Seventeen year old Craig McCrimmon has a lot to celebrate. In the last few years he has turned his life around with the support of Action for Children Scotland, at the end of December 2010 he received a commendation in the final of the UK Youthbuild Young Builder of the Year awards. One of only 20 finalists from across the UK, seven of whom were supported by Action for Children Scotland’s Youthbuild programme, this success is a testament to Craig’s hard work and the support he has received.
"I didn’t like going to school and would get really frustrated and angry and was always in trouble," said Craig, who comes from Castlemilk. "I did finish school but got involved in territorial fighting and drugs and was in trouble with the police." With his life going in the wrong direction Craig decided to apply for Action for Children Scotland’s Youthbuild programme. "I wanted to get some more qualifications and help my mum out with money."
The Youthbuild programme is run in 7 areas across central Scotland. It involves comprehensive training, working on building sites, followed by 26 weeks of paid employment with a company.
"Since starting work I really know the importance of teamwork," said Craig. "As a labourer I am responsible for helping out all the tradesmen on site and I give them all as much effort and hard work as I can. I have a great relationship with my site manager and he always gives me opportunities to work with lots of different tradesmen and get lots of different experiences. It has helped me decide that I would like to be a scaffolder. I am really focused on my work now and want to keep progressing in the job. Because I’m working so hard, I don’t have time to get involved in anything else."
By working hard and showing how committed he was Craig impressed his bosses at the construction company McTaggarts, and was rewarded when he secured a full time job.
Action for Children Scotland works to help the most vulnerable children and young people overcome injustice, deprivation and inequality so that they can achieve their full potential.