With the 2 forums in the North Coast coming together. We are looking to attend a residential for much needed team building activities. This will benefit both Forums, through outdoor learning they will learn how to work together effectively. This will benefit the committe working together on future projects and also benefit their peers in the North Coast.

In the evening at the residential, the forums will participate and complete the second phase of mental health resilience training. This will allow the forum to become BU Mental Health Ambassadors and peer mentors. 

With the qualification gained, we will be able to run informative workshops and awareness sessions centred around mental health to young people in, West Kilbride, Fairlie, Largs, Skelmorlie, the Isle of Cumbrae.

Costs-

Residential accomodation- 10 x £118 + 3 x £58 = £1354

Ferry - 13 x £8.40 = £109.20

Total = £1463.20

The Active:2:Grow programme is a 42 week wellbeing and multisport programme delivered in partnership with the Ghillie Dhu Project within Irvine.  The Active:2:Grow programme is designed to target young people aged 11+, supporting them to better manage their own health and wellbeing, and become more physically active.

SSF Active:2:Grow offers young people a safe and inclusive environment to evaluate their wellbeing and put in place mechanisms  to support this, connect with peers, socialise with others and become more active.  

The SSF Active:2:Grow programme uses a combination of wellbeing workshops and physical activity to support young people to; 

- Improve their mental health and wellbeing 

- Increase confidence  

- Better identify ways of how to manage their lives and build resilience 

- Develop their personal and physical skills 

- Increase levels of physical activity 

- Increase connections with the wider community 

The Active:2:Grow programme is delivered weekly every Monday evening in the Volunteer Rooms (Irvine), with every session including a physical activity element and a wellbeing element where young people are supported to explore topics such as: 

- Emotions  

- Stress  

- Feelings 

- Goal setting 

- Decision making 

- Relationships  

- Life skills  

Funds provided through this application will contribute to the following resource costs:

-Winter gift bags £150

-Wellbeing boxes £150

-Sports Kitbag £200

-Broadening Horizon Activity/Trip/Transport £500

Team building helps to build skills that are useful for the girls now but also skills the girls can take into their adult lives. Team building helps to develop problem solving skills, bring out leadership qualities, encourage creative thinking, as well as helping to improve listening qualities in girls. Girls have a tough time as teenagers as well as preteens so even small wins boost self esteem and develop self confidence. The range of activities also help to show that not every girl has the same set of skills but every girl has a skill. This would be a great opportunity to help develop empathy as where one girl excels in one activity she may struggle with another. These are all skills that are important not just for now but for later in life, we as guiding leaders try to develop these qualities week to week however days out like this allow the girls to express their self and really show what they are made of, what they are good at and what they would like to be good at. 

Costs

Cost per girl/leader - £25.00

24 Brownies - 24 Guides - 6 Leaders - £1321.20

Team building badge - £0.60 

48 Badges - £28.80

Total cost - £1350.00

Largs Academy’s Duke of Edinburgh Award group was established at the start of 2022/23 at the request of pupils, through the Parent Council, to provide an extra-curricular opportunity for our senior pupils to learn new life skills, become more physically and mentally active while having a positive impact on their local community. The uptake is extremely positive with 50 young people nearing completion of their bronze award, this is expected to grow this year. The inclusivity of the programme has meant that pupils from all backgrounds have been able to participate and has given those who are disengaging from school a positive focus and a huge sense of achievement, enhancing wellbeing. The programme requires pupils to complete four sections; volunteering, physical, skill, and expedition (an overnight adventure by foot, bike or kayak). Sessions develop teamwork, communication and valuable skills including map reading, using a stove and outdoor first aid. The programme has allowed pupils to be themselves and form new friendships, build their confidence, get outdoors and have experiences they may not have otherwise had.

We are seeking funding on behalf of our young people who, when reflecting on their expedition section asked if we could purchase our own outdoor equipment such as tents, sleeping bags, walking boots, waterproof clothing and backpacks. We currently have a small supply of equipment but not enough to support our demand with over a quarter of our young people having to borrow resources from the council store to complete this section. We have attached a graph showing the equipment that was requested for this year’s expedition. We consulted the young people regarding what they got out of the Duke of Edinburgh group, and what they would like to purchase with unlimited funds, and their responses are attached.

We believe having our own equipment will allow us to better support our participants, giving them a sense of belonging and ensure that lack of equipment is not a barrier for participation, particularly considering the expense of the equipment and the cost of living crisis, and bearing in mind the cost of the school day. The funding will also allow us to support our most disadvantaged pupils to experience the outdoors and help to improve the mental health and wellbeing of our young people.

With the expansion of the Duke of Edinburgh Award we hope to set-up a silver group to provide a pathway for successful bronze candidates to continue to build on their sense of achievement.

