Shotts charity Getting Better Together has secured £4,000 from Corra Foundation to help pay for the salary of a full time youth worker. This is the second year in a row the Foundation has helped fund this post.
Working from Shotts Healthy Living Centre as well as two other locations, Getting Better Together delivers an impressive range of support for people of all ages in the local community. June Vallance, the Manager, said: “People living in Shotts don’t always have access to the same range of opportunities as in some other areas, and we wanted to do something about that. We work with everyone from babies to the elderly, and listen to local people to find out what it is they need. For the young people we support with there are some immediate issues to address as many are young carers or have become involved in anti-social behaviour. However, we know that we also need to take a longer term view so that they have the best possible chance of doing well at school and then getting jobs or doing more training. Of course we need to have good people to deliver this work so having funding in place to cover these costs is extremely welcome.”
The Youth Development Programme engages with over 120 children and young people aged 8-24 years each week. Activities and services include health related information, group work with local youth organisations, diversionary activities in partnership with Strathclyde Police, NHS and North Lanarkshire Leisure and a structured personal development programme to help individuals progress onto volunteering, training or employment.
Mary Craig OBE, Chief Executive of Corra Foundation, said: “Having seen how much of a difference our funding for this post made last year, it is great to be able to provide more funding this year. Every young person deserves a good start in life, but sometimes circumstances mean that doesn’t happen, and this has an impact on the rest of their lives. This can be challenging to address but the benefits are enormous as it makes a difference to the whole community and also to generations to come.”
