Scotland: National Rural Network
This is the second part in the event report from the Scottish National Rural Network regional event in Orkney. In this part you can get information on project presentations and a facilitated discussion session. In Part One, you can get details of information updates from the Rural Network, LEADER and Rural Priorities.
Donna Wylie, Connect Project Coordinator talked about a new initiative supporting young people looking to move into employment or further training.
The Connect Project is a new initiative offering ‘More Choices, More Chances' to young people aged 16-19 who are unsure what steps to take next or don't feel quite ready to move into employment or further training. The project provides an individual training plan that meets the young person's needs and learning. The project is funded through Orkney LEADER, Fairer Scotland Fund, and Voluntary Action Orkney. Ms Wylie explained the different aspects of the project that the LEADER funding has been able to cover, including things like staff salaries, equipment and materials, participant expenses and advertising.
The Connect Project offers training and development through a variety of methods, with each plan being very individual and tailored. Ms Wylie explained how participants are supported through the process with goal setting, encouragement and reassurance in the different aspects of development, and how they approach the employability aspect of the project. The referral process was then explained, followed by a summary of the achievements the project has had in its first year.
Ms Wylie gave some examples of the type of work that has been done, including outdoor trips and a stained glass workshop.
To finish, Ms Wylie presented an inspiring case study of a young person named Laura who had very low self esteem and a small social circle. With the support of the project, Laura has now been accepted to two different colleges to do a HNC in Business Administration, and will be representing Orkney and Scotland in the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
You can find out more by downloading the Connect Project presentation from our documents library.
Julian Branscombe provided an overview of the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme. This is a partnership of Orkney Islands Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB and over 30 other local organisations, who are all working together to get a better understanding and enjoyment of the heritage of the Scapa Flow area, and trying to involve as many people as possible.
The scheme is supported by £55,000 of funding from the Orkney LEADER programme, with a dozen other funders providing a total of £2 million funding including Heritage Lottery Fund, Orkney Island Council, Historic Scotland, Talisman Energy and other charitable trusts.
Mr Branscombe explained the tact required in reassuring every funder that everything will happen so long as their piece of the funding jigsaw is in place! This funding has meant the scheme can be completed over a three year period from 2009 - 2012, leaving lasting benefits.
Mr Branscombe went on to give some examples of the different types of classical, cultural and natural heritage that Orkney has to offer, including war time history, local traditions, local history, and wildlife, but explained how Scapa Flow can sometimes be overlooked by the draw of the mainland sites like St Magnus Cathedral.
There are 49 projects in the area, including everything from taking people to see seal pupping, to working with local businesses and organising school trips. The hardest work for these types of project is the risk assessments involved. The scheme is also working with local museums and heritage groups, and has included work on the footpath to the Old Man of Hoy, which is now in good condition again.
The scheme has become a whole network of different local projects and organisations, and heritage is driving economic development in the area. Mr Branscombe explained how there is a need to jump through hoops sometimes, but appreciates that it is fair to do the necessary reporting and paperwork involved.
You can find out more on the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme website and by downloading the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme presentation from our documents library.
Liam McArthur MSP reflected on the day's presentations and activities, and expressed how pleased he was to be at the event. Mr McArthur commented on how he had spent time with the Connect Project and how important the right kind of support and intervention is to young people.
He also talked about how, on the face of it, the Scapa Flow Scheme seemed to be a wide variety of projects, but that they are actually being pulled together as part of a great network.
Mr McArthur offered some observations about the amount of work that is put in by the people involved in the various projects, and also from the organisations offering advice and support, and hoped that lessons would be learnt from this programme that could be taken forward in the future to offer more predictability and awareness about what hoops people need to jump through.
Mr McArthur finished by saying that this had been an extremely useful event which put people in touch with others doing similar things, providing a catalyst for ideas, and reassuring people that they are not alone. The new connections being made challenge the presumption that everybody knows everyone else. There is an army of volunteers in Orkney, and Mr McArthur thanked everyone for all the hard work that people put in for the constituency.
Following a networking lunch, delegates took part in a facilitated discussion session about things that are working well in Orkney. At the end of discussions, participants were asked to identify the themes that had run through their conversations. The themes were:
Culture and Communities
In Part One, you can find out about information updates from the Scottish National Rural Network, Orkney LEADER and Northern Isles Rural Priorities.
The Orkney event was one of a series of 20 that took place in the first year of the Regional Coordination Service of the Scottish National Rural Network. You can get information, event reports, presentations, photos and video from events in our Rural Network Regional Events archive.
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