SIMY
SIMY is a Youth work project working in the Townhead area of Glasgow. It is a community made up of young people from Townhead, Royston, Drygate, Sighthill, Cowcaddens and further a field. Townhead's location close to the city centre make it a natural gathering place for young people, most of whom attend Glasgow St Roch secondary school or Cleveden Secondary School.
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[edit] History
It was set up in 2004 as a partnership between the International Christian College, The Church of Scotland through Martyrs Church in Townhead and Operation Mobilisation's LifeHope. It is concerned with helping young people reach their potential through developing a community of practise. It grew out of two different youth and children's project that worked out of the local church in Townhead and St Rollox church in Sighthill, Glasgow.
The project in Townhead was started in 1999 by Norman McNeish, Tony Sargent and Neil Pratt, the then head of the youth work department of the International Christian College, when ICC moved to a new building in Townhead. The staff noticed there was very little for young people to do and found a lot of young people congregated at the area behind their building. Neil, with a small team of volunteers, responded to this need by developed a placement opportunity for two students from the ICC BA in youth work with applied Theology (accredited by Aberdeen University) course to develop their practise by working with him and other youth work professionals. The club was set up in partnership with the local young people, developing with their ideas and in response to their needs.
The project in Sighthill through St Rollox church began by local young people with the help of a former teacher of Sighthill Primary school and meet in St Rollox church from 1991-2006 under the name SRG. St Rollox left the partnership in 2006 as it priorities change under their new minister. The team of volunteers from this project merged with the team in Townhead and focused on the work in Townhead and St Roch school continuing to see many of the same young people.
After the change to focusing on Townhead, SiMY rebuilt, first through a Detached Youth work project, but quickly added back in youth clubs when the police and residence noticed an increase in antisocial behavour due to the lack of things for young people to do and places for them to meet. The project has grown by working with the International Christian College youth work degree course, the local community police, the Prince's Youth Trust (PYT), ] Glasgow Community Safety Services, St Roch Secondary school and Glasgow Life. In 2009 they had grown to successfully providing work place development posts for four youth work students from ICC and placements for two students from Anniesland College. Placements included experience in schools work, detached youth work, open youth clubs, residential work as well as specific projects that nourished particular interests of the young people. All students placed in this project have gone on to successful youth work careers.
OM closed LifeHope in 2009. The project since then has primarily been self financing by the contributions of its volunteers, small funders such as the "Fairer Scotland Fund" and by the local young people and their families.
In 2011 the SiMY volunteer held a review to respond to the 2010 Community Audit of the area conducted by the church of scotland glasgow presbytery. The report highlighted much needs of the area. Unfortunately financial problems for the church of Scotland put the support for the community in Townhead unviable. As such it voted to remove it's support for a parish church in Townhead in August 2011.
SiMY has formed as a separate organisation. With the support of a consultant from the "Community enterprise trust", they are building the capacity of the new organisation and working towards Charity status. SiMY continues to use the former Martyrs building in Townhead. All the assets from the church have move to Glasgow Cathedral and the Cathedral are looking to demolish the church, sell the land and build an new hall nearer to Cathedral Square. With no other viable accommodation in Townhead area, the volunteers, young people and parents have formed a campaign to try to save the project by keeping the old Martyrs building open until the new Townhead Village Hall is opened Winter 2012. They are supported in this by Destiny church, GCSS and the General Trustees of the Church of scotland who hope to find a working way forward. A move to work in new ways has began in the use of programs like the DofE, community sport, dance and music that will allow continuation should the project end up without a building.
