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The world needs people who think differently

In our latest blog, Autism Performance Advisor Allison Crawford writes about the development of the Different Minds. One Scotland campaign and the collaborative process which helped bring the campaign into fruition.  

We start with hope

We must take this moment to reappraise and reimagine how our systems of support for the most vulnerable should operate in future, writes Andrew Magowan.

How we shape and control the world around us is the primary means by which we develop and express our place and role in this world. If we are unable to exercise this control, it undermines the essence of who we are and can be. This is the true nature of inequality and it is personal.

For millions of people, the current crisis has diminished their ability to exercise choice and control, serving to weaken an already precarious existence. For some in this group, the threshold between just getting by and life-shattering emotional, financial and health change has been breached. And for others, COVID-19 has hastened an unrelenting spiral to the margins of society. In this sense, the current situation is not only a public health crisis, it is a humanitarian one.

‘Building back’ will not be enough. We need to do better if we are not to fail people. However, we start with hope: “not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out” (Vaclav Havel).

What makes sense, is to foster the conditions in which people can comprehend and manage their life in a way that has meaning and is worthwhile. To afford them the opportunity to exercise control over the circumstances that influence their life. The consequences of the removal of this control reverberated through our society long before this crisis broke.

We need to imagine, design and implement structures, systems and practice that build from the person upwards, not top down as has for so long been the way. As social creatures, the bedrock for this human-centric approach is unquestionably our connection to others …

a shared passion for similar interests, a shoulder to cry on, sharing a meal, celebrating success, a hug that says it’s going to be ok, accepting and coming to terms with differences, our solidarity with others, to feel wanted and needed, to love and be loved

…these are what shape us and make a life.

For many however, such interactions are not part of their daily lives. For others, the nature of their interactions is singularly destructive. For both, life is diminished, and their path becomes one of retreat or chaos.

Our Link Up programme has for nearly a decade sought to enable local people, many amongst the most vulnerable, to exercise control over their lives and alter this path. This begins by creating a safe space for social activities; a space where trust and reciprocity grow, and the fundamentals of supportive relationships, confidence and self-esteem are established.  

These positively redefine the person’s view of their self and the role they play in family and community life. In turn, this leads them to reimagine their future and exercise choice and control over its realisation: improving health and wellbeing; creating a brighter financial future; and, becoming active citizens looking out for others and addressing tough local issues.

Nurturing these fundamentals is a role community-based organisations are uniquely placed to undertake because it is in their DNA. Unfortunately, such work is not always recognised and rarely funded. This needs to change.

What’s more, we must understand that when this can be done at scale, we set the foundations for and catalyse a process of societal renewal.

This is possible because we create conditions in which peoples’ lives pivot from retreat/chaos to stabilisation, recovery and ultimately, personal renewal. For many, this self-managed change is accompanied by a growing activism.

If this can be fostered at a collective level, a second phase of transformation can proceed; one in which local people and organisations (public, social and commercial) collaborate to identify and develop their path to an effectively functioning community that is resilient and regenerative.

Scotland’s first ever Social Renewal Advisory Board offers a powerful vehicle to do so. But it needs to go beyond careful listening and set us on a course to the fairer, healthier and environmentally sustainable future we seek.

There is a wealth of evidence to guide this course, but it must start with the understanding that people can only make progress in life when they are able to shape and control the world around them.

Andrew Magowan is Programme Manager for Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up programme.

Read a more in-depth version of this article here.

Our Future Now – The Need to Act

Alongside trusted charities and investors, we are committed to supporting young people as they navigate the challenges of the post COVID-19 job market, writes Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant.

After 10 years of sustained effort from across government, business, and civil society in Scotland, youth unemployment reached a record low of 6.9% in July 2019.

I am proud of the role Inspiring Scotland and its many partners played in helping to reach this point, but could never have anticipated that only a year later we would be preparing for what is being described as a tsunami of youth unemployment because of COVID-19.

We know that unemployment is likely to affect 16-25-year-olds disproportionately.

An entire generation of young people are at risk, even those who are ‘job ready’ will have nowhere to go if they are not rapidly engaged in activity that provides skills and preparation for the post COVID-19 job market.

