Youngs Scots set to design their future with £1.9m cash boost

Virtual reality gaming, fashion and textile and film making workshops are amongst a wide range of design related activities that will boost the skills of thousands of young Scots thanks to £1.9m of funding announced today (FRIDAY 24 MAY).

Across Scotland 29 groups, led by and for young people, are celebrating £1,937,260 from the Young Start fund which helps young people to play an active part in realising their potential. See a full list of projects here.

Young Start is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund and awards dormant bank and building society cash to youth led projects.

Amongst the groups celebrating today is, Showcase the Street, based in Dundee, which receives £62,000 to deliver virtual reality gaming workshops in partnership with gaming students at Abertay University. Young people aged between 10 and 18 will develop skills in gaming design, animation and audio recording and will be given an opportunity to work towards an accredited qualification.

Fergus Storrier, Chair of Showcase the Street, said: “This is great news for Showcase the Street and our new project Showcase VR. The young people are very excited about being able to develop this new technology in a way that proves positive for them and their community.”

Conor, 14, was introduced to Showcase through his ADHD support group and finds virtual reality gaming a helpful outlet for his emotions. He said: "I’ve really benefited from using VR. I’ve been playing on technology since I was about five so I have a lot of experience of using the iPhone, iPad and computer but VR is a better game experience, like the actual technique of it. VR also helps me release my energy and instead of getting angry and fighting with family I can go on that instead. I had to leave school quite a lot for Occupational Therapy but learning how to do things in like a VR way would be so much better.”

Also sharing in today’s windfall is Front Lounge in Dundee, who will use their £99,579 award to run a series of fashion and textile design workshops for young parents. Young people will learn new skills such as sewing, knitting, and fabric making with the opportunity to gain accreditation, as well as gaining hands on experience of establishing and running a social enterprise.

Chika Inatimi, Front Lounge Project Leader, said: “Front Lounge is delighted to receive this funding from National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start to develop Kindred Clothing further. The money will allows us to better teach clothes making skills to young parents whilst offering formal accreditation for the skills they gain. Ultimately we hope that through Kindred Clothing our young parents will make a brighter future for themselves and their children.”

Young mum and volunteer, Chelsie Bruce, 27, joined Front Lounge when she was 22 and is now training to become a volunteer trainee assessor. She said, “I am looking forward to learning more with Kindred Clothing, meeting new people and discovering what they are into and how we can help them. Becoming an assessor has shown me I can be and do more than I thought I was capable of. It has made me believe in myself to work towards a brighter future for me and my daughter.”

Meanwhile in Eilean Siar, South Uist Youth Development Group will use an award of £37,975 to develop its Youth Island Project which will support young people as they design and deliver a series of creative multimedia workshops including film-making. The project will culminate in the production of a virtual reality inter-generational piece and an art/sculpture trail.

Welcoming the funding is young volunteer, Beth Anne Lindsay, 17. She said: "I joined the Youth Island Youth Project when I was 12. It’s given me and others a chance to get involved in creative projects, such as film making and photography. I have previously been involved in working on Gaelic short films here and really enjoyed learning lots of new skills and also working with people my own age. The project is a wee bit different this time because we have more say over how it will work and it gives me the chance to volunteer on parts of the project that I have helped develop - I'm excited to see how it is going to work out.”

Announcing today’s funding, National Lottery Community Fund, Chair, and Maureen McGinn, said:

“Young Start aims to support youth-led projects that help young people to grow in confidence and play an active part in realising their potential. The 29 projects announced today are not only working towards this aim but are great examples of the impact that can be made when young people are at the heart of project design and delivery. It is fantastic to see that young people will play an active role in designing their futures and I am absolutely delighted to announce this funding.”

Groups wanting to know more about Young Start should visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.o... or contact 0300 123 7110.