NEYPF’s latest ‘Matters2Us’ newspaper focuses on anti-bullying

The second edition of the North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum Matters2Us (anti-Bullying issue) is being launched tonight in Craigroyston Community Hgh School at 5.30pm.

CLD worker Clare Gibson, who supports the group, said: “North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum have put a lot of work into this research, the publication and the launch itself and would really appreciate it if you could let them know if you intend to be there tonight for the launch of the second edition of their version of The Matter: Matters2Us; this issue will focus on Anti-Bullying.

In July 2013, the Young People’s Forum were successful in their application to the Respectme Anti-Bullying fund to produce a second edition of their newspaper, this time asking the question:

‘How would you like to be supported if you were being bullied or see someone else being bullied?’

The group then consulted with over 100 pupils across two primary schools in North Edinburgh, going into classrooms over two days, spending time with the young people and finding out their thoughts on bullying.

The Young People’s Forum would now like to share what the young people who they met with said and would like to invite you to attend the launch of this second edition tonight at Craigroyston Community High School at 5.30pm.

There will also be an opportunity to hear from a local parents group on how they have made a user friendly guide to their schools Anti-Bullying Policy to support parents, young people and the community to understand it.”

If you plan to attend, or require further information, contact Clare.Gibson@ea.edin.sch.uk

The Scottish Government is to introduce guidance to help give pupils better protection online and in the classrooms, it has been announced.

There wasn’t a spare seat in the theatre for North Edinburgh’s Big Night Out, organised by local group Power to the People, at North Edinburgh Arts last week. Over a hundred people from North Edinburgh and beyond enjoyed an evening of song, poetry, dance and drama.

Power to the People evolved from North Edinburgh Social History Group, local people who trawled through a huge volume of archive material to produce ‘Never Give Up’, a history of community activism in North Edinburgh.

Power to the People took this a stage further, and last Friday’s event was not only a celebration of the succesful conclusion of the course but also an opportunity to encourage wider activism.

Guests and visitors had an opportunity to visit art and photography exhibitions and view a video slideshow in North Edinburgh Arts’ galleries and cafe area before taking their seats in the theatre

There was a raft of strong performances on a special evening. North Edinburgh’s very own Timebank Choir got the show off to a rousing start and this was followed by poetry from Ian Moore and Anna Hutchison, two founding  members of both the Social History and Power to the People groups.

If the early part of the programme was dominated by North Edinburgh’s more mature activists, the stage belonged to the next generation when students from Craigroyston Community High School performed a medley of music, prose and drama which almost brought the house down. The future’s bright …

The Craigroyston kids were a near impossible act to follow, but North Edinburgh’s Womens International Group did just that with a moving interpretation of a work by Pastor Niemoller.

The evening was not limited to performers from North Edinburgh, of course, and Scots machair Liz Lochhead was a very welcome guest. Scotland’s national poet remains as popular as ever and national treasure Liz delighted an appreciative audience with some of her earliest poems as well as her latest epistle - written especially for a cinema opening the following evening and hot off the press. North Edinburgh heard it first!

The talented Penny Stone brought a memorable evening to a fitting finale by leading the audience – young and not quite so young - in a medley of popular protest songs.

CLD worker Lynn McCabe, who supports the Power to the People group, said: “The group wanted the Big Night Out to achieve a number of things: celebrate the end of the Power to the People course and share what we’ve learned with a wider audience. We also wanted people to have a good night out and to  enjoy the entertainment.

“The Big Night Out also gave us an opportunity to promote the arts and to raise awareness about the Referendum – we hope the event will promote further discussion and debate.

“It was great that the young people from Craigroyston played such an active part on the night and we would like to attract more young people as well as others of all ages who are not already involved.

Our hope was that the audience would leave feeling inspired, motivated to get involved and more committed to equality and defending what’s important. The Power to the People group wanted to get the message across that change is possible, that there is an alternative and that we can change the world!”

