Throughout this year, we will be telling the stories of what we have achieved together and we will be asking the people and organisations of Scotland to help us identify the most pressing social issues and work together on effective solutions, so that, together, we can achieve even more in our next 10 years.
I encourage you all to read the story of Rory and Callander Youth Project Trust to see one example of the positive impact we can make when we work together.
Celia Tennant, chief executive
There is so much to play for when we encourage young children to enjoy the outdoors
By Juliet Robertson, Outdoor learning and play specialist, Creative STAR Learning
The image of children splashing in muddy puddles or running, carefree through the woods, giggling in the way only happy children can, might seem like a nostalgic rural idyll to city dwellers in this age of social media and easy-access tech. But it doesn’t have to be.
John Swinney, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, has visited a new model of outdoor nursery that aims to make playing outside in nature part of the way children learn and develop from an early age, right in the heart of Glasgow. The project in Castlemilk is one of three providing outdoor childcare in the city set up by Glasgow City Council and the charity Inspiring Scotland.
They show that getting children outside to play is easy, no matter where you live. It is not just fun or nice to do. It is vital for children’s development.
There is a significant body of research and evidence from around the world that shows outdoor play in the natural environment allows children to thrive and grow in the best possible way.
There are obvious benefits such as increased physical activity which promotes better physical health and wellbeing, but outdoor play is so much more; it is the perfect learning environment.
When children are outside in nature they are exploring and discovering constantly; picking up leaves and twigs or gazing at a caterpillar or squirrel. This engenders a curiosity and willingness to learn that can last a lifetime.
It also helps children to connect with and understand their natural world in these times of accelerating climate change.
Outdoor play and learning can also promote wider mental development in children. Evidence points to outdoor play-based learning helping young children to focus and concentrate more, leading to better educational performance. Being outside in nature has an inherent freedom too; a freedom to run and splash and climb and roll around but also to imagine and create. When children are allowed the freedom to play outside they can turn a stick into a magic wand or a pile of leaves into a secret den.
Let’s not forget that playing outside is fun; children are happy when they play outside. Running and jumping, falling over and getting back up again helps children to build emotional and physical resilience and learn how to manage and assess risk as well as understand their capabilities.
Play is how children socialise, develop empathy and collaboration, simply by taking turns.
With so much green space available, even in the heart of our biggest city, Scotland is in a position to develop a world-leading outdoor learning environment, nurturing our children to become healthy, happy, curious and creative, well-rounded citizens and custodians of our natural world.
What’s more, outdoor play and learning need not be limited to nursery or school time, or even to weekends. There are so many opportunities for families to get out and play and explore their local places.
I am delighted to see Inspiring Scotland is also working with the Scottish Government in a campaign called #AwayandPlay to encourage more outdoor play for everyone.
Getting outside to play with our children (grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends, neighbours) is easy and, with undeniable benefits, is it not our obligation too?
I am passionate about motivating people to get children outside. But we all have a responsibility, whether as parents or policymakers, to encourage our children to be healthy, free, rounded and grounded through play. So what are you waiting for? Away and play outside.
This article originally appeared in The Herald 11/12/17
Away and Play: Fun, free and vital for development
We have lost something by scheduling ‘fun’ as part of our busy lives.
Who remembers hopscotch? Climbing into a cardboard box? A stick that to you was a magic wand or a Light Sabre? Who remembers just running through the woods or over the grass for no real reason at all? I am sure most of us have these kinds of memories; they become almost clichés of childhood innocence but they are, of course, much, much more than that.
We all know how time-pressured our lives have become, for parents and for children. Work for parents and for kids increased time at school and a schedule packed with hobbies and classes – bikes, balls, judo, dancing. These activities are all fun and worthwhile but we have also lost something by scheduling “fun” in the way we now often feel pressured to do.
That’s why we are working to change that. Through the #AwayandPlay campaign, launched with Scottish Government, we want to encourage children and their parents to have more unstructured, free play outdoors – even in Scotland this is possible all year round.
Research from around the world tells us that the kind of free play we are trying to encourage, den building, playing in puddles, banging sticks on rocks just to make a noise, is not only fun but vital for a child’s development. It helps to develop concentration, socialisation, imagination, resilience, health & wellbeing and confidence.
