SIMY

SiMY is a youth and community development project that works alongside young people and their families in Townhead and the surrounding areas of Glasgow City Centre. SiMY predominantly works with 8 to 18 year olds, and most of this work takes place in the outdoors. Although SiMY's youth activity program is driven by the aims and aspirations of the young people, it typically includes physical and mental wellbeing games, hillwalking, swimming, climbing, biking, forest bathing, arts, crafts, and music. While these activities might sound like fun, they have a serious side, focussing on five interconnected development areas: mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, self confidence and self expression, building social skills and reducing social isolation, and nurturing a sense of agency. SiMY's focus on outdoor youth work, draws on the Scandinavian concept of ‘friluftsliv’; outdoor living, in order to give participants the maximum exposure to the proven mental and physical health benefits of spending time in natural green, and blue, spaces.

SiMY was started in 1999 by Norman McNeish, Tony Sargent and Neil Pratt, the then head of the youth work department of the International Christian College, when ICC moved to a new building in Townhead. The staff noticed there was very little for young people to do and found a lot of young people congregated in the area behind their building. SiMY developed in response to this need and the club was set up in partnership with local young people, and has continued to develop, grow, and change in response to their interests, aims and aspirations. The project was formalized in 2004 as a partnership between the International Christian College, The Church of Scotland through Martyrs Church in Townhead and Operation Mobilisation's LifeHope. After the change to focusing on Townhead, SiMY rebuilt, first through a Detached Youth work project, but quickly added back in youth clubs when the police and residence noticed an increase in antisocial behaviour due to the lack of things for young people to do and places for them to meet. The project grew by working with the International Christian College youth work degree course, the local community police, the Prince's Youth Trust (PYT), Glasgow Community Safety Services, St Roch Secondary school and Glasgow Life. In 2009 they had grown to successfully providing work place development posts for four youth work students from ICC and placements for two students from Anniesland College. Placements included experience in schools work, detached youth work, open youth clubs, residential work as well as specific projects that nourished particular interests of the young people. All students placed in this project have gone on to successful youth work careers. In 2011 the SiMY volunteer held a review to respond to the 2010 Community Audit of the area conducted by the church of Scotland Glasgow presbytery in conjunction with SiMY. The report highlighted much needs of the area. SiMY has formed as a separate charity. With the support of a consultant from the "Community enterprise trust", they are building the capacity of the new organisation. In 2012 both the Church of Scotland and the International Christian college removed support for Townhead. Both organization sold off their buildings in the area. Both the community building and land (church) and ICC building are now high density student housing. In 2013 the new Townhead Village Hall (TVHP) opened after 10 years of work which SiMY was involved in providing the youth voice and community audits for. The hall could not meet the capacity needed of new Townhead which had lost 4 community spaces over the period. The TVHP committee have dedicated, one room for one evening a week to youth work for Townhead young people. This is run by Glasgow life. SiMY moved to rebuild a new way of providing youth work through outdoor play, outdoor activities and partnerships with local businesses to provide arts. In 2014, with help of a local business man, SiMY moved into a former Taxi showroom to attempt to generate the income needed to provide the much needed space for development youth work. The main "business" being developed is the Bike Station Academy. A social enterprise to recycle old bikes and bike parts to sell cheaply and City and Guides training for local young people needing jobs. The youth work program has also developed. Outdoor pursuits such as walking, climbing, biking and kayaking; community sport; visual arts, dance and music with options to get credit for your activities through the DofE program (Glasgow Life) and Arts Award programs (Toonspeak and Glasgow Life).

Just Climb. In 2016 a group of young people lead a successful community budget campaign with the CPP to allow them to launch a climbing club in Townhead for Townhead young people. Break Dance. A project led by two talented young dancer to bring Breaking dance and links to Y'Dance for teenager from his school and area. The group have already worked with AplusM training to get their group to Y'Dance's destinations weekend. They are now looking for opportunities to expand the groups experience and skills with AplusM's help.

The SiMY community is mainly staffed by local volunteers. Most are young people who have grown up through the project or people who work in the Townhead area. This team of volunteers provide a stable base for statutory sector groups or activity based program providers to work with young people when they have the funding by joining in with the team. The team are made up from a diverse group of people. Although the heart of the project community are Christians, there is no need to be a Christian to be part of the community. The community is dedicated to the training of youth work professionals and continual personal development of its volunteers. The team apply a reflective cycle approach to youth work provision and response to the community of young people. Young people volunteer in the community working on ideas they have for improving their community. In each management committee that has developed, 2 young people are invited on to the committee.