[edit] Current Activities
- Monday night - 4pm Bike Club, 6:30 Drama, Dance and Arts - all ages, 8pm - School leavers group
- Tuesday night: Community music groups - various locations, Graffit Arts 6:30-8:30
- Wednesday: Badminton (16+ only)
- Thursday night: -SiMY Dance fitness, Basketball, Football, TT, Pool, consol gaming, arts and crafts
- Friday night: SiMY Dance skills;, Hockey Coaching, and Sports coaching, Community music as well as Arts and Crafts
Young people gather weekly at "The Hub" which is open Thursday and Friday evenings. The clubs are staffed by volunteers, GCSS staff, Glasgow life staff and volunteers from Destiny Church and the former Martyrs Church (closed by the CofS 2011). Each organisation brings different actives and opportunities for young people including music class, sports coaching, meeting spaces and life skills. There are addition specific support like the Exam support program, CV & application support, employability services (in conjunction with PYT, Fairbridge and West Glasgow Employability). In St Roch school the team work with the pastoral staff to help young people during lunch breaks and at special events.
SiMY is one of the Glasgow City DofE centres with a number of young people undertaking the program at one of the three levels.
SiMY is involved in the Townhead Estate management group, the community partnership, the area youth work partnership and the village hall project. Through this young people get involved in the different developmental initiatives in the area.
Every year the volunteers and young people take time away in short activity breaks and activity weeks. The focus of these residential is living together in community. In 2009 /2010 this activity took place at GlenKin near Dunoon. The SiMY team returned, in 2011, to running its residential programs in Aviemore at the Cairngorm Christian Centre in Kincraig. It is seeking funding to run more residential activities including taster weekends and ski weekends.
[edit] About the community
The SiMY community is mainly staffed by local volunteers. Most are young people who have grown up through the project or people who work in the Townhead area. This team of volunteers provide a stable base for statutory sector groups or activity based program providers to work with young people when they have the funding by joining in with the team. The team are made up from a diverse group of people. Although the heart of the project community are Christians, there is no need to be a Christian to be part of the community.
The community is dedicated to the training of youth work professionals and continual personal development of its volunteers. When funding allows the community includes part time youth worker students from ICC and Anniesland college and youth work research student.
The team apply a reflective cycle approach to youth work provision and response to the community of young people.
Young people volunteer in the community working on ideas they have for improving their community. In each management committee that has developed, 2 young people are invited on to the committee.
[edit] Research and Development activity
2007–2008 – Research work includes "Breaking the cycle" action research in to Townhead's young people response to alcohol and the driving force behind the continuing use and misuse of alcohol in Townhead. A report that highlights key ways forward for shaping a youth work response that can break the cycle. "Young people's response to the village hall project", "2008 Community Audit". "Developmental comparison study between Townhead Martyrs church and Robroyston church of Scotland youth work provision"
2008 and beyond – SiMY has secured a small grant to investigate how other small churches can use partnerships to meet the youth work needs of a community. The work with Robroyston Parish Church has led to their own "Hub" beginning and one of the student volunteers, Sam Goncalves being employed as their youth worker.
2010 – Developing young people's abilities through youth work in the outdoors. The team worked with the church of scotland in a pilot study of the part outdoor education can play in developing young people and youth work. Through this study they launch the Glen Kin Experience. A bothy style holiday and training experience for young people. The study was for the Church of Scotland's Priority Area's fund and is now fully launched. It provides holidays for a select number of churches in the most deprived areas of Scotland. The project employed its first full-time worker Alex Bauer, 2011 and is adding more sessional staff in the summer of 2011.
2010 Deep Impact [1]
SiMY are current seeking to establish as a separate charity, possible a community enterprise and are seeking funding to continue their research, youth work and network partnerships to allow the young people live life in all its fullness as an integral part of their community. They are also seeking funding to employ full-time youth work staff to continue their weekly youth work provisions.
[edit] Project spin offs
[edit] Current Funders and supporters
- Youthwork training
- Community Enterprise Trust
- Young Scot sports coaching funding
- Cashback for Communities and Scottish Hockey
- Fairer Scotland Fund via Glasgow Life
- Ernst and Young Corporate Responsibility
- Robina Goodlad Memorial Trust
- Wakeham Trust
- Church of Scotland
- International Christian College
- Destiny Church Glasgow
- Cairngorm Christian Centre
[edit] Current program partners
Sports
Arts
