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Eight organisations across Scotland will each receive a £250,000 funding boost from the Essentia Foundation, in their largest grants programme to date.

Essentia awards are focussed on projects that support children and young people to improve their health and social welfare, and increase opportunities for training, learning, upskilling, and career development.  

With this substantial investment, all eight funded projects will be able to tackle a range of themes and issues including support for those facing barriers to securing employment, mental health and well-being for those facing a range of disadvantages including financial insecurities and those seeking asylum, and learning and education for those disengaged from school and employment. The fund also supports organisations that help young people with personal development opportunities to improve resilience, confidence and life skills.

Among the award recipients is the Venture Trust, who will use the £250,000 funding to deliver their ‘Venturing Towards a Brighter Future’ project, specifically targeting the Forth Valley area. The funding will support a personal development programme using outdoor therapy for disadvantaged young people aged 16-25, many of whom are at risk of or have been involved in the justice system. The programme’s unique feature is a transformative wilderness journey offering a space for reflection and growth. The project aims to benefit young people facing adversity, trauma, and instability, helping them reconnect with education, employment, or training, while supporting long-term community benefits. Seventy young people are expected to benefit over two years.

The King’s Trust will use their award to deliver a Glasgow-based employability programme over the next two years. This includes tailored support and sector-specific training delivered in partnership with employers, directed towards young people aged 25 and under, who face significant barriers to employment, such as poor mental health and experience of the care or justice systems. Funding will allow the Trust to organise 42 different programmes annually in Glasgow, which focus on building core workplace skills, providing hands-on experience, and connecting young people directly with job opportunities. The programme also offers practical financial support for items such as interview clothing or travel. The Trust estimates at least three-hundred young people will benefit from the service each year.

Sistema Scotland will continue to deliver the Big Noise programme operating in Torry in Aberdeen. This was launched in 2015 and is based on a Venezuelan model of music education which aims to offer accessible and inclusive music tuition and opportunities. It focuses on an early years intervention and long term delivery model, helping young children to develop core skills of listening, concentration, rhythm and teamwork while learning to play an instrument in a group. All activities and instruments are provided free of charge and meals and snacks are available to support participation. Older young people are supported to develop leadership skills, achieve qualifications and offered work experience. They estimate 800 children and young people from Torry will benefit over a three year period.

Cyrenians will deliver “All Our Futures”, a service which offers weekly learning opportunities to young people, aged 20 and under, who are disengaged from school and work. The service provides opportunities to learn new skills and achieve qualifications and take part in work experience placements at Edinburgh Zoo, a rural Green Skills Centre in West Lothian, Cook School in Leith and a professional art studio in Abbeyhill in Edinburgh. There will be a focus on confidence building, team work, and peer support and planning next steps. They expect three-hundred young people to benefit over the two year period.

The Outward Bound Trust will deliver their ‘Breaking Barriers: Empowering Scotland’s Young People’ programme, which will support hundreds of young people who would otherwise be unable to afford such opportunities, to have big adventures, unique learning experiences and fun on residential courses. Every young person who attends Outward Bound takes part in outdoor activities that test them. These courses give them opportunities to reflect, learn and to find qualities within themselves that they were not previously aware of. A young student who attended the course said: “I have learnt that I am more capable and resilient than I thought because I have done things I never thought I could do. In only a few days I have climbed three mountains, been gorge walking and done so much more. I now have more confidence and will try new things…It showed me I can do anything I put my mind to.”

“It was absolutely fantastic to get some really interesting bids for this award round, the first we’ve done with the larger charities as the focus. The eight winning bids stood out as well thought through and designed to deliver real benefit in areas of significant deprivation over two and three year terms.  We are very happy that the expected legacy of these projects will live on long after they finish and may well attract leverage funding from other grant-makers.”

Brian Davidson, a trustee for the Essentia Foundation

‘Support from the Essentia Foundation will make a life-changing and potentially lifesaving difference to hundreds of young people over the next two years. A mum contacted us recently, practically in tears, sharing that her teenager had spent the past few years feeling like they didn’t belong anywhere but that attending one of Cyrenians’ learning projects had made them go from feeling useless to the world to feeling like they are capable of anything. She said, ‘they have grown four inches due to standing up straighter and feeling a sense of pride.’ For me, that says it all. Thank you to the Essentia Foundation for their support.’ 

Emily Mnyayi, Senior Service Manager for Skills & Development at Cyrenians

Feedback from funded projects included:

“The Trust is beyond thrilled to have Essentia’s investment.  Thank you so much from a very happy King’s Trust team in Glasgow today.” (Kings Trust)

“Thank you so much for this amazing news. We are absolutely thrilled and so grateful for the support from the Essentia Foundation.” (Sistema Scotland)

“My heart just jumped a beat when we got the news. This truly is wonderful news for our charity, and we are absolutely delighted.” (Venture Trust).

Other projects to receive £250,000 are Aberlour Childcare Trust, Bethany Christian Trust, and Children First.

The Trustees of The Essentia Foundation wish the Eight organisations across Scotland all the very best with the funding.