Local Priority: Create safe outdoor and indoor spaces for young people

Planet Youth is an evidence based substance use prevention model. It is a 10 step process which aims to identify risk and protective factors to build a protective environment for children and young people to grow up in. The work is built around 4 domains - Leisure Time, School, Family and Peer Group. Through working with young people at Baldragon Academy over a series of workshops with V&A, Dundee and examining the Planet Youth data it was identified by both pupils and teaching staff that creating safe indoor and outdoor spaces was a priority. YP have disclosed through the work we have completed that there is a lack of places to sit outside and a limited amount of benches with shelter. We would hope with the approval of this application that we could provide a further three outdoor tables and bench set for the playground. This would allow young people to eat their lunch outside and engage positively with their peers. We would also hope that young people would have had a more positive experience over lunchtime, therefore returning to class in a more relaxed state and are more likely to engage with their in their learning. It was also identified by the young people that there is a lack of sporting activities/resources in the playground. Again, through consultation with the wider school community suggestions have been made to invest in basketball nets and a selection of different sporting equipment for the playground. This again would allow young people to engage in a more positive lunchtime and engage them in physical activity in school and encourage team building activities. The PY data also shows that there is a lack of young people participating in physical activity so therefore by creating more opportunity for them it is likely to encourage them to be more physically active. The YP have also identified spaces in school which they would like to create. The young people expressed that lunchtimes can be busy and there is not enough space for everyone in the lunch hall. After pupils presented to Senior Leadership team, it was identified that there was certain spaces pupils could use in school. The hope is this would create a calmer environment for all pupils in school, it would reduce overcrowding in certain areas of the school. Young people have also asked if they can open different departments at lunch. This again would allow young people to engage in a more positive lunchtime and be with their peers.

In 2023 the Planet Youth survey was completed by S3/4 pupils in Baldragon Academy. The survey focuses on four domains: School, Peer Education, Leisure Time and Family. Baldragon Academy has been working in partnership with V&A, Dundee, Barnardo's with the PY Development Officer to look at the Planet Youth data. A mixture of pupils from across S1-6 examined the different statements that came from the data and prioritised 'safe spaces in school'. With the support of the V&A, the young people went on a ‘safari tour' of the school to identify spaces where they felt safe and not so safe in school. Through looking at the pictures the YP were able to discuss with their peers and professionals what it was they liked and disliked about specific places in school. The young people then created prototypes of spaces they would like to see in school such as: using the fitness suite at lunchtime, having somewhere comfy to sit and making more of the outdoor space. The senior pupils then presented to senior leadership team and at assembly to consult the rest of the school. During lunchtime the group created a ballot where the rest of the school could vote on what spaces they would like to see be developed in school. The school voted as follows: Gaming Room- 50% Outdoor Spaces – 50% Movie lunchtime – 40% Fitness suite – 35% Opening departments – 25% Soft furnishings-25% Junior vs Seniors- 10% Other suggestions – set up sporting activities outside, basketball net and opening upstairs.

Local Priority: Urban improvements incorporating environmental seating and shelters

The DISC Target Project is the largest and longest running Evening Diversionary Project in the City of Dundee . It has been running for 23 years . It runs 50 weeks per year , 2-3 evenings per week , and attracts more than 200 Young People though its doors every week. It provides Young people aged 11-19,with a safe , healthy , free and inclusive Diversion activities from Risk taking behaviour , and specifically targets the City's most vulnerable Groups most affected by child poverty . It pro actively targets LAC young people , young carers , young people who don't attend school, young people involved in ASB , unaccompanied child Asylum seekers or refugees or who are experiencing Trauma and mental health problems . Over 70% of the young people attending live within the City's most poverty effected streets and areas. The Project is run outside late at night and provides free food , warm blankets , football boots and warm clothing as a direct response to the food and heat poverty that these kids are experiencing . However they are open to the elements and are often cold , wet unable to stay dry whilst receiving support. OUR PROPOSAL -is that we buy a covered seated enclosure where young people can access our provision all year round but stay warm and dry whilst provided with support , food , warmth and vital support .This will keep our most vulnerable young people safely Diverted with benefits to the whole community . The seated enclosure will be available to all DISC service users 7 days per week (e.g. parents , Morgan pupils during PE lessons and all clubs accessing their local sports centre , thus improving community life and facilities for all . Expected Outcomes: • Increase and improve participants lives accessing learning opportunities facilitated and managed by by Dundee City Council CLD Youth Work (CLD Disc Target Project). • Decrease anti-social behaviour incidents in the community. • Increase number of individuals and groups accessing facilities at DISC. • Improve local Maryfield facilities available for sport and recreation. The outcomes will contribute to the local priority of Improvements to outdoor play and recreation incorporating parks, green spaces and school playgrounds. The contributing factors will be improvement to the number of individuals accessing sport and recreation learning opportunities facilitated by Leisure & Culture and Dundee City Youth Work provision. This will have a positive influence on the strategic priorities outlined in the City Plan for Dundee 2022-32. With young people being able to access quality sport facilities with no cost helps REDUCE child poverty and inequalities in incomes, education & health.

