Developments
Firstly, and in common with every school in the City, we wished to install equipment that would allow all young people who use the Project (up to 600 in any year) to access cool drinking water at no cost.
Secondly, we wished to be in a position to give each young person who used the Project a piece of fruit each day that they used the services of the Project.
Thirdly, we wished to continue to be able to offer subsidised access to all young people who use CYP to the facilities offered by the Crags Sports Centre and other more specialised activity centres when appropriate.
Fourthly, we wished to purchase a range of health resources and this would include resource packs for use with young people, both in groups and individually, leaflets on a wide range of health living related matter and posters to be displayed around the Project.
In November of 2004 the Central Area Local Development Committee awarded the Project the sum of £2,637 to develop these proposals over a six-month period. In November the strategy was launched and benefited every young person who used CYP. We were able to develop all four strands that are described above and the range of uses being made of the funding was excellent.
As well as the use of fruit bowls throughout the Project, clubs have used it to make fruit cocktails and smoothies; older teenagers used it to make soups and baked potatoes on a regular basis and those living independently took home bags of fresh fruit and vegetables on a regular basis.
In January 2005 the staff team participated in a workshop led by two health professionals from Lothian Health and the outcomes from this workshop will form the basis of our future developments.
Staff are continuing to undergo training which will equip them to work with a growing range of issues. Currently all staff have their emergency first aid certificate and have received training which allows them to operate our C: card and C: card plus services. Training events have also taken place in 2005 and covered Grief/Bereavement (February) in conjunction with the local secondary school and Self-harm (March), which a trainer who works for both the Health Service and the Voluntary Sectors led.
Canongate Youth Project’s annual summer programme incorporated
various physical activities this year for all age groups, including football,
swimming and ice skating. A separate project for young women focussing
specifically on physical activities was also incorporated into this year’ programme; this small-scale project was called “CYP Girls on the Move” and was aimed at encouraging 12 young women to
increase their levels of physical activity as well as trying new activities
(a separate report can be found on this project in the 2005 Annual Report).
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