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A day in the life of… Thrive Outdoors Fund Manager

Welcome to our first ever ‘Day in the Life Of’ feature, in which Thrive Outdoors Fund Manager, Melodie Crumlin, talks about her first six weeks with Inspiring Scotland

What has a typical day looked like for you?

The work itself has varied from day to day. Some days have been spent connecting with the wider sector and others, reading and researching, and other days have been spent strategising and forward planning.  The best days have involved visiting grassroots play charities, seeing all the different settings in action and listening to the voices of children and play rangers/the sector. Oh, and getting involved in some play, too! We have strong communication across our Thrive Outdoors and wider Inspiring Scotland team. We start our week with a catch up which involves sharing and planning, and we meet fortnightly as a very large team sharing insights and knowledge, as well as hearing from some of our charities or sector leaders.

What do you enjoy most about working with Inspiring Scotland ?

Like a lot of people within Inspiring Scotland, I feel passionate about what our organisation stands for and I like the fact that day in, day out I am contributing to our shared goals. Inspiring Scotland supports the voluntary sector in a way that amplifies and strengthens its impact, in turn having a transformative effect on the lives of those living in Scotland who otherwise may struggle to make the best of their lives due to circumstances, poverty, or other disadvantages.

What excites you most about the work of the Thrive Outdoors team?

Everything!! I’m in a fortunate position that our team is getting to support and champion the health and well being of children and Scotland through outdoor play. We know that Outdoor Play is needed now more than ever. It really can address the impact of so many challenges in our post-Covid society by bringing children and families together to reconnect, giving them a renewed sense of their communities, building relationships, improving physical, mental health and wellbeing, and increasing the primary care giver involvement in the lives of their child(ren) and local neighbourhood.

Find out more information on the work of Thrive Outdoors  here. 

Autism Advisory Forum- learning from those with lived experience

Inspiring Scotland supports charity partners working across a number of thematic funds. Part of our work ensuring individuals can lead full and fulfilling lives focuses on making Scotland a more accessible, inclusive and understanding place for autistic people to learn, work and live. Hearing from people with lived experience is central to this work and we spoke with Chris from the Increasing Understanding of Autism team to find out more.

‘Nothing About Us, Without Us!’ is a key message for the autistic community. It means that autistic people should have a respected and equal voice in decisions that affect them – from choices about care, to government policy and so much more. It is this message that guides the Increasing Understanding of Autism programme; our work is governed by the lived experiences of autistic people in Scotland, through the Steering Committee and the Autism Advisory Forum.

The Autism Advisory Forum is made up of over 150 autistic adults from across Scotland. We are steadily working on increasing the representation of diverse groups of autistic people within the forum too, to mirror the wider autistic community in Scotland, particularly engaging with more men, LGBTQ+ people, people of colour and people with additional support needs. The forum launched in 2019, alongside the start of the Increasing Understanding of Autism Programme, and has been developing ever since. Over the summer  and July, 80 new members signed up to the Forum, doubling its size. We are really excited to be able to engage with autistic people on a much larger scale, to get a greater insight into the needs of the community & make our work more representative of autistic people’s experiences.

The Autism Advisory Forum feeds into all aspects of the Increasing Understanding of Autism Programme’s work. Prior to the pandemic, we hosted four regional Advisory Forum meetings facilitated by local autistic led organisations in Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. We have now combined these regional groups into one large forum, and engage with forum members through zoom meetings and surveys. We recently asked Advisory Forum members to share their opinions on projects that applied for phase 2 funding. 50 members of the forum shared their views, and we took their scores to the steering committee who agreed to fund the 10 projects that the forum members had scored the highest, enabling autistic people to have a direct say on an issue that affected them.

We have also consulted with the forum members to develop the ‘Different Minds. One Scotland’ campaign through phase one, creating a website full of autistic-led content and a highly successful advertising campaign that reflected their lived experiences. We are now working with small groups of forum members to develop the plan for phase two of the campaign, creating new mythbusting videos, written content and a brand new advert.