These qualities are sometimes considered less important to adult life. But think about it: are these not the kind of skills we need for a prosperous and caring society in the future? Creativity, resilience and imagination are some of the central qualities we see in innovators, pioneers and entrepreneurs the world over, whilst socialisation, confidence and concentration can improve educational performance as well as reduce aggression and unruly behaviour in children. And in adults.
Over the next nine months, we will be working with partners from the world of play, education, health, child care and natural heritage to show just how easy and safe it is for children to play outside freely, as they choose to, as well as providing examples of activities you can try and places you can go. Places which are fun for you and your children as well as free or with minimal cost.
Everyone can join in too – use the hashtag #Awayandplay on social media to tell people about your memories of playing outside or what you like to do with your children now you’re grown up. Publish short videos so that everyone knows how easy free outdoor play is for kids and, most of all, how good it has been for your child’s development. Together, we can get Scotland playing.
This article was first published in the Herald on 28th August 2017
Resilience in the charity sector is more important than ever
Resilience is more important now than ever for the charity sector – but it is just the beginning of the journey we need to take, says Julia Abel, Head of Funds.
Being resilient to shocks and change is more important for the charity sector now than it has ever been. I need hardly utter why; we live in tumultuous times both at home and in the wider world where it is no longer a surprise to find surprises around every corner.
The uncertainty this causes is challenging for everyone in society, and can have an acute effect on those of us in the charity sector striving to improve the lives of the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Whether you’re a local charity providing a vital service to a marginalised group of people, or a funder providing the essential support to these services, doubt about the future is an anathema.
Everyone in the charity sector works towards the same goal – a better life for all of us – and a situation where financial decisions are pressured and organisations are having to rely on a smaller pot of funding is not a position anyone wants to be in but it can seem unavoidable when so much uncertainty abounds.
If critical charities cannot survive through difficult times it is the vulnerable of society who will suffer, both those seeking help today and those who will need help tomorrow, and it is no exaggeration to say it is sometimes a matter of life or death.
For a charity, being resilient is about more than surviving; it’s about being able to react and adapt to changes and to bounce back stronger. For a funder, it’s having the confidence that whatever support can be provided will be used in the most effective and sustainable way.
At Inspiring Scotland, we are striving for a Scotland without poverty or disadvantage. To do that, we know that we need a strong third sector. We collaborate with people, communities, government and the third sector to help essential charities to become extraordinary charities so that, together, we can make Scotland a better place for everyone to live.
The first step on this journey is to build resilience; to help the charities we support develop stronger governance, achieve lasting social impact, diversify funding and create robust processes to ensure their survival and allow them to continue their work. But that is just the beginning.
We do not accept the status quo. We are here to solve the deep-rooted social problems that have affected generations of people – problems like poverty, ill-health, mental illness and social isolation to name just a few. And that means being bold about changing the way we work so that an uncertain future can faced with confidence.
The problem is uncertainty can also make individual people hesitate and fear to explore new ideas and develop innovative solutions because without the surety of future support we all become risk-averse.
When we work with charities, we also work with the people who work for them and the sectors they work in. We know the people we support and strive to understand their challenges, concerns and goals. This approach helps us to galvanise the amazing people who make up Scotland’s third sector and steer a collaborative approach to changing lives.
We have seen the amazing things that can be achieved when organisations and people are resilient and the confidence that creates to work together and move forward with big ideas – just look at the successes of the 14:19 Fund, Link Up or go2play where committed, flexible and personalised support has helped to transform charities, sectors and communities and inspire individuals.
Building stronger charities and stronger leaders is crucial if we are to improve people’s lives and the challenges now are greater than ever, but it’s the possibilities that can be built on a strong foundation are truly inspiring.
Resilience is just the start of the journey and we are here for the long haul.
Let’s change the way we fight poverty and inequality in Scotland.
Let’s break the cycle, says Deputy Chief Executive Helen Chambers
We know inequality breeds poverty. And poverty, in turn, breeds inequality.
But it’s not that simple. Inequality is not just about being poor.
Inequality means never having opportunity when you have ability and knowledge. It’s about not having a choice when there should be so many possibilities. Inequality means never being heard when you have a voice and are full of ideas. It’s about never having confidence because you don’t have the chance to succeed. It’s about feeling you have no purpose and losing hope.
Inequality means not getting the chance to have a happy life because you feel trapped. Trapped in the cycle of inequality and poverty.
With Link Up, we are breaking that cycle. We believe the best way to do that lies at the very heart of Scotland’s communities.
