Publications

Accessing the right kind of help can transform the lives of new parents

Pregnancy, birth and caring for a new baby can involve some of the most rewarding experiences in life. Yet being a new parent can also be difficult and isolating for mothers and families.

An Inspiring Partnership: Venture Trust and Inspiring Scotland

This is a guest post written by a member of staff at Venture Trust It’s the small things that really matter… relationships forged through a shared endeavour to help young people transform their lives for the long term. For the past 10 years, Inspiring Scotland and Venture Trust have been working together to change the

Autism Advisory Forum- learning from those with lived experience

Inspiring Scotland supports charity partners working across a number of thematic funds. Part of our work ensuring individuals can lead full and fulfilling lives focuses on making Scotland a more accessible, inclusive and understanding place for autistic people to learn, work and live. Hearing from people with lived experience is central to this work and

Away and Play: Fun, free and vital for development

We have lost something by scheduling ‘fun’ as part of our busy lives. Who remembers hopscotch? Climbing into a cardboard box? A stick that to you was a magic wand or a Light Sabre? Who remembers just running through the woods or over the grass for no real reason at all? I am sure most

Beyond play: community play charities are a vital support for struggling families

By Jill Fraser, Community Play Performance Advisor Inspiring Scotland exists to address poverty and disadvantage. The role of Play Rangers, our community play programme, in this work isn’t self-evident. Yet giving children the opportunity to play outside, in their own neighbourhood, can reveal the damaging effects and true extent of child poverty in Scotland and

Building Collaboration Fund

[THIS FUND HAS NOW CLOSED] We are excited to be managing the assessment of applications to a new £100,000 ‘Building Collaboration Fund’. Applications open on 4th February 2019, with grants of up to £25,000 available for groups of third sector partners working in collaboration, to improve the social care they provide. The Fund is a

Catherine Alexander talks about her experience as a Specialist Volunteer

Specialist Volunteer Catherine Alexander, has over thirty-five years’ experience in banking and financial services, having worked with private clients, institutional clients, insured defined contribution pension scheme clients and insurance company clients. Most recently Catherine worked with Aegon Asset Management / Kames Capital where she was she was Head of Client Service before joining Inspiring Scotland as

Celia Tennant on the benefits of outdoor play for Holyrood Magazine

Scotland is beautiful. We have mountains and rolling hills, forests, meadows, sandy beaches and rocky bays. Our cities, towns and villages are rich with urban beauty too. In fact, with their abundance of parks and gardens, they are the greenest in the UK. It is a beautiful place to call home and should be a

Celia Tennant thanks intandem charities and volunteers.

Inspiring Scotland recently commissioned Blake Stevenson to carry out an Independent Evaluation of our intandem programme. Established to support children and young people who are looked after at home, intandem provides them with a mentor they meet once a week, with whom they can have a positive and trusting relationship free from some of the pressures that life has thrown at

Celia Tennant writes about our obligations to young people for Holyrood magazine

Scotland does not belong to you. It does not belong to me. It doesn’t belong to politicians, public servants, business leaders or entrepreneurs. Scotland belongs to our young people, our children and their children yet to come. We are just caretakers. It is our job to build a country, and a society, our children and

Celia Tennant: Our response to the incorporation of the UNCRC in Scots law

At Inspiring Scotland, we firmly believe that the health, happiness and wellbeing of children and young people is paramount. It is a shared responsibility of civil society – people and organisations across the public, private and third sectors – to protect children and young people. To support them to grow up with the means

Charities and Volunteers join forces to improve youth employability

The third sector forms the backbone of our communities and spends the majority of its money and time delivering essential services. While this is critically important, it means organisations are often left with precious little resources to dedicate to the core business functions that enable them to streamline, scale and innovate. Skills-based volunteering offers charities

Collaborating with communities in Kilmarnock: “We want to lift people out of really dark places.”