The group would like to thank:

• Jade and Subie for giving up their free time to produce their art work for the big night out   (this was done on a voluntary basis outwith their course)
• Helen Foster at Scran  and Claire the IT  tutor at Royston Wardieburn for supporting the Power to the People group learn how to use this important resource to prepare the exhibition
• The Scotsman Publications, Gerry McCann and Duncan Brown for allowing us to use their photos for free
•  Craigroyston Community High School for encouraging and supporting their pupils to participate in this community event
• The timebank choir
•  All the staff at North Edinburgh Arts
• Royston Wardieburn Community Centre for paying for the transport to get people here and back tonight
• CLD for  providing worker support  and finance towards the cost of the event
• Plton Central Association
• Liz Lochhead for giving up her time to join us here tonight
• Joel Venet for filming the event
• Dave Pickering, MC for the night
• And finally, the Power to the People group for organising the event

The group will evaluate the Big Night Out when they next meet – changing the world may take a little longer!

Some Big Night Out pictures:

STOP PRESS: Joel Venet has prouced a short Big Night Out highlights video. You’ll find it on YouTube at North Edinburgh Fights Back – it’s called Celebrate2

Support MYDG’s swimathon!

Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) will be taking part in a 24 hour fundraising Swimathon on Thursday 3 April and they could use your support.

MYDG’s Operational Manager Dean Shanks explained: “Money raised will support field trips, outdoor activities and MYDG’s commonwealth summer sports programme.

“You can pick up a sponsor form from MYDG’s office in Craigroyston Community High School or the Community Shop on Pennywell Road. Alternatively, you can make a donation online at our justgiving site which will be up and running tomorrow and I will forward on a link to everyone then. You can also come along and swim or volunteer to help with the running of the event!”

MYDG is based at Craigroyston Community High School

Telephone: 0131 332 3356

Website: http://www.mydg.org.uk

Craigroyston Community High School’s new term kicks off on 22 April and with activities ranging from learning to play the pennywhistle to  pottery or genealogy there’s something for everyone!

See below for further information – it’s never too late to learn new skills!

CCHS-Summer-Term-2014

mmmm

Education Working For All report

The final report by the group tasked with helping Scotland develop a world class system of vocational education and training has been welcomed by the Scottish Government and education leaders.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment Angela Constance joined Sir Ian Wood, fellow members of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce and representatives from COSLA, at Craigroyston Community High School to mark the publication yesterday.

Its recommendations include:

• Youth unemployment should be reduced by 40 per cent
• Enhanced careers education in Primary School
• The opportunity to prepare for a Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in the senior phase of school
• More support for employers to take on young employees
• Closer links between employers and schools and colleges
• Measures to improve gender balance in training
• Measures to remove barriers for young disabled people, care leavers and black and minority ethnic groups taking up training opportunities.

Sir Ian believes that Scottish businesses have ‘got out of the habit’ of employing young people and said schools must prepare young people better for the workplace and ensure vocational training was offered as well as academic qualifications.

He explained: “It’s all about building a bridge between school and college into business and industry.

“We’re suggesting that we set up 15 to 20 employer-led groups across Scotland. They’ll have a three-year life and will facilitate every secondary school in Scotland having a long-term partnership with local employers, to include work experience.

“We’re suggesting a really worthwhile work experience and also better advice and career information.

“Frankly, business says ‘we would like to employ more young people, but we’re not sure how to, we don’t have the resource’. We’ve tried to do something quite concrete to change that.”

The Scottish Government will respond formally to the report in the coming weeks, with £12 million budget consequentials already set aside for youth employment.

Speaking at Craigroyston, Ms Constance said: “Today’s report sets out recommendations to deliver a 40 per cent reduction in youth unemployment by 2020 and a challenging programme to transform the way we work with young people, employers, schools and colleges to ensure that all our young women and men have the choices and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.

“Our young people are an enormous asset in helping us to achieve our aspiration to strengthen Scotland’s economy. Our ambitions to see significant improvements in our youth employment numbers go beyond a return to pre-recession levels when, during a period of growth, youth unemployment stood 7.7 percentage points above that of the general population.

“A substantial amount of activity to help young women and men towards employment is already in place, including our very successful Modern Apprenticeship programme, which has seen over 77,000 new opportunities in the last three years. Opportunities for All also guarantees every 16 to 19 year old the offer of a place in education or training.

“The £12 million we announced earlier this year will help accelerate progress, and we will discuss with our partners in local government how best that is deployed.

“I would like to thank Sir Ian, members of the Commission and all those who have contributed to this landmark report which both matches the scale of our ambition and clearly sets out the challenges we face in delivering it.