Accessibility is a key part of the Increasing Understanding of Autism Programme, we are aiming to make Scotland a more accessible, inclusive, and understanding place for autistic people to learn, work and live; this includes participation in the Autism Advisory Forum. We recently ran a recruitment project for the forum and worked to make it as accessible as possible, including creating easy read documents and working with a wide range of organisations to share the call for new forum members, so we could reach as many different autistic people as possible. This included the charities supported by Inspiring Scotland’s autism and learning disabilities funds, Autistic People’s Organisations and charities who support other diverse groups in Scotland. Forum members also have multiple ways to feed back into the programme, be that through surveys, forum meetings or one-to-one sessions. We are continuing to make the Forum more accessible in any way we can, and we are really looking forward to seeing how the forum grows.

The quotes below from members of the Autism Advisory Forum highlight the importance of the forum for those with lived experience:

“I am one of the autistic community involved in the selection of ideas/proposals. I thank Inspiring Scotland for the lengths they have gone to in encouraging the participation of a range of autistic individuals like me, enabling us to be heard, valued and our views acted upon (and that the forums also supported those who could not communicate within the meetings themselves).-Jeanie 

 

“I am absolutely delighted to have been accepted onto the Autism Advisory Forum as part of the Increasing Autism Understanding programme. As an autistic woman I am excited and proud to have the opportunity to participate in the shaping of this crucial work!” – Aimee

 

“It’s important to feel heard and seen in representations of autism and the forum has provided that space and been a respectful and inclusive environment.” – Forum Member

Looking to the future, we hope that we can grow the Autism Advisory Forum further and create more opportunities for autistic people to be changemakers and innovators. The Forum is a key part of our work and it enables and empowers autistic people to directly make change on the issues that affect them. We look forward to continuing this programme, to build a Scotland that understands, values, and celebrates autism and other forms of neurodiversity.

About the Increasing Understanding of Autism Programme.

The Increasing Understanding of Autism Programme is a direct response to the Scottish Government’s 2017 Engagement Exercise, which emphasised the need to raise understanding of autism amongst the non-autistic population. The programme, which is managed by Inspiring Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government consists of a marketing campaign; Different Minds. One Scotland, and funded charity projects. The programme is directed by autistic people’s lived experiences and the funded charities are partners in this programme, helping to influence the direction of the national marketing campaign and promote the campaign at a local level.

Empowering Scotland’s communities through Link Up

To mark this year’s Challenge Poverty Week, Inspiring Scotland is reflecting on nearly ten years of running Link Up, a programme that has enabled grassroots change at the heart of some of Scotland’s most challenged communities.

Too many people are locked in the grip of poverty. We know that one in five working age adults and one in four children in Scotland are living in poverty. Of these children, more than half live in a household where someone is in employment. Evidence shows that children who grow up poor are more likely to be poor as adults, creating an intergenerational cycle of poverty that can be incredibly difficult to break free from. Despite efforts to eradicate poverty in Scotland, this cycle is likely to continue until we, as a society, invest in the interlinking factors that prevent people from thriving.

Link Up believes that the ingredients for lasting change lie in our communities, in the passions, strengths, skills, knowledge and interests of local people. When people are connected and energised, radical change can and does happen.

Embedded in the community, Link Up workers collaborate with local people, identifying activities that inspire community members. These activities offer more opportunities; opportunities for people to forge new social connections and build relationships which in turn create positive, caring environments. Within these environments, individuals can grow the confidence and skills needed to drive positive change for themselves, their families and communities.

Since 2012, Link Up has worked with over 27,000 people facing the harshest realities of poverty and disadvantage across Scotland and helping us develop a strong understanding of how to really drive community-led, positive change, once the foundations for human development – self-esteem, confidence and positive relationships – are in place.

Everyone can contribute

We take a whole community approach, working with everyone and anyone, irrespective of age, background, or other factors. A community’s diversity is one of its strengths. We don’t see people as problems to be fixed or victims to be saved. Instead, we seek to uncover people’s strengths, interests and dreams, and then harness their positive contribution. This in itself is incredibly powerful. By emphasising people’s potential, not their problems, we boost their sense of self and self-esteem from the outset.

They / we / I can!