This article was written by David McPhee and originally appeared in Positively Scottish in May 2017 Isolated. Cut-off. Islands. These are just a few of the new buzz words used to describe people who, often through no fault of their own, become disconnected from mainstream society. If the isolation lasts long enough, they can become

Consultation on funding for independent support sector

This consultation is now closed. Following the success of the Support in the Right Direction (SiRD) funding programme, which empowers people to be equal partners in their social care and support decisions, Inspiring Scotland is opening a consultation for the independent support sector and other key partners. This consultation aims to gather views on the

Contract Dispute Support for Youth Scotland

Youth Scotland had run into issues with a company delivering a significant IT project and it was clear we were at risk of the situation becoming a stand-off which could cost us a lot of money. We knew that we needed to obtain advice to understand what our options were but also that obtaining this

Creating resilient and sustainable islands

People living in Scotland’s island-based communities will benefit from new funding for projects designed to support employment, community resilience and health and wellbeing. Through the £2 million Island Communities Fund, 29 successful community groups and businesses across 23 islands have been awarded grants of up to £150,000 each. Projects focus on developing sustainable economic activities

Delivering Equally Safe Fund-Important Update

IMPORTANT UPDATE On the 24th March 2021, the Scottish Government and COSLA issued a joint statement on the Delivering Equally Safe fund. The statement outlines a number of important changes to the fund which have come in with immediate effect. We understand that those who are intending to apply may have questions and we are

Empowering Scotland’s communities through Link Up

To mark this year’s Challenge Poverty Week, Inspiring Scotland is reflecting on nearly ten years of running Link Up, a programme that has enabled grassroots change at the heart of some of Scotland’s most challenged communities. Too many people are locked in the grip of poverty. We know that one in five working age adults

Engaged HR support for Move On

Move On, a charity in Inspiring Scotland’s 14:19 and intandem funds, has been working with pro bono volunteer and HR expert Lynn Reid over an extended period of time to look at some ongoing staffing and organisational challenges. Lynn has been able to commit time to the project thanks to the flexible working approach and corporate

Financial pro bono support: three case studies.

Case study one – Financial process review. A fraudulent email was sent to a staff member at a charity that claimed to come from the chief executive, asking for a transfer of £28,000 to be made with immediate effect. As the staff member was new, alarm bells were not triggered until after the transfer

Free support to improve your charity’s digital outreach

Has your charity started using digital in new and different ways over the past year? Or perhaps you’re keen to better connect with your target audience through digital, but aren’t sure where to start? You’re not alone – over the past year a number of charities have taken on new digital approaches and one question

Go2play is now Thrive Outdoors

At Inspiring Scotland, we want all of Scotland’s children to thrive. We have been working in outdoor play since 2010 and we know that by playing outdoors, children grow, learn and develop, emotionally and physically, in the best possible way. In short, growing playing and learning outdoors is how children thrive. That’s why, after eight

How to overcome a social media crisis

We can all remember times when companies have got it badly wrong. As social media continues to become the essential medium through which organisations engage with the public, social media blunders have become all too frequent. Not every company error makes headline news and, if it does, it’s often forgotten about amidst the next day’s

How your professional expertise can make a difference

Did you know that Inspiring Scotland’s specialist volunteer opportunities enable you to use your skills and expertise for the greater good? Specialist Volunteer Executive Elaine Crichton explains how you can make a difference. Traditional volunteering roles aren’t for everyone – whilst many of us want to share our time and skills with charities and other

In a just society, we must all challenge poverty

Improving the lives of the people of Scotland is what gets us out of bed in the morning. We set ourselves against poverty and disadvantage, and rightly so. Inspiring Scotland exists to help essential charities become extraordinary charities, so that they can support more of the people who need it, and help us all progress

Inspiring heroes are everywhere

A local project that began with a spot of bicycle tinkering has changed lives and inspired a community, says Celia Tennant in The Scotsman Now the rush of finish lines crossed and the jubilation of medals won has subsided, a couple of stories from the Rio Olympics which did the rounds on social media have

intandem expand their team and help map mentoring to Keep the Promise

As part of their ongoing commitment to amplify the voices of children and young people, intandem are taking action to Keep the Promise of the Independent Care Review. After a successful application to The Promise Partnership, intandem secured investment to recruit a Programme Development Intern to support the national mentoring programme, and are delighted to

Invest in a good cause to receive greater returns

Former Baillie Gifford & Co partner Leslie Robb shares the rewards of venture philanthropy following his investment in Inspiring Scotland’s 14:19 Fund. When an investor is running the rule over a potential deal, one question pops up again and again: what’s the return on my investment? Whether it is the dividend or the interest rate

It’s good business sense for charities to be sustainable

MENTION the word “charity” to most people and they’ll immediately think of the grey-haired old lady with the sweet smile standing behind the second-hand shop counter. Yet today’s charities rarely fit into that and clichéd image; the third sector is big business in Scotland, employing more than 100,000 workers and turning over £5.8 billion last

It’s Volunteers’ Week and we want to say Thank you

From board rooms to community halls, volunteers are the backbone of our thriving third sector. National Volunteers Week (1 -8th June) is shining a spotlight on the extraordinary commitment of the 12 million volunteers who give their time and experience to charities across the country every week. It is an opportunity for those of us

Let’s change the way we fight poverty and inequality in Scotland.