“There is now much to consider and we will work closely with the public, private and third sectors on how the recommendations could be taken forward. Our partners in local government have a pivotal role to play in tackling youth unemployment and will be very much part of this work going forward.”

Minister for Learning Alasdair Allan added: “Curriculum for Excellence has been designed to equip our young people with the skills they need to succeed both in Scotland and in the global workplace, with local authorities having the freedom to shape education to meet the needs of our pupils, whatever their background.

“In order to truly give every young person the best possible chance of finding a sustainable career we need world class vocational education and training, allowing schools and colleges to join up with employers so that learning can be even more aligned to student needs.

“Today’s report builds on the steps we have already taken and I look forward to considering with our key stakeholders how it could make the difference we seek.”

Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, has also warmly welcomed the findings in the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce report. She said:

“The Wood Commission report’s emphasis on ensuring young people at college study courses that will lead to employment in the prevailing labour market echoes our commitment to delivering opportunities that are relevant to the economic needs of Edinburgh and Scotland.

“The report’s objectives of establishing of a world class vocational training system that puts employers at the heart of this process is positive and something we have already embraced at Edinburgh College.

“Greater involvement between employers and colleges fits well with our activity at Edinburgh College. One of our aims is to ensure most full time students have a practical work experience embedded in their course. This is already well established in some areas such as catering and hair and beauty through the college’s restaurants and salons as well as our close links with industry in areas such as creative industries, health and social care, engineering and construction. We are seeking to extend this across all the full time courses we offer, where practical and beneficial to our students.

“The South East Scotland Academies programme that we are involved in is an excellent example of education institutions working closely with schools and employers to equip young people with the skills, experience and attitude to make a difference in industry. We will continue to pursue such initiatives to ensure we provide young people with the experience and opportunities that will help them into employment.”

Cllr Douglas Chapman, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People added: “This landmark report today by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce comes at a time of great change for Scotland. Whatever happens in September we have already embarked upon a decade long journey of renewal in education as a result of Curriculum for Excellence. The report today by the Commission in many ways represents the next steps that we need to take if we are to have a first class system of vocational learning in schools alongside the more established route to academic success.

“The report recognises the crucial role that our schools and teachers in local authorities across the length and breadth of the country can play at expanding pupil’s knowledge about the world of work and the job opportunities that are out there.

“The report’s recommendations are ambitious and transformational but in no way unachievable. This is because a key strength is that the recommendations are based, in part, on existing good practice which has been developed by local authorities, colleges and partners”

“We look forward to considering the report in more depth with Government in order to work together to progress the recommendations, as it is essential not only to support but also inspire young people with new opportunities to develop long-term rewarding careers.”

Yes, no, still don’t know? Then maybe some live theatre can help you make up your mind with The Great Yes No Don’t Know Five Minute Theatre Show!

Craigroyston Community High School will be streaming a series of live five minute theatre plays made by everyone for an audience of everyone on Monday (23 June) from 5 – 7pm.

There’s tea, coffee, juice, bacon rolls – and if your not on the Electoral Register yet there’s an opportunity to register too!

Everyone welcome!

The Great Debate

Craigroyston Community High School is organising a week of arts activities with a sporting theme later this month.

The Commonwealth Games Summer Arts Programme runs from 21 – 25 July (10am – 4.30pm daily) for young people aged 11- 18.

Murals, sculpture, printmaking, jewellery and dance – all with a Commonwealth Games twist!

For more info or to book your place call 0131 477 7801.

Craigroyston Community High School Adult Education Programme September 2014

Term starts w/c 22 September 2014 for 10-week term and enrolments will start from 6 August (see below for programme).

People can enrol in person at the school, by phone or online – it is the launch of City of Edinburgh online enrolments, where people will be able to enrol for any class in the adult education programme – with the main prohramme and all the community high school programmes: Craigroyston, Castlebrae, Balerno, Leith Academy, Currie, Drummond, Wester Hailes Education Centre and South Queensferry all in one place together!

Online enrolments can all be made through http://www.joininedinburgh.org where a comprehensive list of classes can be found and online bookings can be made from home or a library, anytime after 6 August.