Everyone has something valuable to give. Whatever that may be, and however long it takes to (re)discover it, we enable individuals to rekindle that sense of possibility within them, encouraging them to pursue whatever it is they wish to contribute, and supporting them to take forward their aspirations – individually and collectively. By believing in people and bringing them together to take forward positive collective action, communities are strengthened, and individuals are given the tools they need to feel proud of themselves and their achievements.

Strength in numbers

Humans are social beings, and loneliness and isolation are major barriers that can prevent people living full, enjoyable lives. When people are brought together with no externally driven agenda other than sharing their skills and interests and having fun together, great things happen. Support networks grow organically and individuals feel they can move forward and spread their wings. By nurturing these relationships and supporting groups to achieve their vision, we begin to see feedback loops, which developing a sense of trust, belonging and shared purpose that helps positive community relationships flourish.

Changemakers

We mentioned the “foundations for human development” before, and it may seem that focusing on self-esteem, confidence, and relationships is too simple an approach when addressing an issue as complex and multi-faceted as poverty. However, if these foundations are well built, with a deliberate focus and skilled workers who are well supported and empowered, they can have a profound impact, helping people turn their lives around. People no longer feel like the passive recipients of external help; instead, they become active agents in their own lives and changemakers within their communities.

If we continue to view people purely as service users, where external parties decide on the solutions, then people will continue to live their lives trapped in the cycle of poverty. If instead, we can shift our perspective and allow people to be seen, heard and valued for their whole selves, and support them to take positive steps forward, we can take steps towards combatting the effects of poverty in Scottish society.

Find out more about Link Up.

£1.3 million fund opens to support health and wellbeing of Island Communities

Please note applications closed on the 20th of September 2021. 

The Scottish Government’s Healthy Islands Fund – a £1.3 million fund supporting projects focused on health and wellbeing on Scottish islands opens today 23 August 2021.

Successful projects will include community-led wellness initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles on the islands, supporting the delivery of Strategic Objective 7 the National Islands Plan which aims to improve and promote health, social care and wellbeing.

Applications are invited from voluntary or community organisations and public sector organisations for capital projects (up to £100k) and revenue funding (up to £5k). This can be for a standalone project or part of a larger project plan and funding must be used to deliver the project by end of March 2022.

The fund is being delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Inspiring Scotland.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands Mairi Gougeon said:

“I am pleased to see this new fund open today to support the delivery of our National Islands Plan. The Healthy Islands Fund, which is being delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Inspiring Scotland, aims to provide islanders with opportunities and services to support their health and wellbeing in a post-pandemic recovery. This might include for example, the provision of sporting equipment, training for clubs or the delivery of much needed mental health services.

“We are providing £1.3 million for this fund, and I am looking forward to seeing how it can influence healthier lifestyles on our islands and support communities to recover from the pandemic.”

Celia Tennant, CEO of Inspiring Scotland, said:

“The Scottish Government’s new Healthy Islands Fund will support our island communities in engaging in healthy lifestyle choices in turn supporting their physical and mental wellbeing. This new funding stream will build on the work of the Scottish Government’s Island Communities Fund helping our islands to build back greener, healthier and happier post COVID-19.”

The Healthy Islands fund is part of Scottish Government’s wider £30 million Islands Programme.

Applications are now closed,

Successful organisations announced for Equality and Human Rights Fund

48 organisations across Scotland have been awarded funding from the Scottish Government’s Equality and Human Fund to advance human rights, promote equality and tackle discrimination.

The successful organisations will share £21 million over three years, from 2021 to 2024, with £7 million distributed annually. Overall, this new three-year programme will provide an additional £1 million per year for organisations dedicated to tackling inequality and discrimination, furthering equality and advancing the realisation of human rights in Scotland.

Recipients of the fund include Civil Rights First, Intercultural Youth Scotland, Generations Working Together and Neighbourhood Networks in Scotland. A full list of funded organisations is available here.

Celia Tennant, Chief Executive of Inspiring Scotland, which manages the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government, said:

 “Everyone in Scotland deserves, and has a right, to live their life to their maximum ability, to contribute to society in the widest terms, and to have full self-determination.

“The large number of strong applicants to the fund demonstrates the depth of commitment from the third sector. We look forward to working with the diverse range of funded groups to share challenges, develop solutions and amplify learning.”

