Cireco were honoured to fund 1 to 1 annual mentorship for of a young child at @GreenRoutesStirling as part of our Community Benefits programme recently. Green Routes offers hands-on training in horticulture and an alternative to classroom-based education. Students have the opportunity to learn and grow, to develop skills for life and the opportunity to get involved in animal husbandry or woodworking and crafts. At Cireco we do more.

We were so grateful for the £250 community benefit award from Stirling Council's Procurement Team, at a time when we were approaching our financial reserves and at risk of closing. We had very recently appointed three new Trustees to our Board, and were at the beginning of a new era for the organisation.

Since then, we've been able to offer one of our playworkers a permanent contract, so that they are de facto deputy to our Manager. This brings significant resilience to the club in a way that was lacking before. 

All activity typically pauses out of term time, however during the summer 2024 our Manager and Deputy were able to commit time to planning for the new school year. We now have a target list of external organisations we want to bring into the after-school club during 2024/25, bringing more enriching activities to the children in Cornton.

We also recruited two new playworkers over the summer to start in the autumn term.

On Tuesday 13 August, the day before school started back, we held a COSC Open Day, hosting children and their families for some crafts and fun games. See attached picture, and view our promo video on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/share/v/HyTSiydgtySus7wY/.

We are certainly in a strong position entering the 2024/25 school year compared to previous years, and we're excited for the future of the club.

Callander Youth Project received £500 of Community Benefits Funding from Stirling Council's Procurement Team for their Catering for the Future Programme that offers young people from McLaren High School the opportunity to develop cooking and life skills through practical work experience in a real kitchen environment at Callander Youth Project.  The programme is tailored to the needs and interests of each individual young person who are given the freedom to decide which dishes they would like to prepare each week. Working alongside our youth workers, initially, young people learn how to operate in a kitchen safely and hygienically. As young people’s confidence grows, different cooking methods are introduced using a variety of techniques and equipment. This increased knowledge of working around a kitchen is a crucial life skill young people can take with them as they grow older and gain greater independence. 

Academic areas such as numeracy skills are also being developed as working with recipes requires the need for measuring ingredients and managing timings as well as increasing their ability to think methodically and follow processes correctly. This combined with young people having a greater sense of responsibility and work ethic has seen improvements in young people’s behaviour and achievement at school according to teacher feedback. Since launching in early 2022, catering for the future has worked with over 30 local young people and continues to provide experiential learning in an enjoyable and engaging manner. 

To find out more about the programme please contact Patricia Kent – Callander Youth Project Patricia@cyp.org.uk

Coach My Sport has been awarded £1,000 of Community Benefits Funding from Stirling Council's Procurement Team for their Bronze Personal Development Programme (ASDAN) proposal.

Coach My Sport is delivering the Bronze – Personal Development Programme (ASDAN) with 6 to 8 young people (aged 14 – 16) at a Secondary School in the Stirling area as part of an adapted curriculum offer within Stirling Secondary Schools. the School. 

To find out more about the programme please contact Tony Phillips at hello@coachmysport.co.uk