What we also know is the impact and challenge will be even greater for young people who face greater barriers in their lives; living in poverty or in difficult family circumstances, with experience of the care system, or with caring responsibilities.

To prevent this, we must use the knowledge and experience built over the last 10 years to invest in the kind of interventions which have the potential to prevent lifelong scarring from youth unemployment.

We’ve done it before

Inspiring Scotland’s flagship 10-year youth unemployment fund 14:19 contributed to securing record lows in youth unemployment in 2019 by supporting 36,188 young people to a better place in life through employment, education, or training.

Our Future Now was formed as the follow-up to 14:19, because we had learnt that too many young people were still being excluded from the opportunity to fulfil their potential due to circumstances beyond their control. We want to see even more young people not merely surviving but flourishing.

A collective Third Sector Response

We know there are no quick fixes, and therefore need to invest in leaders and organisations with strong track records, as well as vision, passion, and creativity.

We back the third sector for these reasons, and through Our Future Now we selected 12 experienced and trusted charities to direct their support at young people aged 16 to 25 experiencing more challenges in their lives than most.

These charities have ambition, potential for growth, commitment to evaluation and transparency. They are well placed to work with young people in complex circumstances in a person-centered way for as long as required. They can also be relied on to innovate and quickly implement new creative approaches, focusing on efficiency and keeping bureaucracy at a minimum.

We have a shared ambition for young people and by working together as a portfolio, we share what works and what doesn’t and provide cohesion and momentum that results in the collective impact being more than the sum of the individual parts.

#Nevermoreneeded

To tackle the scale of inequality it will take radical and bold interventions, which the The Report of the Advisory Group of Economic Recovery has called for.

We know that we must use this moment to act. Given the scale of the task, success will require cross-sector collective effort of a kind that has never been seen before.  As this crisis has illuminated inequality, it has also shone a light on the role of the third sector and an acknowledgment of its critical role in the period of economic recovery, supporting young people, employability, health and wellbeing.

I ask that we now look to approaches and interventions which have delivered successfully, effectively, and at scale in the past. With the investors who are already backing Our Future Now and the commitment and drive of the charities involved we are committed to rise to this challenge and we are determined to use our experience, energy and passion to help young people and prevent scarring further generations.

Read more about  Our Future Now 

Where should our future classrooms be?

In this collaborative blog, Rachel Cowper of Thrive Outdoors and Central Scotland Green Network Trust’s Deryck Irving present the case for moving classroom teaching outside post-COVID-19.

The response to the current pandemic has meant the introduction of new behaviours to many aspects of our day-to-day lives. The process of easing lockdown will require changed behaviours for some time to come, as well as new approaches to the places, spaces, and buildings that we live and work in.

While it is likely that some of these new behaviours will be temporary, it may actually be sensible to retain some of them in the longer term – not just to control risk, but because they are actively good for us. Accommodating this may mean we need to take steps to improve and adapt our towns and cities, our streets, our workplaces, and our public buildings.

Getting outdoors

The value we place on being outdoors has been highlighted by lockdown, and by people’s response to its easing. The health and wellbeing benefits of greenspaces are significant and well documented. Being in, or even just being able to see natural spaces has a significant positive impact on mood. Greenspaces are also among our favourite places to take physical exercise.

Research indicates that virus transmission risk is reduced outdoors, and under current circumstances, these spaces offer more opportunity to socially distance. Outdoor spaces have always been places for communities to come together, and in the short to medium term, they will continue to be the only spaces that people can safely meet. So, what might the next steps be?

Phase 1 of the Scottish Government’s lockdown easing measures include the re-opening of childminders and fully outdoor nurseries. This is driven by evidence that transmission risk for COVID-19 is lower out of doors, and findings on outdoor settings indicating their positive impact on many aspects of learning such as decision making, problem solving and interpersonal skills. Furthermore, being outdoors is key to children’s development, improving physical, mental, and emotional health, and helping to build personal resilience, self-esteem, and confidence. It is also cost-effective in meeting the increased need for space.

According to national guidance on how to establish and deliver high quality childcare outside, ‘an outdoor setting does not need a fully functioning building to deliver high quality, flexible early learning and childcare. And importantly, it is fun and should be an everyday part of children’s play-based learning!’