CR_A5PROGRAMME_FIN_LR

Fiona Henderson / Monica Nall
Community Education Team
0131 477 7801

I would like to introduce a new female only swim session at Craigroyston High School on Sundays from 2 – 2.50pm. We have female only lifeguards on the poolside and the pool is closed to any other participants.

The cost of the session is £1.00 per adult. Children aged 8 years and under are welcome to come along to the session for free as long as they are with a female adult.

I have attached the flier with all the information for the female only swim session (below).

NOTE: Sessions will not be held on Sundays 3 and 10 August due to maintenance to the pool – sessions will start up again on Sunday 17 August.

Marie Kneeshaw

Aquatics Development Officer, Edinburgh Lesiure
mariekneeshaw@edinburghleisure.co.uk
http://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk
Direct: 0131 458 2195

New classes starting at Craigroyston

We have some free classes aimed primarily at local people in our community at Craigroyston:

Cook your tea
Sometimes the hardest thing about cooking is deciding what to make!

It is all too easy to run out of ideas for offering something delicious, healthy and within a tight budget. The friendly tutor for this class has a wide range of ideas which can be made quickly and cheaply making this the highlight of your culinary week.

Favourite dishes range from Thai curry, to mushroom risotto as well
as home made lemon chicken. If there is anything you really want to learn to make, the tutor will be able to help.

Come along, cook your tea and take it home to surprise all the family and friends!

Please bring £1.50 each week towards the ingredients.
The class is *FREE.

Saving Money (and the Environment)
Small steps = big changes!

This practical maths course takes everyday situations and shows you how to make the maths work for you!

Work out the running costs of many household appliances, decipher your
energy bill, compare special offers while out shopping and even find out how to make the most of a square foot garden!

Don’t worry if you didn’t get maths the first time round, this course allows you to start small and build up at your own pace. It uses examples from everyday life that affect everyone, from recipes to recycling
and will help you quickly gain confidence in handling your finances!
Not only that, we are running this course in partnership with Edinburgh’s
very own Science Museum at Dynamic Earth and several sessions will take place there (all transport & entry fees provided).

Creative Expressions

Bringing together creative writing, photography and other forms of creative expression, this class offers a range of combined art forms. The informal setting means that everyone can take part in different forms of self expression and gain a satisfying experience.

*(This class is FREE)
And also some classes that we hope will be of interest and are very good value:

Fee is £50 for the standard 10 weeks of 2 hours per week courses – £25 for a senior citizen or student – £14 for anyone receiving benefits. (half of this for the 5 week course or a 1 hour course)

These can be booked online as well as by phone or in person – http://www.joininedinburgh.org​

Make and Mend
Creative Upcycling Projects (5 weeks)

Upcycling is about converting old or discarded materials into something
useful and beautiful for your home or to give as a personalised present. Join this weekly course to learn all sorts of original ways to refashion and redesign things you have at home already, with a friendly tutor full of inspiring ideas and different craft techniques.

Pottery
This class teaches the basics of hand building and wheel throwing in clay and introduces different artistic styles & methods of creating successful ceramic pieces.

It also offers an introduction to the use of the potter’s wheel and stone
wear firing. There is an additional £10 to pay towards materials used.

Creative Writing
Do you feel you might like to have some guidance in developing your creative writing skills, to express ideas and show you how to overcome writer’s block?

A very friendly tutor can help you develop characters, transform experiences into storylines and encourage you to share your writing with
the group. The class is supportive and will look at wide ranging in creative styles.

NOW STARTING SEPTEMBER:

Computing for Not Quite Beginners ​
This course is ideal for people who can create a word/text document and would like to start experimenting with pictures and tables in order to create a poster, newsletter, invitation or flyer.
Potential students should be able to create a simple document with some
text in it.
The course will cover:
Inserting pictures from clipart, inserting photos from a memory stick, downloading pictures from the Internet, arranging text size, colour etc, using Wordart, designing page layouts and using columns and inserting tables.

Scots History through Scottish Novels

This enjoyable course will to explore the relationship between 20th and early 21st century Scottish literature, history and the culture and politics of contemporary Scotland.
The books the course will be looking at will be James Douglas Brown, The House with the Green Shutters; Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song; Jessie Kesson, The White Bird Passes; Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie; James Robertson, And the Land Lay Still.