In the last 6 months , over 250 local young people were consulted in a number of occasions about what would make their community better and what could improve areas of their life . Many of the young people consulted came from areas most effected by poverty.  Access to warmth was important especially in winter months and their access to food at nights was also apriority . Almost all of the young people consulted said that the access to the DISC Target Project was very important to them but because it was outdoors they were cold and wet from the rain and elements. Often they only had one warm jacket which if wet would have to be worn to school the next day . THE SHELTER that we are proposing will seat 50 and will include an area where we can provide warm snacks , shelter and vital support and Diversion from harm.

There has been widespread support from the local community for this improvement in local facilities. It is an example of partners ,local people and service providers coming together to identify potential improvements , but a commitment given to managing , maximising use and maintaining this new facility which has anti poverty outcomes as its core outcomes.  

When it rains, they do not have warm clothing to allow them to take part and often go home cold and hungry. This Youth Shelter would help us reduce the effects of poverty for many local young people,

Local Priority: Safe and accessible pathways/ spaces.  

We are a busy community larder & café based in Lochee. Our aims are to: • fight food poverty by providing a more sustainable food provision model, where community can access and choose free or low-cost food; • fight social isolation by creating a welcoming community café; • and create a safe space that is non-judgemental. We will be using the grant money to resurface the back access to the larder, café, storage units, shops and residents drying area. The area has become very uneven and quite dangerous. Resurfacing it will help ensure the safety of the staff, volunteers, general public and residents. This will also enhance the aesthetics of the area. Whilst we have created a safe and welcoming space inside our larder & café for the local community. The back access area, which is in constant use by our volunteers and delivery drivers during our opening hours, as well as residents and the general public delivering donations to us, has become unsafe. This work has become urgent due to the number of injuries our volunteers have been sustaining, which has a negative knock-on effect to the running of the larder and café.

Over the past 12 months there have been numerous accidents due to the uneven nature of the surface. Volunteers have had to attend A&E, ambulances called and long absences from duties because of injuries. We have had conversations with the neighbouring properties above us, suppliers, general public and the other business in the vicinity. The outcome of these conversations is that everyone is in agreement that the area needs to be resurfaced to enhance and ensure the safety of everyone.

We would like you to know of the issues that have arisen over the years we have been in situ. There have been several accidents to volunteers resulting in damage to their person which have required hospital treatment. As well as the uneven surface, when the loose stones get wet, they become very slippery causing slips and falls. There has also been damage caused to cars due to uneven surface and loose stones which have been repaired at cost to individuals. Some of the injuries have had an impact on the running of the larder & café as volunteers have been out of action for sometimes weeks. One example is a volunteer who was unable to lift any crates for 4 months due to a back injury sustained by tripping over the uneven ground when unloading items from a delivery van. We have recently had the pathway to the rear of the premise which leads to our stock rooms re-laid which in itself has made a big difference to the quality and appearance of the premises. We funded this renovation, with money from grocery sales. We received the quote from Tayside Contracts after we got the council confirmation, and this is the one we would like to proceed with

To address the local priority: Improve safety, accessibility and equipment in outdoor recreation spaces for families and young people

The grant would be used to upgrade Hilltown Park Play Equipment. This includes replacing the current, damaged equipment with newer, more modern equipment, resurfacing the current surfaces and installing a fence with a gate to keep the equipment safe from dogs and make the space safer for children who may be inclined to run away. By installing these, the park will be more accessible for families and young people living in an area of the 10% most deprived in Scotland. Hilltown Park has been a community loved gem since it's installation and is cherished by local children and families. Sadly, the equipment is old and worn and the surfacing has become aged and rotten. The park is also well used by dog walkers, and often dogs cause damage to the play equipment when they are playing. Local people explained that upgrading this park would make a huge difference to the facilities in the area. Maxwell Centre regularly uses the park with their youth groups and have been campaigning for this upgrade and designing ideas for this.

