Covid has exacerbated the many challenges young people face – unemployment, poor mental health, and social isolation. We, at Venture Scotland, know how vital it is that we continue to support YP who are struggling with their mental health and who need help to get their life back on track. Having struggled to gain core programme funding for our Glasgow operation, we need your help to continue to support YP.
We have launched our new Justgiving fundraising campaign to reach out to as many of our supporters as possible. Please keep reading below to find out more.
Why we need your help?
Venture Scotland’s mission is to help more YP to lead happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives. Our programmes help YP who are struggling with their mental health and are experiencing self-harm, eating disorders, addiction and homelessness.
Unfortunately, we did not receive funding through the Glasgow City Council’s Communities Fund, and we have been struggling to gain sufficient funding for our core programmes for our Glasgow operation. We are committed to continue to offer our services to vulnerable young people struggling after Covid.
How can you help?
Our current Glasgow funding is starting to run out and we urgently need additional funding to allow us to meet the needs of YP in this area. Although our target is big, we would be grateful for any amount of support – every single donation adds up! You can donate through a 1-off gift, a regular monthly donation or a fundraising event.
Please help to continue to #changeyounglives in Greater Glasgow!
Thank you!
CLICK HERE TO SAVE GLASGOW – https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/save-Glasgow?invite=true
MORE ABOUT VENTURE SCOTLAND AND THE SERVICE WE PROVIDE
Who we help?
Every year, our small delivery team engage with up to 50 young people (YP) aged 16-30 from Glasgow and surrounding council areas. We support YP who are struggling with their mental health, often due to trauma, and lack the practical and emotional skills to live a fulfilling life. Our YP live in areas of social deprivation where poverty, health inequality, unemployment, crime and alcohol/substance misuse problems are widely prevalent.
What we do?
VS aims to provide YP, who are struggling to cope, with the emotional tools and strategies to navigate the ups and downs of life and improve their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Using Scotland’s natural environments and person-centred practice, we deliver 4 progressive personal development programmes (Challenge, Discover, Explore, Leadership) over an intensive year. Our programmes consist of regular group-based outdoor activities (rock climbing, hill walking, paddling, gorge walking), life skills sessions, 1-to-1 support sessions and residentials to our remote bothy in Kinlochetive.
How we help?
Our Outdoor Programme Leaders are both excellent youth workers and fully qualified outdoor instructors and are a consistent person of trust to each young person. This allows YP to experience routine, caring relationships, safe spaces with peers, meaningful activity, mindfulness, regular sleeping and eating patterns, time away from technology and the restorative effect of the outdoors. Our staff and volunteers are trained to offer YP ‘unconditional positive regard’ at all times – we give YP the safe space to trust us, so that they can unpack their issues.
“Too many drugs brought me to VS in the first place. But I came to realise I don’t need that and there are better things to strive for. Just getting outdoors, doing some exercise, getting some sunshine will reap more benefits, rather than the self-indulgent things I did. Not only are you doing something more innocent, but you will feel better, you will look better, you will be better.” Ex-participant, Glasgow.