Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘This scheme is aimed at giving experience’
Now, a group of Dundee youngsters has paved the way to employment in a programme which is focused on training disadvantaged children with the “vital” skills and experiences for life in the workplace.
Known as ACK Champions, seven volunteer school kids from Craigie High and Claypotts Castle Primary were accompanied by four mentors from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design to train towards organising a charity event.
The scheme — which was run by Along Came Kirsty from April to July — shaped a training programme which was a direct response to the high numbers of children outwith education and work in the city.
It was also designed to raise awareness of job opportunities in voluntary organisations.
It comes as the Tele continues its campaign, Let’s Get Dundee Working, aimed at trying to highlight job and training opportunities.
Anthea Reid, the ACK Champions project manager, said: “This is a very exciting project.
“The 12-week training programme was the result of an ACK initiative.
“The organisation wanted to tackle the issue of disadvantaged kids not in education or work.
“Throughout the course, kids were learning basic skills such as dressing appropriately for work to the more difficult skills needed to organise an entire charity event.
“It has been amazing watching the kids grow in confidence and experience in how to work hard and deliver a project.
“The project is all about increasing and community young people’s awareness about opportunities in the charity sector or social enterprise.
“It is aimed at giving people experience in these types of jobs whilst letting them know there are opportunities in this area.”
Based at ACK’s office at Staffa Place, the weekly hour-long sessions built towards hosting a charity event which was held at Clarks on July 19.
One of the youngsters taking part, Bobbi Barron, said the experience had brought out more confidence in her. The 16-year-old said: “I think this has been really beneficial for me.
“I wasn’t really a confident person before. But this project helped me a lot and has got me looking into getting a job in youth work.
“I’m also going to be staying on with the ACK Champions to help with volunteering. I learned the importance of time-keeping, writing emails and using programmes like Eventbrite which would help organise the event.”
One of the volunteer mentors, Meghan Brown, said she was “inspired” by the project and that it’s given her focus to pursue a career in the charity sector.
She said: “I was doing research for my course at DJCAD and organised a meeting with Anthea.
“After the meeting I decided I wanted to sign up and volunteer. I was helping the volunteer school kids with the project as well as administration — it was really good.
“I think this programme has inspired me to pursue a career with a charity.”
Feedback gathered from this pilot project will ensure the official programme, due to be launched in September, meets standards to provide the best service possible for young people and potential employers.
Kids from Dundee schools will be referred to the programme and trained through a third sector organisation.
A summer project is under way.
FROM dressing well to having good IT skills — there are many strings to succeeding in the work place.