Let’s break the cycle, says Deputy Chief Executive Helen Chambers We know inequality breeds poverty. And poverty, in turn, breeds inequality. But it’s not that simple. Inequality is not just about being poor. Inequality means never having opportunity when you have ability and knowledge. It’s about not having a choice when there should be so

Loneliness doesn’t have to be for life

Our Deputy Chief Executive, Helen Chambers, writes about how Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up fund is tackling loneliness through transforming communities from within. At a time when the damaging effects of loneliness are being equated to the effects of smoking, the need to transform our communities is more critical than ever. Combatting community breakdown and isolation

Make outdoor play the norm for our children

Rachel Cowper from our go2play fund urges us all to let children play outside in The Herald. With a sunny start to April and the longer days ahead, you might begin to see the streets and green spaces of Scotland filled with children and wonder: is it not always so? Sadly, like the rose-tinted memories

Mentoring can build confidence and offer hope for a bright future

As part of the Volunteers’ Week 2021 celebrations, we interviewed intandem mentor Angela Jamieson to find out about her mentoring journey and the impact being a mentor has had on her life so far. Could you tell us a bit about yourself? I’m currently a performance advisor supporting 29 charities who provide services to Survivors

National Carers Week: raising awareness of hidden carers is more important than ever

Inspiring Scotland supports East Ayrshire Carers Centre (EACC) to work with young people with a caring role at home. This guest blog is from EACC Co-Chief Executive Officer Fiona Robson. It’s National Carers Week, and the theme this year is to “Make Carers Visible”. The irony of our current situation is not lost on us

Nurturing the ‘new normal’ through outdoor learning and play

As we move out of lockdown, embracing our outside spaces can help society recover and build resilience for the future, writes Thrive Outdoors Programme Manager Rachel Cowper. The online algorithms must be getting to know my reading habits of late, because I have come across many articles over the last few days discussing what the

Our Future Now – The Need to Act

Alongside trusted charities and investors, we are committed to supporting young people as they navigate the challenges of the post COVID-19 job market, writes Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant. After 10 years of sustained effort from across government, business, and civil society in Scotland, youth unemployment reached a record low of 6.9% in July

Our Specialist Volunteer Network can help bridge knowledge gaps

Inspiring Scotland’s Specialist Volunteer Network is a free resource to third sector organisations, providing support wherever it is needed most. A common way to use this service is to cover gaps in an organisation’s knowledge or skills. The specialists provide valuable insights and advice from an external perspective, free of charge, ensuring organisations can access

People are at the heart of sustainable charities

All charities have the people they serve at the heart of everything they do, writes Performance Advisor Kirsty Gilchrist. It is a core principle of our sector. But people are also at the heart of how they do it. Without the energy, compassion and expertise of staff, charities could not do the extraordinary work they

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Third Sector Funding Announced

18 third sector organisations from across Scotland have been awarded funding from the Scottish Government’s Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Small Grants Fund. These organisations provide vital support for new and expectant parents, carers and families at a crucial stage of life. Building on a recent consultation, the fund supports small to medium sized organisations

Playing outside helps children to have a stake in their communities

By Jill Fraser, Community Play Performance Advisor Community is an old and deeply human idea. It is about sharing; people sharing experiences, sharing places and sharing hopes. We gain a sense of community early in our lives. For children, playing is intrinsically linked to a burgeoning sense of belonging to a bigger group of people

Pro Bono brews up a fine new brand of business

Callander’s Bridgend cafe development shows how our free support network can help, says Elaine Crichton, Pro Bono Executive If you find yourself in Callander in need of a pick-me-up, I highly recommend you stop by the Bridgend café and get a young barista named Jamie to make you a coffee; he may well make the best latte

Resilience in the charity sector is more important than ever

Resilience is more important now than ever for the charity sector – but it is just the beginning of the journey we need to take, says Julia Abel, Head of Funds. Being resilient to shocks and change is more important for the charity sector now than it has ever been. I need hardly utter why;

