Live Argyll - Community Learning Service
Argyll and Bute Council · 30 August 2023
Back to Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group — 30 August 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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LiveArgyll Community Learning Team – Kintyre Youth Work - Summer Update 2023 Kintyre Youth Action Group The Kintyre LiveArgyll Youth Work Service facilitates weekly meetings with the Kintyre Youth Action Group (based in Campbeltown and Tarbert). The Action Group carry out local community projects and regularly volunteer and represent young people’s views in the area by carrying out weekly meetings which involve regular focus groups and large scale youth consultations on a two yearly basis. The input from the Action Group ensures the local youth work service is entirely youth led by focussing on local youth views, issues and areas the young people would like to develop. Action Group members will provide a verbal update on their activities during the meeting, including their GIVE volunteering activities, summer exchange programme with Bute Youth Action Group, and their involvement in Rainbowfest. Kintyre Friday Night ‘Street Sports’ Programme In response to consultations with local young people and partners, Friday Night ‘Street Sports’ was delivered during early 2023. Led by LiveArgyll Active Schools and Youth Work, the programme was delivered in partnership with Campbeltown Grammar School, The Hub, Argyll Rugby Development, and Police Scotland. The programme offered a variety of sports activities at the Campbeltown All Weather Pitch between 8pm and 10pm on Friday nights, to encourage young people to engage in positive healthy behaviours at a crucial time of the weekend.
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The project engaged mainly P7 pupils who are in the process of transitioning to the Grammar School and this proved a successful transitions activity in developing young people’s confidence, health and wellbeing, and allowing them to develop positive relationships with school, youth service, police, and other staff before they made the move up to the Grammar School. Those who completed the programme were then taken to Glasgow for a reward trip which involved visiting Laser Quest and Inflata-Nation to celebrate their successes. Due to its success, it is planned to run this annually as a transition activity for following year’s new S1’s. Kintyre Youth Creative Writing Group The Kintyre Youth Writing group is a youth led writing group based in Campbeltown. The group were supported to learn about different writing styles and techniques and to create their own pieces of creative writing throughout the first half of 2023. They have created micro-fiction, poetry, and short stories in different genres since they began. Through this experience the group have noted improvements in their communication and team work skills, as well as feeling more confident. They feel creative expression has helped to support their mental wellbeing and intend to continue writing more frequently as they move forward. At the time of writing the group are planning a literary trip to Edinburgh as a celebration of their positive experience where they will do the Harry Potter Walking Tour, as well as other activities.
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Kintyre Youth Music Group The Kintyre Youth Music Group is another youth led project which supported young people from the Kintyre area to learn about general musicianship, song-writing, music recording and production. The group learned about different genres of music and were given some instruction on playing instruments including ukulele, guitar, keyboard and percussion instruments, before writing and creating their own musical pieces using music production software. These have since been shared online. The group then switched their focus to writing a collective piece from scratch. The group successfully wrote and recorded their own piece together which will soon be released online as a charity single to raise money for the Mairi Semple Cancer Fund. ‘Find Your Feet’ P7 Transitions Programme For the second year in succession we delivered ‘Find Your Feet’ transitions activities to P7 pupils moving up to secondary in local schools (Tarbert Academy, Dalintober and Castlehill). 57 pupils took part in total with the sessions designed to increase young people’s confidence for the transition by undertaking activities which demonstrate their already existing strengths and resiliencies, including their support networks, personal strengths and qualities, worries/excitements, and strategies for coping with adversity. Upcoming Youth Projects before the Next CPP Meeting Restarting our Campbeltown Grammar School Employability Support Programme for learning support students in partnership with SDS. The launching of an LGBTQ+ Youth Forum. Other projects – to be determined by the Action Group and other local young people in response to youth views and issues.
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MAKI – Youth and Adult Services Joint Activity LiveArgyll Community Learning (Adult and Youth Services), in partnership with Oban Pride, hosted the inaugural Rainbowfest event on the 1st of July 2023 in Ardrishaig. It was identified through consultation with partners, young people and adults that there was a need for inclusive events and spaces for LGBTQ+ community members and their allies to celebrate diversity and be themselves in a safe and inclusive space. As such, the family friendly event, which was also supported and attended by young people from local Youth Action Groups and a variety of other partners, was free and open to all and provided information from relevant services, arts and crafts stalls, entertainment including music and dance performances, LGBTQ+ story time, soft play, food and drink, and more, to allow people to come together and celebrate diversity whilst taking part in a range of activities. The event was a great success and attendance surpassed expectations. The organising partners are now exploring how to replicate the event in different areas across the authority to further support the LGBTQ+ community and better develop forums and support networks across Argyll and Bute over the coming years.