There will be a small amount of advised reading to support a deeper understanding of the texts and their historical and cultural background.

and there are many more – language, music and others – and it it would be great to have some local people take advantage of these great classes! 

Fiona Henderson

We have a great cookery course at Craigroyston Community High School – the focus is on inexpensive, nutritious cooking for families – using only own brand items – and they make really delicious rissottos, thai curries and other tasty dishes all for a weeny weeny amount of money.

The course is free but we do ask for a £1.50 fee to pay each week towards ingredients. The idea is that participants come with containers and take away a substantial meal for a family of four – if  there are more in the family, I am sure there would be enough food!

The tutor is very friendly, patient and helpful and very enthusiastic about cooking. If people can get here they will really enjoy and benefit from the class – and be assured of a  good dinner on Wednesday nights!

Unfortunately we do not have a creche.

Craigroyston Community High School is on good bus routes – along Ferry Road or the 27 which comes down Pennywell Road.

If you would like to enrol, it can be done anytime online by clicking onto http://www.joininedinburgh.org and use the search box – put in Craigroyston Cook – and then just go through as with any online purchase, or you could telephone the school on 477 7801 to book.

The new cookery class starts on Wednesday 24 September, 6 – 7.30pm

The Joininedinburgh site has information about all the other classes all round the city as well – take a look, there are lots of new things to try!

Fiona Henderson, Craigroyston Community High School

Confident Computing Course at Craigroyston

Whether you are an absolute beginner or you just want to brush up on your computing skills, this course will give you the skills you need to progress to the next level! There will be a focus on Excel and how to improve the way you use Excel as a database or for keeping records or creating reports.

Where: Craigroyston Community High School

When: Wednesday mornings, 10.30am – 12.30pm, starting now.

More info: www.joininedinburgh.org/activity/6501/ or call 0131 477 7801

Interested in finding other Adult Education classes? Take a look at www.joininedinburgh.org/craigroyston

Positive Inspection Report for Learning Community around Craigroyston Community High School

The ‘Learning Community’ surrounding Craigroyston  High  School was inspected by Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Education  at the same time as the High School and also  received a very positive report. 

The inspection looked at services provided by  Community Learning and Development and partners in the voluntary and public sector . Areas highlighted were:

• Strong focus on prevention and support for families and children.
• Breadth and range of voluntary sector contribution to the learning community.
• Total Craigroyston  having a positive impact on partnership working across the area and improving outcomes for learners.
• Improvement in key indicators such as attainment, children’s and young people’s literacy and numeracy, positive destinations and reducing school exclusions.
• Increasing number of opportunities delivered by local people that are creating positive role models.

Inspectors  particularly noted the range and strength  of partnership work.  The full report can be found  at:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/

and a link will be put on the Total Craigroyston blog.

I tell you, you wait ages and ages for a positive report to come along and then two come along at once! Congratulations, again!

‘One of the very best groups I have worked with’ – Ally Paterson

Eight pupils from Craigroyston Community High School took part in a Scottish Fire & Rescue Service youth engagement programme ran at Crewe Toll fire station this week. The students learned teamwork, communications and basic fire fighting skills during their training course, which they displayed to friends and family in an impressive exhibition at the local fire station yesterday.

Fire Service Youth Engagement Co-ordinator Ally Paterson explained “Working with young people means that the fire service can raise awareness and challenge attitudes to fire safety and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Youth engagement project engages with young people aged between 12-17 in order to work towards reducing hoax calls and secondary fires and to increase awareness of local community safety issues.

“We encourage positive social behaviour by using a combination of intensive group work and fire service activities with a view to raising self-esteem, confidence, personal motivation and increase problem solving skills.

“The programme allows participants to experience basic fire service tasks such as team building, first aid, hose running and ladder climbing to develop physical stamina. All activities incorporate a fire safety message and endorse a strong group work component.’’

Ally was particularly impressed with the Craigroyston recruits. “This was a really good group – I can honestly say that this has been one of the very best groups I have worked with in four years of doing this job. You could see them progress over the course of the week – I was really impressed with their attitude, they were keen to learn and a real pleasure to work with.”

On the final day of the programme, the young people – Josh Reid, Brent Blackie, Dylan Williamson, Liam Henderson, Arnis Zironkina, Lee Stevensdale, Josh Hardwick and Kieran Blackie – gave a practical presentation to demonstrate the skills they’d learned over the course of the week, and following the display the students were presented with certificates to recognise their achievements.