This notion leads directly to the question of whether this model is something that could be replicated in Primary or Secondary education. In other words, could we have outdoor schools? The answer should be emphatically yes, since our curriculum in Scotland, particularly at Primary level, can be delivered outside. Moreover, by moving education outdoors, we can provide additional benefits to childhood health and wellbeing, as well as ease the pressure on indoor settings.

Looking back to a pre-pandemic world for a moment, it’s useful to think about where outdoor learning has typically taken place. Some of it has occurred on playgrounds, astroturf pitches and staff car parks within school or nursery grounds – although much of our educational outdoor estate can be relatively sterile and offer little in the way of stimulation. Other nurseries and schools might have made use of local greenspaces, but these can also be less than ideal.

Others still have created their own spaces from underused or unused land. Consider Baltic Street Adventure Playground, created on a derelict site in Dalmarnock as a temporary response to the lack of play space and out of school provision for children and families in the east end of Glasgow. The site has become a permanent, supervised adventure playground for children aged 6 to 12, and a haven for play, adventure and learning in the community.

The way forward

While Baltic Street offers a wonderful example, there are currently only 31 registered fully outdoor nurseries in Scotland. There are more in the pipeline, but it is important to note that this is still a fledging industry here. As a comparison, in Scandinavia, outdoor nurseries and classrooms are so commonplace that they are not separately identified in the registers of education provision.

We believe that any solution for educating in the early and school years must include increased access to, and use of, outdoor spaces for learning.

In order to do this, there are a few steps that can be considered. Some or all of them will help achieve this aim, and support children’s health, wellbeing, attainment, and connectedness to their communities.

• Improve school grounds as learning spaces. It’s time to think outside the box and use recycled and loose parts materials to aid learning and encourage greater biodiversity in school grounds. Consider all external space as an opportunity – a staff car park may be the perfect place for chalk drawing and maths lessons.
• Look outside your school grounds. What local spaces exist in your community? Could you use local parks and greenspaces or other public places close to the school? Consider how you could improve greenspaces as learning spaces, including providing safe access from local schools. Does the way parks and greenspaces are managed need to change?
• Create new greenspaces as learning spaces. Not every community or every school has access to greenspaces which could be used for outdoor learning. Recent research by Fields in Trust suggests that almost 320,000 people in Scotland do not have a greenspace within a 10-minute walk of their homes. The Scottish Government uses greenspace within a 5-minute walk as its measure of access so there are likely to be many more people affected.
• Be innovative. Look for opportunities to transform under and unused spaces such as vacant and derelict land into new greenspaces. Analysis carried out by the Central Scotland Green Network Trust identified 86 vacant and derelict land sites with the potential to provide new greenspaces in areas where access is poor. Since this only covers land on the official vacant and derelict land register in the most disadvantaged communities in Central Scotland, it is likely there are further opportunities on other unused land.

There is a pressing need to focus on making best use of what we’ve got while ensuring that what is there in the future is better. This will involve our communities having better access to local greenspaces, with outdoor learning fully integrated into the curriculum.

Not only will this make us more ready for future public health challenges, it will also create better, healthier places for us all to live and work, increasing our contact with nature and reducing the negative impacts of vacant and derelict land on communities across urban Scotland.

We want to help more children, more schools, and more communities take the opportunity to use their local green and natural spaces. If you’re considering how you might achieve this for your setting or community, please get in touch and speak to us.

Rachel Cowper is Programme Manager for Thrive Outdoors
rachel@inspiringscotland.org.uk

Deryck Irving is Director of Strategy and Development, Central Scotland Green Network Trust
Deryck.Irving@csgnt.org.uk

National Carers Week: raising awareness of hidden carers is more important than ever

Inspiring Scotland supports East Ayrshire Carers Centre (EACC) to work with young people with a caring role at home. This guest blog is from EACC Co-Chief Executive Officer Fiona Robson.

It’s National Carers Week, and the theme this year is to “Make Carers Visible”. The irony of our current situation is not lost on us – but it is perhaps more important now than ever before to raise as much awareness as possible about hidden carers and helping people self-identify so that they can be supported.

It’s going to be a very different Carers Week for us all this year. As we can’t see our lovely carers face to face, we are currently preparing care and fun packages for our young carers and packages for our adult carers to enjoy during Carers Week.

