New Group Programme launched for young people in Musselburgh

Bridges Project has received funding from the Musselburgh Area Partnership to run a new Group Programme specifically for young people from Musselburgh.

The Programme, which has been funded until the end of March 2024, will support young people aged 12-25 who have been particularly impacted by the cost of living crisis. It will offer a wide range of social and accredited group activities that will not only enable young people to meet peers, reduce their social isolation and enjoy healthier lives but will also help them develop vital life skills which will help them save money and improve their future prospects.

Nicola Melvin will be delivering the Group Programme. She has spent the last few months delivering groups as part of Bridges Project’s Homemaker Service and she is excited about the opportunity to expand the charity’s group provision.

“It is massively important,” she said.

“There are not many services that offer these types of groups for young people in East Lothian and it will be particularly important to provide groups for the younger age range. This is an age range Guidance Teachers I have talked with say that there is a particular lack of provision for,” said Nicola.

The Groups Support Worker has a wide range of exciting plans for the new Group Programme. One of the Programme’s flagship initiatives will be ‘Creative Arts Tuesdays’, when there will be one Art Group and one Craft Group. The former will be a more relaxed, informal and therapeutic group for young people who want to be creative whereas the Craft Group will provide workshops for young people who want to work on specific art projects.

Another group on offer will be the Life Skills Group, which will focus on areas such as self-travel, housing options and citizenship. Nicola is also hoping to deliver a Planning Your Future Group aimed at S4, S5 and S6 students. This group will focus on exploring goals, aspirations, passions and future pathways in a creative way.

Collaboration will be another key feature of the Group Programme. Some joint groups that are in the planning stages include an active mental health group with Active Schools East Lothian, an animal therapy group with Changes and a gardening group with Blue Triangle and Bridges Project’s Young Ambassadors.

Social activities will also be an important aspect of the Group Programme. There will be both a Social Group as well as one-off social events such as barbeques and trips to the panto.

Nicola believes the groups on offer will have the potential to make a massive impact on young people’s development.

“The groups will be able to give young people a sense of belonging, help them develop vital life and social skills and improve their mental health through a natural, young person-led approach. It will provide a safe space where young people do something they enjoy while meeting other people without being judged,” said the Groups Support Worker.

Bridges Project’s CEO, Emma Scarcliffe, also thinks the new Group Programme will be an important offer to young people in Musselburgh. She said:

“We are delighted to have received funding from the Musselburgh Area Partnership to establish this much needed provision for young people in the local community. Since the pandemic, we have seen a significant increase in young people having the desire to interact with their peers in a relaxed, fun and supportive environment. So many vital social and learning experiences were put on hold and I am thrilled we can offer these opportunities which will have such an impact on young people from the Musselburgh area.”