Blog

The latest articles and ideas from Inspiring Scotland and our partners.

24.05.2023

Creative Communities Glasgow programme launches

The Creative Communities Glasgow programme launched today (Wednesday 24 May 2023), thanks to £745,000 funding from Glasgow City Council’s Communities and Place Fund, part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Facilitated by Inspiring Scotland, the new Creative Communities Glasgow programme will support community organisations in the area to develop and run cultural and creative projects

06.10.2022

Empowering women and girls through Active Play

To mark this year’s Scottish Women and Girls Sports week we want to highlight the positive impact of women and girls’ participation in sports and physical activity through the Active Play Programme. Using a partnership approach it is enabling children, and adults, to participate in, and in turn lead on Active Play across Glasgow and

26.05.2022

Matt Baker guests blogs on Creative Communities programme after attending its showcase earlier this Month.

Artist and founder of the Stove Network, Matt Baker guests blogs on Creative Communities programme after attending its showcase earlier this Month. Firstly, I’d like to congratulate everyone who took part in the Creative Communities programme – from those who first thought up the idea and made it possible – to everyone who has been

21.03.2022

10 ‘Beautifully Ambitious’ Years of Link Up

Andrew Magowan, Link Up Programme Manager shares his reflections on Inspiring Scotland’s Link Up Programme turning 10. My colleague described our plans for the celebration as “beautifully ambitious”. True, but the phrase is also a great way to capture the essence of Link Up since its launch in 2012. Link Up was never really a

04.11.2020

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.

22.07.2020

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

29.11.2019

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

26.09.2019

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

21.09.2018

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

26.02.2018

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

30.05.2017

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

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

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