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said:

“We want to build a fairer, more equal Scotland which is free from discrimination and where the human rights of everyone are respected, protected and fulfilled.

“Equality and human rights are at the heart of all we do. As we ease out of the pandemic, we are providing an annual increase of £1 million to support the vital efforts of these expert organisations to strengthen communities, further equality, and advance human rights of people across the country.”

Dionne McCabe, Trustee of Civil Rights First, said:

“This funding award, made in recognition of our specialist service delivery, is a significant step for our small charity in delivering to the most vulnerable with access to justice and a step change in growth across Scotland. We look forward to making a real difference with positive outcomes for vulnerable people.”

Supporting charity communications

Sam Marriott-Dowding is Managing Director of Marriott Communications and a Specialist Volunteer with Inspiring Scotland. He has brought his expertise in communications to several projects supporting charities across Scotland.

As a Specialist Volunteer, I work predominantly within communications – so anything from: PR, media management, crisis communications, digital marketing, content creation, social media management, to developing and implementing campaigns and strategies.

During my time on the Specialist Volunteer Network, I worked with several charities to develop their communications strategies, including, integrating cross-channel marketing plans, media engagement, social media management, and campaign development to increase consumer engagement, public awareness, and the creativity of their digital content.

Whilst I have been involved with several incredible projects through the Specialist Volunteer Network – one project in particular stands out.

I advised get2gether on their #BecomingVisible campaign, which not only increased the charity’s digital presence by 10%, but the campaign itself made a real and tangible impact. #BecomingVisible highlighted the stories of get2gether’s members – all adults with disabilities – and the work they have been doing during the pandemic.

Adults with disabilities, particularly learning disabilities, are often unheard in a societal, political, and economic sense. Expectations are generally low, with employment opportunities virtually non-existent. The aim of #BecomingVisible was to highlight how the media can reduce stereotypical representations of disability – and in doing so, help reduce discrimination and advance equality.

This campaign successfully highlighted these stories and experiences, which resulted in a substantial increase of engagement, visible impact, and even an STV interview!

In my role as a Specialist Volunteer, not only have I had the pleasure of working with incredible third sector organisations to make a real difference in the world, I have also been able to expand my professional knowledge and specialisms. As someone who graduated from university and then struggled to find employment during the pandemic, the Specialist Volunteer Network allowed me to redefine the faith I had in myself, and in my professional abilities – something which is truly an immeasurable gift.

So if you’re interested in joining the Specialist Volunteer Network, or using it as a charity, the only piece of advice I have is to go for it!

Signing up to become a Specialist Volunteer is something you won’t ever regret. You get to develop your own professional skills and expertise further with real-world experience, whilst at the same time supporting third sector organisations who often have skill deficits.

As a Specialist Volunteer, you really are making a difference, one organisation at a time!

Find out how our Specialist Volunteer Network could help your charity.

Consultation on funding for independent support sector

This consultation is now closed.

Following the success of the Support in the Right Direction (SiRD) funding programme, which empowers people to be equal partners in their social care and support decisions, Inspiring Scotland is opening a consultation for the independent support sector and other key partners. This consultation aims to gather views on the priorities for funding within the sector and to identify any gaps in provision. We want to understand how service provision and the need for funding have changed since the introduction of the SiRD funding programme in October 2018.

Any potential new funding for independent support is subject to decisions by Scottish Ministers later this year and therefore no new funding will be announced during the consultation. However, feedback is being sought now so that any potential new SiRD programme could be put in place for April 2022. Views are welcomed from:

• independent support and advocacy organisations,
• carers’ centres,
• health and social care partnerships,
• other national partners and stakeholders,
• any other groups with an interest in how funding is designed for independent support and advocacy.

Inspiring Scotland CEO Celia Tennant said:

“Over the past six years Inspiring Scotland has worked in partnership with Scottish Government to deliver Support in the Right Direction, funding independent support to empower people to have choice and control over their social care and support decisions.

“We look forward to consulting on priorities for any future SiRD funding, taking into consideration the impact of the pandemic on independent support.”

Have your say 

Thank you to everyone who took part in the online surveys and virtual discussion events during May. These have now closed but if you have feedback you would like to share please email sirdenquiries@inspiringscotland.org.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information please read our Frequently Asked Questions Document.

