Edinburgh & Lothians

Our support for Young People 

Employability and Supported Volunteering Programme 

Our free to access Employability and Supported Volunteering programme is for young people aged 16-30 in the City of Edinburgh.   Our support can be life changing!  We help young people to break down barriers and gain new skills such as CV writing, job search, developing confidence, social skills, interview skills and lots more!

We also encourage and support young people to undertake new experiences – by introducing them to a suitable volunteering opportunity in their community, through our many charity partners across Edinburgh.  Young people also have the opportunity to benefit from a positive and empowering mentoring relationship.

At ProjectScotland, we are passionate about helping young people to find a volunteering role which suits their interests and goals, while providing emotional and practical support along the way! Through volunteering, young people build their confidence and develop new skills, all whilst giving time back to a local organisation or charitable cause.

The Inspire Project

Delivered in partnership with The Welcoming Association,  The Inspire Project supports young New Scots, Refugee, Asylum Seekers or displaced people (aged 16-35) in the City of Edinburgh.

Young, New Scots face multiple barriers to employment, further education and other opportunities.  We recognise the huge potential of young New Scots – they have aspirations and goals – but may not have the tools, guidance or support to turn these into a reality.

The Inspire Project provides Employability support,  access to Supported Volunteering opportunities, and the chance to benefit from mentoring relationships.

Secondary School Programmes

Our innovative Supported Volunteering and Mentoring programmes are currently delivered in partnership with Leith Academy and St Thomas of Aquins R.C High School.

The programme supports young people in S2-S4 by facilitating access to volunteering experiences with a local charity.  We also provide empowering and positive mentoring relationships,  and tailored 1:1 support provided by our ProjectScotland team.   We help young people broaden their horizons, enhance their aspirations, gain new skills and experiences, promote a sense of place, belonging and citizenship.

Our programmes supports each school with their culture and ethos of volunteering.

Cashback: Community Connections  –  West Lothian 

ProjectScotland are delighted to be part of the Cashback: Community Connections programme in West Lothian,  working alongside our partner organisations – The Larder, West Lothian College, Youth Action Project and others.

Young people we support in West Lothian face multiple barriers to moving on in life.   Included are young people who are involved in, or at risk of, offending behaviour, engaged in Youth Justice,  or are due for release from custody.

We provide the opportunity for young people to take part in positive and empowering Mentoring relationships, and access to local volunteering opportunities.  Our support helps to break down barriers, give young people new experiences, and the chance to enhance their confidence, resilience, health and wellbeing.

Our support for Parents 

Parents Employability and Supported Volunteering Programme

This programme offers support to parents across the City of Edinburgh who are New Scots (Refugee’s, Asylum Seekers, Displaced people) , and parents from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

We work 1:1 with parents to understand their strengths, skills, and barriers to employment, putting steps or strategies in place to overcome these barriers or challenges.  Parents are supported with vocational activities such as developing CV’s, job search, applications, mock interviews etc.

We also provide work-ready support – helping parents to access to volunteering experience and, identifying training opportunities.  Each parent also has the opportunity to benefit from an empowering and positive Mentoring relationship – provided by our team of local volunteers