Brent, Dylan and Kieran have also been nominated to progress on to SFRS’ Phoenix programme for further training.

Speaking after the presentations, sixteen year old Kieran Blackie, who’s from Muirhouse, said: “It’s been an absolutely fantastic week, just amazing. We’ve been learning the skills the firefighters learn in their thirteen weeks basic training – but we’ve had to do it in four and a half days! It was a lot to take in but we’ve all definitely learned a lot, especially about the importance of teamwork and working together.”

Josh Hardwick also enjoyed the training. “I loved the whole week, every part of it, but if I had to choose the best bits I really enjoyed the session were we worked in a small, dark, confined space to locate and rescue a casualty – that might not be everybody’s idea of fun, but I really enjoyed it! The high ladder work was great too, although not ideal if you don’t have a head for heights. I think the week taught us just how hard the firefighters work and how dangerous their job can be.”

Congratulations to the Craigie crew!

 More pictures on our Facebook page

‘Law enforcement agencies and governments can only take things so far. The way to change attitudes is to identify and build on the assets you have in your communities. You guys – the students and young people – are the assets’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson

Craigroyston Community High School pupils who have learned how to tackle violence and bullying through a training initiatve shared their experiences with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson yesterday.

The Justice Secretary watched a presentation on the Mentors in Violence Prevention(MVP) initiative and listened to the experiences of participants before chatting informally with students about their participation in the groundbreaking project.

Craigroyston staff and students explained that the Mentors in Violence Prevention(MVP) scheme is already having some success in changing unacceptable behaviour – early feedback suggests improved attitudes amongst those who have taken part.

MVP Scotland trains senior pupils to become mentors who, in turn, equip younger students in ways in which to intervene and prevent incidents that could lead to gender violence, which can be domestic abuse, sexting, assault or homophobia. Pupils are taught to challenge their own friends and peers about their behaviour if and when it’s appropriate.

It was first piloted in Portobello High by the Violence Reduction Unit in 2011 and has since been rolled out to 11 secondary schools in the Capital. The unit’s Chief Inspector Graham Goulden spoke to pupils during the morning’s visit about its work.

Chief Inspector Goulden (above) said: “The MVP programme is emerging as a great way to continue to safely discuss many issues that contribute towards abuse and violence in Scotland. It provides schools with an approach that supports learning, as young people are faced with a range of external influences that impact on their resilience, such as online media. Bullying is still an issue in our schools and also strips young people of control.

“At the heart of violence and abuse is a breakdown in relationships. Let’s use relationships in the form of friendships to counter all of these issues allowing young people to do their best at an important time in their academic lives.”

Forth Councillor Cammy Day – who is also Edinburgh’s Community Safety Convener – also attended the event and spoke about how MVP is an important part of the local anti-crime  #StrongerNorth campaign.

He said: “MVP is a key feature of the #StrongerNorth initiative as it really engages young people by helping them to recognise unacceptable behaviour, and gives them the power to face up to it. These skills are helping them to change attitudes whether it’s in school, in their homes or when they’re with their friends.

“Most school children have a great attitude and are involved in many positive schemes, but we know that the bad attitude of even just a few can have a real impact on communities. 

“#StrongerNorth and projects like MVP and Total Craigroyston are aimed at nipping unacceptable behaviour in the bud before it escalates into something worse, and it was fantastic to hear first hand today about how these schemes are really working.”

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson (above) said: “I was delighted to be invited along to Craigroyston Community High School to see the excellent work ongoing to tackle the issues of violence and bullying in schools.

“Since 2008, incidents of violence among young people have halved across Scotland, but it is crucial we are not complacent and education is key to ensuring our young people change the culture of violence in our society.

“The work being done through the Mentors in Violence programme by the Violence Reduction Unit to train these young people to deliver their own training is having a huge impact not only within the school but also throughout the wider community.

“The programme empowers young people by bringing issues such as bullying and violence out into the open to allow for full, frank and informed discussions around the risks and consequences.

“Most importantly, it’s giving our young people a confidence and sense of responsibility that will benefit them throughout their lives.”