Maxwell Centre and CLD Youth Groups have attended Local Community Planning Partnership to raise this issue on behalf of their peers. Our Lady's Additional Support Base Staff have consulted with parents on the suitability of the space in the park and agreed that better equipment and a fence would make the park far more accessible.

The grant will replace the multiplay unit and slide with a more modern newer one, add a new basket swing, include some new sensory play equipment and resurface the park.  It will also install a fence around the play area and gym equipment to protect the play area from dogs and make it safer for free play for children.  The final designs will be agreed by the young people in the community and the families of children who use or would like to use the park in future.  In addition to this the current equipment that will be kept can be relocated or altered to the spec of the young people and families using the park.

Local Priority: Enhanced community facilities.

The Hall is unwelcoming, in poor condition, inaccessible & unsuitable with inadequate kitchen & toilet facilities & lacking a lift to the first floor. Visible issues internally+externally are rapidly worsening & negatively affecting Hall’s usability & considerably reducing the number of users. This Project will: 1-Execute urgent repairs to the roof/walls/windows & replace rainwater goods (considerably overdue), to stop rapid deterioration caused by massive water-ingress, Safeguarding Hall’s features/fabric/Heritage, enhancing appearance (townscape transformation) & improving condition. 2-Making Hall disabled-friendly & ‘all inclusive’ by installing a much needed lift. All with mobility problems/crutches/wheelchair users cannot access the first floor, where the stage is found. This is ’Disability Discrimination’, a major barrier to all in the community to ‘fully’ access & appreciate/benefit from this Community Hall. 3-Make essential improvements to outdated, inadequate/unsuitable toilet+kitchen facilities, meeting the needs of community users. A grant from Neighbourhood Capital Fund will be used towards no 2 and no 3. Outcomes Aiming to ‘Enhance Community Facilities’, this Project will: Make the Hall more accessible (remove physical challenges/barriers e.g installation of lift, improvements to toilets). Hall will become a safer,/suitable,/inclusive,/attracting & meaningful Hub in its offering of a warm+welcoming community space, (where needs are being met). Raise the profile of ‘Lochee’ District in Dundee Contribute to shared social & cultural identity, creating excitement, inspiring/encouraging & improving collective abilities/social functioning, boost confidence & improve significantly emotional & mental well-being create sense of belonging & ‘Pride in Place’ Improve Hall’s facilities, condition & increased access. This improves user experience, increases inclusivity & sustainability, guaranteeing greater use. Optimism & enthusiasm increased locally, enabling Hall to function as a better central Hub for social interactions+activities unify community to work towards common goals, promoting & strengthening community cohesion, eradicating social fractures identify & outreach to a greater diversity of people to connect with their local communities & groups help with ‘Place Making’ enabling Lochee/Dundee to be a better place to be, live, work, visit, study, thrive & invest in Open up many opportunities for interaction, volunteering, skills training/workshops/placements in the ‘new secure place’. boost trade from tourists as Lochee Heritage site becomes better known. attract more investment, creating more available capital in the area around Hall, giving rise to more supporting businesses of a diverse nature moving into this area. This causes economic growth to spiral upwards. improve economic well-being by increasing employment for a range of workers on the socio-economic scale.

Since 2022, we’ve received many complaints from Hall users about its poor condition & its run-down facilities. A petition was then signed by hundreds of current users & beneficiaries stating the seriousness of the building condition & requesting improvement & preservation of this important community space. We then carried out a number of discussions & consultation exercises with a variety of local people, groups, Educational Institutions & Local Authorities, obtaining their views+suggestions, to understand/explore their needs & interests. Gaps in the social welfare services, the needs of the Educational Institutions & community groups were then identified. We considered how this Social Space & Project could best help Lochee Community members & also mitigate Dundee’s severe social issues: Removing barriers/challenges, improving social equity, creating opportunities & improving quality of life, were foremost on this Project’s Agenda. We met with the three Dundee High Schools, serious concerns were shared about available+suitable career paths for their pupils. They welcomed the chance to provide their youth with realistic alternatives to the unhealthy & destructive lifestyles currently prevalent in Dundee. Exciting roles & availability of variety of jobs would motivate/inspire pupils & increase employability opportunities. We then considered showcasing Hall’s repairs/improvements to pupils & introducing available exciting manual+professional Heritage Careers+information about available training bursaries to remove financial ‘barriers/challenges’ to enrich pupils' Heritage craft/skills for steady employment in the Heritage Sector. There was overwhelming agreement with project aims & projected outcomes to further develop this project.