We know from our wellbeing calls every week that unpaid carers are generally feeling more isolated and are feeling the financial strain of lockdown. They are worried about the mental health of the people they care for and are struggling with their own mental health too.

Where some carers had been fairly positive and sure about what has expected of them in the fight against the pandemic, some are confused about what they can and can’t do with regards to matters such as leaving the house.

Young Carers are missing their peers and, in many cases, have taken on lots of extra responsibilities, especially for younger siblings. Lots of them are terrified that the person they care for will catch coronavirus and die. They are missing their school friends too, and of course are missing attending young carers groups.

Fiona with EACC Young Carers Natasha and Isla, pictured on a pre-lockdown trip to Edinburgh.

Our employability service is having to adapt as a lot of the young people we support have been furloughed or just let go, and where they had meaningful volunteer opportunities and work experience placements, they have now lost this too. We are concentrating on keeping them motivated and positive and have purchased online training and to help them increase their skills.

We are busier than we have ever been – making hundreds of phone calls every week to carers and offering information, support, and advice. We are completing benefit forms and helping with housing, blue badge applications, fuel poverty, and accessing external funds for carers and their families.

We are completing wellbeing phone calls and offering emotional as well as practical support. We are signposting to various community groups for vulnerable and shielding people, directing those carers who are able to support their own shopping and deliveries rather than rely on community groups they may not need.

The most challenging part of all this is helping people understand that they are ‘unpaid carers’. They just get on and do it, but it means they don’t always seek support or understand what their legal entitlements are. By making hidden carers more visible, we can help them live a life alongside their caring role. That’s why it’s massively important that we continue to raise awareness through initiatives such as National Carers Week, even if things are very different for all of us this year.

EACC provide holistic, personalised support that ensures that a young person can manage their caring role whilst fulfilling their potential. Young Carers do not have the freedom that most young people take for granted and their education and future opportunities can be affected. The social enterprise activity provides supported employment opportunities and the highly skilled staff are a consistent source of support to young people as they navigate their future and earn their own income. Support is long term, intensive and holistic based on the individual circumstances of each young carer.

Scottish Tech Army: free digital help & advice during COVID-19

Entrepreneur Peter Jaco, co-founder of the Scottish Tech Army explains how his volunteer force of technologist can help charities and public sector organisations with any coronavirus-related challenges they might be facing – free of charge.

When Alistair Forbes and I launched the Scottish Tech Army (STA) on 28 April, we had no idea it would grow so big or so fast. We now have a rapid response army of over 700 highly skilled furloughed or out of work technologists who have volunteered their time to support charities, local authorities, and the Scottish Government. Many of these organisations are facing a number of technological problems during these challenging times, and the STA can help.

As a not for profit company, STA wanted to harness the world-class tech skills we have in Scotland to support people and organisations in the front line of fighting the coronavirus. For instance, many charities might have furloughed their technical staff or have problems accessing databases or communicating with donors and the people that benefit from their services. The STA can give these organisations the resources and skills they need now, as well as during the post-pandemic economic recovery.

So, if you are working for an organisation that needs some digital or technological help, the STA would love to hear from you. We have a very easy process: just get in touch via our website to tell us more about your project. We will then arrange for one of our business analysts to call you back for more details to see if it is an appropriate project for them. If we both agree to go ahead, STA will put together a team of technologists to help you build your project.

The STA have already got over 25 projects up and running both for Scottish charities and central Government. For instance, we are helping small businesses and charities to get online so they can keep trading during this period. We are looking at building apps that can help volunteers deliver services to the vulnerable, and we are supporting Argyll and Bute Council on a tourism project.

Another example is Get2gether, a charity that arranges safe-environment social activities for disabled people in Edinburgh and Lothians. They had problems with their website, which STA volunteers were able to sort out for them. Get2gether events co-ordinator Mojca Becaj said:

“Wow, I am impressed. These STA guys are magicians, they fixed our website overnight and offered to help with any other tech problems we might have.”

If you are a technologist reading this and want to volunteer your skills, we would welcome your help.

For many people in the STA who have offered to volunteer, these projects are giving them a sense of purpose and achievement in these challenging times. We want to help STA volunteers to keep their skills fresh while developing new ones and build a network of like-minded people across Scotland.