Scottish Tech Army: free digital help & advice during COVID-19

Entrepreneur Peter Jaco, co-founder of the Scottish Tech Army explains how his volunteer force of technologist can help charities and public sector organisations with any coronavirus-related challenges they might be facing – free of charge. When Alistair Forbes and I launched the Scottish Tech Army (STA) on 28 April, we had no idea it would

Sit Up Awards help to highlight the compassionate humanity at the centre of complex issues

I am passionate about the potential of people and communities to create lasting positive change. I wouldn’t be able to do the work I do – as chief executive of Inspiring Scotland and as an active member of several community and social advisory groups – if I didn’t believe it wholeheartedly. Over the last few

Specialist Volunteers support Interfaith Glasgow’s virtual governance training

To mark small charities week 2021, we’re speaking with Philip Mendelsohn, Chair at Interfaith Glasgow about how Inspiring Scotland’s Specialist Volunteer Network has provided support. “Having engaged with Inspiring Scotland through their management of a grant programme, we noted in the very detailed introduction pack that they offered support through the network that seemed to

Strategic support for Macrobert Arts Centre

Kathryn Welsh, Operations Director at the Macrobert Arts Centre We approached Inspiring Scotland in the hope of finding some pro bono support to help our senior team to navigate a challenging time in our organisational development. Following a funding cut in the new year, we’d been reflecting on our priorities for the year ahead and

Successful organisations announced for Equality and Human Rights Fund

48 organisations across Scotland have been awarded funding from the Scottish Government’s Equality and Human Fund to advance human rights, promote equality and tackle discrimination. The successful organisations will share £21 million over three years, from 2021 to 2024, with £7 million distributed annually. Overall, this new three-year programme will provide an additional £1 million

Supporting charity communications

Sam Marriott-Dowding is Managing Director of Marriott Communications and a Specialist Volunteer with Inspiring Scotland. He has brought his expertise in communications to several projects supporting charities across Scotland. As a Specialist Volunteer, I work predominantly within communications – so anything from: PR, media management, crisis communications, digital marketing, content creation, social media management, to

Technology for Social Good – working with JPMorgan

Inspiring Scotland’s Pro Bono team has been working with J.P. Morgan over the last two years. Through its Force for Good program, J.P. Morgan provides, on a pro bono basis, expertise in innovative technology to local charitable organisations. The bank’s Force for Good initiative leverages the power of technology and people to inspire change, foster

Thank you for our first 10 years

The 29th of January 2018 marks 10 years since Inspiring Scotland was founded. The story of our first 10 years is a story about people, a lot of people, the relationships we have built with one another, and the impact we have been able to create together. We started with the ambition of tackling the

The impact of specialist support on small charities

“We were drawn to the Specialist Volunteer Network because of the wide range of skills and expertise provided by Volunteers and the excellent fit with help we were looking for as a charity.” Small charities often lack the infrastructure that larger charities have for HR, IT, Finance and Business Development. On top of this, accessing

The importance of engaging Scotland’s girls in Active Play

To celebrate Scottish woman and girls in sport week 2020 we decided to interview Anne- Marie, who is involved in the running of the Active Play programme at voluntary organisation FARE Scotland, on the importance of engaging girls in Active play. FARE Scotland (Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse) is a voluntary organisation working within

The importance of social connectedness for mental health and wellbeing

Mental Health has been a taboo for a long time. It is encouraging to see the topic going up the agenda and becoming a subject of lively conversation, not just amongst professionals but with family and friends too. It is slowly but surely becoming looked at for its universal relevance and central importance to our

The Journey to Charity Director

By Christopher Graham, Vice Chair of Stepping Stones for Families & CEO of The Marketing Department I write this at a time of change for the Stepping Stones for Families (SSfF) board. We are preparing for our AGM in a few weeks, the final one for our outgoing chair. And my fellow board members will

The Potential of our Relationships

Link Up worker Hannah Kirby reflects on Hilary Cottam’s book ‘Radical Help’ and the parallels with Inspiring Scotland’s community development and wellbeing programme.

The world needs people who think differently

In our latest blog, Autism Performance Advisor Allison Crawford writes about the development of the Different Minds. One Scotland campaign and the collaborative process which helped bring the campaign into fruition.