Background

Inspiring Scotland is the Scottish Government’s delivery partner for the Support in the Right Direction 2021 (SiRD2021) programme. The aim of SiRD2021 is to increase the delivery of independent support for people who require social care. Self-directed Support is Scotland’s mainstream approach to social care. As Fund managers for the Scottish Government, Inspiring Scotland support the performance management, monitoring and evaluation of these projects.

Delivering Equally Safe Fund-Important Update

IMPORTANT UPDATE

On the 24th March 2021, the Scottish Government and COSLA issued a joint statement on the Delivering Equally Safe fund. The statement outlines a number of important changes to the fund which have come in with immediate effect. We understand that those who are intending to apply may have questions and we are working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure that all the documents associated with the fund including the Information and Application Guidance Notes are updated within the next few days. We will endeavour to have the updated documents available and distributed to everyone who has registered interest as soon as possible.

Please note: The application deadline date has been extended to midday on Friday 28th May.

Click here to access the full statement.

The Potential of our Relationships

Link Up worker Hannah Kirby reflects on Hilary Cottam’s book ‘Radical Help’ and the parallels with Inspiring Scotland’s community development and wellbeing programme.

The importance of engaging Scotland’s girls in Active Play

To celebrate Scottish woman and girls in sport week 2020 we decided to interview Anne- Marie, who is involved in the running of the Active Play programme at voluntary organisation FARE Scotland, on the importance of engaging girls in Active play.

FARE Scotland (Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse) is a voluntary organisation working within disadvantaged communities throughout Central Scotland. FARE have been running their Active Play programme for 3 years.

FARE are part of Thrive Outdoors -Active Play funded programme. Thrive Outdoors Active Play programme boosts physical activity in children and helps them develop fundamental movement skills such as coordination and balance, all through playing physically active games. Inspiring Scotland are passionate about communicating the many benefits of Active play for all Scotland’s children.

Can you tell us about the Active Play programme at Fare?

AM- Fare have been part of Active Play for three years now and the programme allows for children in the class of primary 3 to be provided with a 1-hour play session. The session is split into 2 halves. 1 half is more structured and led by the adults and the second half is free play. During this time the children are allowed to create their own play and explore the environment. The children are provided with a range of resources should they wish to utilize these. The children build relationships with other peers during this time and implement some of the skills learned in the first half of the session. The programme runs in primary schools for a total of 15 weeks.

Having worked on the Active play programme do you have tips or advice on how to motivate girls who are currently disengaged from physical activity and/or Active play?

AM-The structure of the programme allows for a lot of flexibility and with this the girls in the class tend to engage and be interested almost instantly. However, we do from time to time get girls who are shy in the class and we find out what they are interested in at home, what music they like and we use music and communication to try and engage the girls. Resources we use are Pom Poms, dance batons, gymnastics equipment.  We try to keep up with the times to engage the girls so recently tik toks have been created during our sessions with the girls and this allows girls to make decisions, work in teams and feel confident in their ability to perform. 

What are some of the benefits Active Play sessions bring for girls in particular?

AM-The sessions provide a fun, active and inclusive environment for the girls to be themselves without any judgment. The sessions by nature encourage the girls to be active for the full session. The fun element motivates the girls and reduces the dropout rate. The resources allow for girls to make up their own games and also gives them ideas on how to stay active. The staff are always one male, one female per session to allow for the girls to have a male and female role model. The staff are always active and willing to participate themselves to show the girls that they can have fun at any age. Adding all this together increases the girls confidence to be themselves and let themselves go.

To find out more about FARE’s Active play programme see here: https://fare-scotland.org/academics/active-play/

To find out more about how you can get involved in supporting Scottish woman and girls in sport week 2020 please see here: https://api.actify.org.uk/asset/b9717092-15bd-4766-b3d8-187cdbfb51d7

Follow the Thrive Outdoors team on twitter for updates: @Thrive_Outdoors

To read more about the Thrive Outdoors Active Play programme please see here: https://inspiringscotland.org.uk/what-we-do/our-funds/thrive-outdoors/active-play/