Our aim is to help Scottish organisations that have been hit by coronavirus technology challenges while also helping the many STA volunteers return to the workforce as soon as possible.

We know that sometimes technology can be a bit daunting, but we’re a friendly bunch and are very happy to have a chat with you. So, if you need help, get in touch with us.

To find out more about how the STA can help with your project or how to volunteer for the Tech Army, go to www.scottishtecharmy.org

How your professional expertise can make a difference

Did you know that Inspiring Scotland’s specialist volunteer opportunities enable you to use your skills and expertise for the greater good? Specialist Volunteer Executive Elaine Crichton explains how you can make a difference.

Traditional volunteering roles aren’t for everyone – whilst many of us want to share our time and skills with charities and other organisations, sometimes it’s hard to make a long-term commitment. That’s where specialist volunteering (or pro bono) projects can come into play. Pro-bono work has long been the norm within the legal world, and the rise of venture philanthropy (concept) is making it an increasingly popular way for other professionals to donate their time and knowledge to organisations that need it.

Expert input

Founded in 2008, Inspiring Scotland pioneered venture philanthropy in Scotland. Applying the principals of venture capitalism to the voluntary sector, they work with organisations that work with disadvantaged people and communities, to help them make a difference. But it’s not just about investing money, as Inspiring Scotland’s Specialist Volunteer Executive, Elaine Crichton explained to members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales at their 2019 Festive Networking event.

It’s a rewarding role, explains Elaine: “My background is financial services managing large pension funds. I’ve only been in the charity sector for four years, but I have more “high five” days now than I ever did before – delivering specialist volunteering services to charities is immensely rewarding and fulfilling. I truly love my job!”

In her talk, Elaine highlighted the fact that charities and organisations often need expert advice or guidance which generally they are not able to secure on a commercial footing due to operating on very tight budgets. Inspiring Scotland have a pool of expert professional volunteers – which includes photographers, business managers and, of course, accountancy professionals – who are willing to share their knowledge to help Scotland’s charities overcome problems.

Making a difference

This is often done on a project-by-project basis, with volunteers helping solve a specific problem or work on a certain task. For example, financial professionals involved in the scheme have helped a charity review its financial policies and processes, and create a new process to help protect them against fraud; completed an annual report and accounts for a new charity, and given the advice and support they needed to be able to prepare such documents themselves in future; and provided advice on issues such as VAT.

As Elaine discussed during her talk to members, Inspiring Scotland are always keen to connect with new experts who are willing to share their time and knowledge.

This blog by Jane Walker first appeared on icaew.com. Reproduced with kind permission.

Celia Tennant thanks intandem charities and volunteers.

Inspiring Scotland recently commissioned Blake Stevenson to carry out an Independent Evaluation of our intandem programme. Established to support children and young people who are looked after at home, intandem provides them with a mentor they meet once a week, with whom they can have a positive and trusting relationship free from some of the pressures that life has thrown at them.

I am pleased to say that the report is overwhelmingly positive. It is clear that intandem is making a real difference to children and young people who are looked after at home by boosting their confidence, self-esteem, helping to re-engage them with education and getting them out and about in the community.

The feedback from children and young people, their families, and our volunteer mentors is excellent and demonstrates how important it is for all young people to have a strong and positive adult relationship.

53% of young people (mentees) said that their confidence had increased, 62% said that their self-esteem had improved, and 64% said that they had made more friends thanks to mentoring. J, one of the children who has had an intandem mentor since October 2017 said: “Instead of having something heavy on ma shoulders, ah can talk to someone about it”.

And the programme is proving beneficial for volunteers, too. 61% said mentoring gave them a sense of achievement, and 71% say they’ve learned new skills – skills that will prove invaluable for their career development. One mentor said: “mentoring has been amazing and helped me get the job I am in now”.

The evaluation also highlights the benefits for charities of our portfolio approach. The charities we support in intandem have been able to learn from our team and one another and have invested their learning to improve and increase the capacity of the services they offer to children, young people and families.

