Forres-based youth trust awarded £78,000
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A FORRES-BASED charity has been awarded more than £78,000 for its innovative youth-led Growing2gether In the Community programme.
Ecologia Youth Trust has been granted the award from Young Start, part of the National Lottery Community Fund.
The two-year grant will empower up to 140 disadvantaged or disengaged young people to research and deliver 14 youth-led community projects in the Highlands.
These are designed to improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of young people and connect them to their communities.
Duncan Wilson, community partnership officer for Growing2gether, said: "These projects enable young people to develop all the ‘soft skills’ that employers want, such as communications and teamwork skills.
"There is also an immense amount of creativity that comes from these projects."
Previous projects have seen young people design tote bags with positive affirmations, design a mural to promote mental wellbeing, and write a hard-hitting book on self-harm.
Working in a small groups, young people are helped to collaborate with peers and community mentors, coached by facilitators who help build their self-confidence and develop their strengths.
The charity hopes that the new projects will begin in September, using technology to respect current social distancing rules.
Growing2gether In the Community was launched in January last year, focusing on community issues such as mental health, homelessness, teenage pregnancy and drugs.
Founded in 1995, Ecologia Youth Trust has worked internationally to give marginalised young people and children everything they need to thrive, including a decent education, the confidence, skills and resources to shape their own future, as well as family support.