Some images from the Craigroyston event (also on Facebook):

MVP Training  

Tuesday 24 March 10am-1pm

Pilton Community Health Project

You might have seen the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme in the news last week, when the Justice Secretary Michael Matheson visited Craigroyston Community High School to find out more about the training for High School students, which has a proven track of promoting a positive climate and reducing bullying and other violent behaviour in both schools and communities (writes Rachel Farrier).

The minister’s visit was featured on the NEN’s blog on 5 March (‘Craigroyston initiative tackles bullying and violence’)

We are really fortunate to have this highly-acclaimed training going on in our area, and there is a one-off session which has been adapted for adults happening on 24 March 10am-1pm here at Pilton Community Health Project which you can still book a place for – but space is limited so please let Rachel at PCHP know ASAP if you would like to come along, and do let her know if you might need childcare.

It is open to anyone from the local community, as well as those working professionally in the area.

The training uses a ‘bystander approach’ which helps individuals to work out practical and viable responses when they encounter harassment, abuse or violence – both aimed at themselves and others. You can read more about the programme in Scotland here (scroll down the page to find out about MVP).

Call Rachel on 551 671 or email lih@pchp.org.uk to book a place.

I saw the NEN’s piece about the MVP (Mentors in Violence Prevention) training on 24 March at Pilton Community Health Project. 

There is also a session for parents on

Monday 23 March 

at 6pm in Craigroyston Community High School.

A couple of senior pupils from the school will help to take parents through the approach, which promotes positive relationships and gives young people the confidence and skills to challenge bullying, violent or anti-social behaviour.

It’s aimed at parents of older primary school children who will be trained in MVP when they start at Craigroyston or Broughton High School, and parents of High School children are also welcome.

The session shouldn’t take longer than an hour and a half, and child care is available if planned in advance. If anyone is interested they can book through me on the details below.

Sarah Neal

CLD Worker (Community Learning & Development & Total Craigroyston)
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North. Tel: 0131 552 5700

One Parent Families Scotland are planning cookery classes for single mums and dads and the kids at Craigroyston Community High School.

The classes will run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (10am-12.30pm) from 7 – 16 April.

If you would like to improve your cooking skills while learning how to cook nutritious meals on a budget, contact Tom Carroll on 07814 078139 or email: tom.carroll@opfs.org.uk

Campaigners have organised a public meeting to oppose cuts to adult education classes at Craigoyston Community High School. Adult education has always been a key element of life at the local high school – indeed, it’s seen by many as the ‘community’ in ‘community high school’ – but budget cuts now see adult education classes under threat (writes Dave Pickering).

The meeting takes place at the school on Tuesday at 3.30pm.

An online petition at www.change.org has already attracted almost 200 signatures and campaigners now hope to broaden that support.

The change.org petition reads:

‘Day Time Adult Education classes are under threat across the City of Edinburgh. We at Craigroyston Community High School are campaigning to save our day time classes.

There has been a change in the way money raised through lets and classes is allocated. Rather than the money going to the school it will now go directly to The City of Edinburgh Council.

This undermines the incentive for schools to run Adult Day Time classes and this will have a profound impact on Adult Learners.

Please support our Campaign to save Adult Education Day Time classes not only at Craigroyston Community High School but city wide as well.’

Vanessa Cousins, who initiated the local campaign, said: “Thank you everyone for signing up to our campaign – the response has been really encouraging. I am also setting up a Facebook page called Adult Learners Unite and I hope that this and our public meeting at the school will highlight our concerns even more. It’s important that we get the message about as widely as possible – we are short of time as changes could be taking effect as soon as April.”

Dave Pickering

North Neighbourhood Partnership is taking forward the Youth Talk initative as part of ‘Engaging Young People’ priority identified in both Inverleith and Forth Neighourhood Partnerships’ community plans. Youth Talk, originally developed in Liberton/Gilmerton where it was well-received, gives young people an opportunity to talk about facilities, activities and services in their local area. 

It has now been launched in the Craigroyston Community High School, Royal High School and Broughton High School, where pupils were asked to vote/rate their local services. The results will be collated after the Easter break and the young people will then be gathered to map out their suggestions and discuss these in more detail.

It is intended that the outcome of the Youth Talk initiative will inform future service development and third sector commissioning. For more information contact info@totalcraigroyston.co.uk or scott.donkin@edinburgh.gov.uk