Estimated costs

We would like to build up our Largs Academy store of equipment, particularly rucksacks, waterproofs, walking boots, roll mats. We would like to work with a local supplier, with a mind to the local economy, and costs at Vango in Port Glasgow are as follows (as of September 2023):

• Rucksack £120
• Waterproof trousers £32.50
• Waterproof jackets £34.99
• Walking boots £45
• Sleeping bags £52.50
• Tents £175

Our group seeks to help foster skills in 12-25 year olds by growing soft literacy and numeracy skills, as well as creative storytelling, critical thinking, social interaction, and brainstorming.

Our group compromises dedicated players and dungeon masters who share a common belief in the transformative power of tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Ranging from 12 to 25, we come together to create an inclusive and welcoming environment that fosters personal growth, social interaction, and skill development.

We operate out of the Ardeer Community Centre in Stevenston and meet up once a week to play through engaging scenarios that involve a lot of team work, brainstorming, and critical problem solving.

Our Objectives

• Enhancing Social Interaction: D&D is a collaborative game that promotes teamwork, communication, and empathy. Through role-playing and problem solving, participants learn to work together, respect diverse perspectives inspired from real world cultures across the globe, and building friendships that last outside of the game.
• Critical Thinking: Dungeons & Dragons is a game of strategy and decision making. Players face complex scenarios, forcing them to think critically, plan, and adapt to unexpected challenges. These skills are transferable to academic and other real-life situations.
• Soft Skills: D&D involves basic arithmetic, probability, and reading comprehension skills. By engaging in storytelling, participants improve their literacy, numeracy, and analytical abilities in a fun and engaging manner.

We believe that through these three objectives, we are able to give people a creative space and a voice for youth to grow socially, intellectually, and emotionally.

The need for funding

To continue our mission effectively, we require funding to acquire more rulebooks, modules, and supplementary materials. These resources will allow us to:

• Expand our reach: With additional materials, we can accommodate more participants, reaching youth who may not have access to such opportunities otherwise.
• Customise Experiences: D&D is versatile, and having a diverse collection of books enables us to tailor our sessions to the specific interests and needs of our participants, making learning more engaging and relevant.

The impact of this funding goes beyond the gaming table, as it helps participants develop critical life skills, gain confidence, and foster a love for learning. Lessons learned in our D&D sessions positively influence the academic and personal success of our participants.

Pricing Breakdown

• Supplement books: £400 (approx) to get 10 additional source books
• Tabletop 3D models: £150 (approx) to acquire 6 custom figures for our current players, and £100 to purchase a plethora of more generic models to give to future players.

Our Transition Programme is split into 3.

1. Good Start Gift Bags 
2. Potted Sports Event 
3. Transition Disco 

The Parent Council aims to support all children transitioning from primary school into Ardrossan Academy, we work in close partnership with the school to enhance opportunities for our young people. Last year the newly appointed Parent Council recognised the struggles of the cost of the school day following covid and the current cost of living crisis, the is where the idea for the 'Good Start Gift Bag' came from. It ensured equality across the whole of the year group as all pupils were issued with the Bag containing school essentials. 

 The bag itself is a drawstring PE kit bag,it contains a pencil case with pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, sharpener and highlighter, a reusable tub for HE lessons, a scientific calculator and a Spanish dictionary. The cost per bag is £15. The bag is gifted in May/June 2024.

The potted sports event takes place in the astro area of Ardrossan Academy, this event promotes team building and developing friendships. The children are split into their "house" which allows them to meet peers from other primary schools prior to attending classes with them. The cost of this event is £600, this covers the cost of equipment and refreshments on the day. This event takes place in May/June 2024. 

The transition disco allows the children to meet in a much more relaxed environment and gives them another opportunity to meet the pupils the will be in classes with. The costs included in this event are dj hire and refreshments which are approximately £600. The transition disco will be in June 2024.

The estimated cost of the entire transition project is approximately £3000, depending on where we can source the best price for the items we require for the bags. We hope to recieve the full £1000 available from this application and will hold other fundraising events. 

Skelmorlie Camera Club has successfully organised an annual photography competition for young people over the past 5 years. The club has enjoyed a special link with the photography department in Largs Academy. However.the competition is open to all young people of school age (primary/secondary) attending any school in the North Coast area. The principle aim of this venture is to improve the well being of young people by encouraging them to go outdoors with their camera or mobile phones, use their imagination and capture their own personal vision of "Autumn".

There will be a presentation event on December 12th in Skelmorlie Community Centre. Each submitted image will be critiqued and given constructive feedback.

The authors of the top 3 images will receive a canvas copy of their image ( 2 A4 @£40 each and 1 A3@ £60 )  and the overall winner will receive a £50 voucher.

Note 1: On the evening of the 12th December the winners will each receive a certificate. If our application is successful we will award each winner the aforementioned prizes at some point within the 12 months of the grant award.

2 training sessions of 4 hours for 12 young photographers will be arranged with 2 professional trainers (organised by Peter Stevenson a professional photographer and ex Jessops trainer) at £360 per session. The total training costs will be £720

Note 2: If our application is successful we will organise the training for the young people at some point within the 12 months of the grant award.