Scottish Government Programme for Government 2020-21
CLD, and issues that will be of interest to CLDSC members, are well represented in the Programme for Government published yesterday.
See the full programme on the Scottish Government website
We will be exploring implications, challenges and opportunities with committees and members in the coming weeks.
In particular, the Programme:
- Commits to developing a lifelong learning strategy:
“We know that COVID-19 has increased the poverty gap for Scotland’s most marginalised adults and young people, and reinforced that we must to do more to support vulnerable young people and adults with few or no qualifications, including those for whom English is not a first language. We will develop a lifelong learning strategy that ensures youth and adult learning are integrated within our wider education and skills system. Implementation of the strategy would seek to increase provision for vulnerable adults by building on existing and creating new learning partnerships between colleges, the Open University and community based organisations.” - Highlights that “Our experience during COVID-19 school closures..reinforced the vital role played by community learning and development in supporting young people and families – a role that will become ever more important in our recovery year. As part of our support to the sector we will allocate £3 million to a new Youth Work for Education Recovery Fund, supporting young people to engage with youth work activities that build their confidence and skills, support their health and well being, and address the poverty related attainment gap.”
And commits to legislation that “fully and directly incorporates into Scots law the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.” - Indicates that the Scottish Government wants “to harness the energy of communities to ensure they are a core part of how we do economic development in Scotland” and that “this is also the time to build on the progress we have been making on Community Wealth Building. This is a way of working that looks to reorganise our local economies to maximise local opportunities and resilience – ensuring that local people and businesses have a genuine stake in producing, owning and enjoying the wealth they create.”
Guidance update to support the reopening of indoor Youth Work
The Scottish Government have issued Guidance for the safe running of indoor and outdoor organised activities for children and young people.
View the Guidance on the Scottish Government site
This guidance is for unregulated activities and services provided indoors for children and young people, including babies and toddlers, that are voluntary, 3rd sector, parent or peer led or unregulated providers delivering a service or activity directly to children under 18.
Placement Supervisor Training and Support
CLD Standards Council is currently working with colleges, universities and employers to think about how we can best support students through the creation of a Scotland–wide placement supervisor professional training and development qualification. If you have not done so already please respond to one of the surveys below to help us shape this work:
Virtual meet-up 11 September 1-2pm – Put the Kettle On for MacMillan
Our next virtual meet up with combine a good old blether about anything and everything related to CLD while raising a coffee cup and a few pounds for MacMillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.
There’s no theme for this Meet-Up; just a chance to catch up, share stories, get support. There’s a lot going on at the moment, so we’re pretty sure we won’t run out of things to talk about! So, grab your cuppa and cake and consider making a donation. You can register and donate on this MacMillan Support page
Thank you.
Digital Inclusion Fund applications now open
There has never been a more important time to end digital poverty, please help us spread the word about this new fund for young adult learners.
£250K CLD programme to tackle the digital divide
The new £250,000 programme has been launched as part of an ongoing effort to address digital poverty.
The Digital Inclusion Fund will be used to facilitate the purchase of laptops, tablets, adaptive/assistive equipment and other devices in order to promote digital inclusion and connectivity, and is open to organisations working with young adult learners.
To qualify, the supported young adult learners must be:
- Aged 16 to 30
- Who are actively supported by Community Learning and Development
- Are not in full-time education, employment or training
Covid-19 has highlighted the stark digital divide that exists in Scotland.
As part of wider digital inclusion efforts, the Scottish Government and the CLD sector have been working to address the digital divide for young adult learners.
YouthLink Scotland, WEA and Lead Scotland will work together with their networks to reach those who could benefit most from support to access digital equipment and the internet. This is a limited fund, we would therefore ask you to prioritise those most in need of this support, and who may not be able to access other similar programmes such as Connecting Scotland.
Access further information about the Digital Inclusion Fund criteria (PDF)
Complete the online application form
The closing date for applications is the 25th of September (5pm).
Wee blether for youth work
Education Scotland are hosting an online Wee Blether on 7 September at 4pm.
This will be an opportunity for schools and youth work practitioners to reflect on the contributions that youth work makes to closing the poverty related attainment gap and discuss how to strengthen collaboration between schools and their youth work partners during the recovery phase.
This blether is for head teachers, teachers, and CLD practitioners.
Book your place on the Education Scotland events page
There is still time to apply for Erasmus+ Youth Funding
Final deadline for application: October 1st 2020.
Erasmus+ is the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport. Since the current programme started 2014, youth organisations and young people in Scotland have accessed more than 5 million Euros of Erasmus+ funding to support life-changing international opportunities. The current programme is due to end in December and the UK Government will decide whether the UK will be part of future programmes but that means that there is still one more round of funding to apply for.
Erasmus+ Youth Strand can fund a range of activities including youth volunteering projects, youth exchanges, mobility projects for young people and youth workers, international partnerships, and projects to shape youth policy.
The British Council has provided guidance for applicants and recipients of Erasmus+ funding as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. For example, they suggest that organisations may wish to consider applying for ‘blended’ activities , with virtual elements supported by physical mobilities in the future.
Check out the Erasmus+ site for more information about what you can apply for and how to go about it.
Celebrating the Impact of Adult Learning Photo Competition
EPALE UK Star Supporter Photo Competition 2020 is now open!
The theme is Celebrating the Impact of Adult Learning and how it is benefiting our community.
See full details on the EPALE competition page
The prizes are Instax Cameras with built-in printers. All UK individuals and organisations working in the field of adult education are welcome to participate. Entries will be accepted until 12pm on October 20, 2020.