There is so much to play for when we encourage young children to enjoy the outdoors

By Juliet Robertson, Outdoor learning and play specialist, Creative STAR Learning The image of children splashing in muddy puddles or running, carefree through the woods, giggling in the way only happy children can, might seem like a nostalgic rural idyll to city dwellers in this age of social media and easy-access tech. But it doesn’t have

Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: ‘Our wee garden’

Blog 2 Read on as we share Blog 2 in our blog series on bringing Outdoor ELC to the Botanics in Edinburgh. This week’s blog contributor is Cath Ashby part of the learning team at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. Hi I am Cath Ashby and I have worked at the Botanics for 23

Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Bringing Outdoor ELC to the Botanics

Blog 1 This week sees the start of an exciting collaboration between the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), Inspiring Scotland’s Thrive Outdoors team, the University of Edinburgh and two Edinburgh-based Early Learning and Childcare settings; Edzell Nursery and Outdoor Nursery Edinburgh (ONE). Over the next six months the partners will undertake research as groups of

Together, we are Inspiring Scotland

Our vision for Scotland is achievable, says Chief Executive Celia Tennant. A Scotland without poverty or disadvantage – that is our vision. It is not going to be easy to achieve. But we know from experience when people, communities, charities and government all work together, remarkable things can be accomplished. We want to tackle some

Venture that is reaping rewards for young people

WIND the clock back 10 years and Scotland was in the grip of the global banking crisis. Royal Bank of Scotland was bailed out, Halifax Bank of Scotland was forced into a shotgun marriage with Lloyds TSB and consumers stared into the precipice of a decade of ultra-low savings rates. Yet, amongst the gloom of the looming

We need our children to be better than us – outdoor play can help

There is a saying, variously attributed to early environmental campaigners but likely a much older proverb from a wiser time and place, that goes: “We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.” Whatever its origins, the sentiment rings true and by its maxim we have failed our children

We owe it to our young people to build a better Scotland.

Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant explains the motivation behind Our Future Now. Scotland’s future belongs to its young people. Today’s school children will be the community leaders, business people, teachers, politicians, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow. But far too many young people are at risk of being excluded from that future because of circumstances

We start with hope

We must take this moment to reappraise and reimagine how our systems of support for the most vulnerable should operate in future, writes Andrew Magowan. How we shape and control the world around us is the primary means by which we develop and express our place and role in this world. If we are unable

What makes a Link Up worker effective?

Tackling societies biggest issues depends on very special types of people on the frontline. At Link Up we have been analysing what the critical factors are that make our workers most effective in connecting the communities in which they work. Since 2012 Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up Programme has been leading efforts in actively tackling inequality

Where should our future classrooms be?

In this collaborative blog, Rachel Cowper of Thrive Outdoors and Central Scotland Green Network Trust’s Deryck Irving present the case for moving classroom teaching outside post-COVID-19. The response to the current pandemic has meant the introduction of new behaviours to many aspects of our day-to-day lives. The process of easing lockdown will require changed behaviours

Working together for wellbeing

I firmly believe that the wellbeing of people is paramount. It directs the work we do at Inspiring Scotland, as well as the work I do personally as a member of several community and advisory groups. It directs the work I do as a sports coach for children and young people. That’s why I was

Wounds of recession still deepest for the poor

Hard times tend to hit the most in need the hardest, writes our Deputy Chief Executive Helen Chambers. To say these are uncertain times could be considered a significant understatement, but no-one would argue it is one of the few statements which can be currently made with any semblance of confidence. Unfortunately, another such statement

Young people are more than their mental health difficulties

Charis Robertson of Hot Chocolate Trust, an Inspiring Scotland 14:19 Fund portfolio charity is celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week by asking the Hot Chocolate Trust young people what their hopes for the future of mental health support across Scotland. I am no expert on how mental health issues affect young people. However, having worked with hundreds

£1.3 million fund opens to support health and wellbeing of Island Communities

Please note applications closed on the 20th of September 2021. The Scottish Government’s Healthy Islands Fund – a £1.3 million fund supporting projects focused on health and wellbeing on Scottish islands opens today 23 August 2021. Successful projects will include community-led wellness initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles on the islands, supporting the delivery of Strategic

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Women & Girls in Sports Week ⛳🎽🤾‍♂️ is shining a light on the mental and physical benefits of getting active. A gre… https://t.co/zjeezhUXrt about 7 hours ago