Looking forward, we’re keen to see intandem evolve and develop, thereby improving the lives of even more children looked after at home. Blake Stevenson has provided valuable feedback, and part of that feedback includes recommendations for how to improve the service in future, such as expanding the programme to children and young people in kinship care and extending intandem into new geographical areas. These are things for us to keep in mind, and I hope that soon we will be able to deliver on those recommendations.

For now, we are delighted to have proof of the difference intandem is making to the lives of children and young people looked after at home. The hard work and dedication of our partner charities, and especially the volunteer mentors who give up their time to support a young person, is really changing lives for the better. For all your unwavering commitment, I extend my appreciation and gratitude.

Celia.

Financial pro bono support: three case studies.

Case study one – Financial process review.

A fraudulent email was sent to a staff member at a charity that claimed to come from the chief executive, asking for a transfer of £28,000 to be made with immediate effect. As the staff member was new,  alarm bells were not triggered until after the transfer had been made.

The pro bono request was for a review of the charity’s financial processes and policies. This came from the charity’s board of trustees. The pro bono supporter initially directed the charity to the Bank of Scotland website which posts regular updates on the latest fraudulent activity and hosts regular webinars. The pro bono supporter then carried out a risk review, which involved visiting the charity and talking to key staff members to establish what the existing processes were. The pro bono supporter collated this information into a short report detailing both the existing procedures and suggested areas where controls could be tightened. This covered donations, cash and cheque handling, bank account reconciliation with SAGE, expenses, and payroll. This report was then presented to the chief executive of the charity and the board.

As a result, this report is now part of the charity’s staff induction process and it has informed areas of the charity’s risk report which is reviewed regularly by the board. An invaluable pro bono contribution to this charity that clearly strengthened its governance, prosperity and sustainability.

The charity recovered £20,000 of the £28,000 they lost, but this was due to actions from their bank and not those of the pro bono supporter.

Case study two – Completion of annual reports and accounts for a small charity.

A newly registered charity panicked when asked to submit their first set of accounts to OSCR, the Scottish charity regulator. The pro bono request was to produce these accounts for them. As the charity was small and the operations very straight forward this was a relatively easy pro bono request.

The pro bono supporter looked at the OSCR website for available templates and sample reports and then visited the charity. The charity provided the pro bono supporter with the relevant financial information – primarily their bank transactions – and they completed the accounts. The accounts were returned to the charity with a template for the annual report and were signed off by the charity’s Senior Management Team before being sent to OSCR.

The charity originally thought they could go through this process themselves as it is relatively simple, but they lacked the confidence to do it. The pro bono supporter reassured them, got their accounts submitted, and gave them the necessary tools to enable them to post their own accounts in future.

Case study three  – VAT Capital Goods Scheme.

More specialised VAT advice was requested from a charity embarking on an extension to their existing building. The request was for guidance around the rules on the Capital Goods Scheme and the specific record-keeping required.

The pro bono supporter advised the charity via a detailed email and a conference call; the email gave precise guidance on what was required and committed to follow up on any additional requirements under the new “Making Tax Digital” rules.

The pro bono support offered to the charity was invaluable, not only in terms of length of time spent by the pro bono supporters but by the simplification of complex issues for them.

We owe it to our young people to build a better Scotland.

Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant explains the motivation behind Our Future Now.

Scotland’s future belongs to its young people. Today’s school children will be the community leaders, business people, teachers, politicians, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow.

But far too many young people are at risk of being excluded from that future because of circumstances beyond their control.

Intergenerational poverty, the challenges of mental health, caring responsibilities and difficult family circumstances limit their opportunities and stifle their ambitions.

We need to reach those young people who need our support the most. We need to help them gain confidence, build resilience and learn skills so that the challenges they face can be overcome and their desire to succeed awakened.

We are committed to helping these young people. We will work with the local, trusted charities that we know support each and every young person in the way that works best for them. We will work with charities that we know will unlock young people’s skills, talents and aspirations. The charities that will help them to better engage with education, train for their future, and gain the sustainable jobs and careers they deserve.

If we want a positive future for Scotland, where all our young people contribute to a flourishing and sustainable economy and a supportive and inclusive society, this is not a choice.

By helping those at the greatest disadvantage, we can support an entire generation to thrive and – together – build a better Scotland for all of us.

Celia Tennant

Chief Executive