Link Up is not a project or intervention. It doesn’t have targets or rigid, narrowly-defined and predetermined outcomes. Link Up works in some of Scotland’s most deprived communities where it is led and directed by members of the community.
It evolves and develops in the community and is different everywhere.
At its heart, it connects people, it energises them, and empowers their communities. Link Up begins with trust. Trust and belief in the power, talent, and ability of people to make a difference for themselves and those around them.
By connecting people, by championing ability, inspiring and encouraging ideas, by listening, Link Up breeds confidence and self belief.
It gives people choices and helps them create their own opportunities.
It allows them to rediscover a sense of purpose and find their own way to a happier life.
And that is how we break the cycle. And change the way we fight poverty and inequality in Scotland.
Helen Chambers, Deputy Chief Executive
Pro Bono brews up a fine new brand of business
Callander’s Bridgend cafe development shows how our free support network can help, says Elaine Crichton, Pro Bono Executive
If you find yourself in Callander in need of a pick-me-up, I highly recommend you stop by the Bridgend café and get a young barista named Jamie to make you a coffee; he may well make the best latte north of the M9.
Jamie hasn’t always made such great coffee, and the Bridgend café wasn’t always a place worth stopping off, but the fact I now hold both statements to be irrefutable truths has as much to do with accountants and property lawyers, as it does with the training Jamie received at the coffee machine.
The Bridgend café, and the Callander Youth Hostel which houses the café, are both social enterprises run by the Callander Youth Project Trust (CYPT) – a charity specialising in helping young people into work and education.
The hostel occupies a beautiful building just off the main street in Callander and has been re-vitalised by CYPT in the last five years, including picking up 5-star visitor status from VisitScotland. The success of both businesses is a direct result of the Trust’s determination to have a place where local young people can meet and socialise, as well as to create employment and training opportunities for local young people.
CYPT Managing Director Chris Martin was a key factor in this success and he often tells the story of when he first presented the idea of developing the building at Bridgend to the charity’s board – they thought he was completely mad.
That’s when he turned to the offer of support from Inspiring Scotland’s Pro Bono network, a group of individuals who offer non-financial, expert support to charities free of charge.
Most social change organisations such as CYPT don’t have the ready access to resources such as strategic marketing, finance, IT, and HR that they need to succeed. When skilled volunteers from the Inspiring Scotland Pro Bono group bring their expertise to these organisations, they not only help them accomplish projects, they help develop strong organisations and allow them to fulfil their mission statement.
In many ways the project at Callander is the poster child for the power of pro bono, it simply would not have been as successful as it is today without pro bono input. The list of requests from CYPT was long and varied at the outset; support with property issues, project management, consultancy work on tourism, marketing and accounting support, website design, interior design and even a request for advise on gable-end water ingress! These were all delivered for free.
As Pro Bono Executive at Inspiring Scotland, I now have a group of over 260 people from all walks of life with myriad skills and experience reflecting almost all professions, from employees of large legal and accountancy firms to individuals, business entrepreneurs, consultants and retired executives.
The common purpose among pro bono supporters is the desire to give freely of their expertise but pro bono is more than corporate volunteering. The level of involvement, strategic input, and mutual collaboration embodies something that often goes on to build long-lasting relationships.
It’s a great way to match willing experts to the incredible organisations doing amazing work in communities across Scotland.
The Callander Hostel and Bridgend café are very visible examples of the power of pro bono but this happens on a daily basis across our portfolio of over 200 charities. Requests range from business mentoring and coaching as a charity approaches critical mass, to requests for social media training or professional photography.
Our charities are actively encouraged to use the pro bono resource and they do. Last year nearly 1600 hours of pro bono support was delivered amounting to a (very understated) value of £302,000. What we can’t yet measure is the compounding effect this has on the organisation.
I am constantly struck by how important this kind of professional assistance is to our charities; it can give them renewed hope with a problem or open up solutions they thought were beyond their expertise.
The support provided by the Pro Bono network at Inspiring Scotland is a key part of making the organisations we work with more sustainable and allows them to achieve their vision more effectively. In the case of CYPT and the Bridgend café that has meant, not just two successful social enterprises, but a place in Jamie’s home town where
he could get a job, earn money, learn new skills and pursue a career. As well as make fantastic coffee.
Callander Youth Project Trust is a youth orientated charity which is part of the Inspiring Scotland 14:19 fund set up in 2009 with a view to support disadvantaged young people aged 14-19 into employment, education or training.