News

Scotland’s young people step up and create what is rightfully theirs: a
healthy planet, a thriving economy and a brighter future

Three
months on from the Paris climate change agreement, the Big Lottery Fund is
investing £33 million in more than 30 organisations to inspire and develop the
next generation of environmental leaders. Impact Arts is receiving £1 million.

Our Bright Future aims to tackle three
big challenges facing society today – a lack of social cohesion, a lack of
opportunities for young people and vulnerability to climate change. Thirty one
youth-led projects across the UK are each receiving around £1m of funding to give
young people the skills and knowledge to improve their local environments –
from reducing marine pollution to minimising food waste. In doing so, young
people will develop the confidence and resilience to become environmental
leaders and influence decisions at local and national levels. This young,
ambitious and capable movement is ensuring this generation’s voice is heard in
the current debates around environmental improvements and a resource-efficient
economy.

Impact Arts will be working with Thenue Housing
Association in Glasgow, Barrhead Housing Association in East Renfrewshire
and Irvine Bay Regeneration Company in Ayrshire to deliver Creative Pathways
Environmental Design. The programme will introduce young, unemployed people
with little or no experience of environmental issues to nature, environmental
awareness and green skills through practical, creative and fun projects. As
well as building confidence and developing employability skills, the project
will provide a lasting legacy for the local community by creating new urban or
green spaces, which will be creatively designed, have environmental issues at
their core and educate through innovative interpretive material.

But Our Bright Future goes a lot further
than the impressive impacts seen by these individual projects. The programme is
gathering strong evidence about how we can support the development of the
environment and young people using a resource efficient and sustainable
‘green’ economy. More than a hundred organisations
are contributing to the wider Our Bright Future movement by sharing evidence,
learning and knowledge which will soon start to inform the choices made at
local, regional, and national levels in the UK.

Our Bright Future is funded by the Big
Lottery Fund and run by a consortium of eight organisations which is led by The
Wildlife Trusts. The partnership has more than 40 years of combined experience
in managing social and environmental grant programmes totalling nearly £300
million, and has a proven track record of working with and empowering young
people in communities of all social circumstances.

Fiona Doring, Acting Director of Impact Arts said:

“I’m delighted that Impact Arts has been chosen to deliver this
innovative new programme. Working with partners across Scotland, we’re giving
young people the creative skills and practical experience to tackle
environmental challenges and empower them to work towards a brighter future for
themselves and their communities.”

Shirley Robison, Chief Executive at Barrhead
Housing Association said:

“Barrhead Housing Association has had a successful partnership with
Impact Arts over the last 2 years and we’ve achieved a successful creative
employability programme with external funding, particularly Scottish Government
People and Communities Fund. We look forward to this partnership work
continuing and making a difference for our young people of East Renfrewshire.”

Lawrence McCabe, Community Regeneration Manager at
Thenue Housing Association said:

“Glasgow has no shortage of land in need of improvement and Thenue
Housing is delighted that some of the land blighting our communities can be
improved through this innovative programme. It is particularly pleasing that we
can achieve this while at the same time supporting young people to get the
skills and experience that will help them find employment.”

Marion Francis, Project Manager at Irvine Bay
Regeneration Company said:

“We look forward to working with Impact Arts to deliver this innovative
and creative programme to enhance our environment in i3, Irvine’s Enterprise
Area and the surrounding area. Our aim is to attract jobs and investment to
North Ayrshire, and developing our young peoples’ work skills and raising
aspirations is key to ensuring that they benefit from these very same jobs
being created.”

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts said:

“Our Bright Future is an innovative movement for change. It is brilliant that the
Big Lottery Fund has recognised that societal and environmental challenges are
two sides of the same coin. The programme supports young people to develop the
skills needed to thrive in the workplace and it does so through the
environment. We want to see a generation of courageous and wise leaders
empowered to change our world for the better.”

Peter Ainsworth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund said:

“The environment is where we live. Our Bright Future is designed to unleash the ambition of
young people across the UK to make a personal and collective contribution to
making our environment brighter, happier and more resilient to threats like
climate change and the waste of natural resources.

“This initiative over the next seven years aims to join up
the social, economic and environmental benefits that will come from enabling
young people to shape their own future and others that follow them.”

www.ourbrightfuture.co.uk

Contact

Katie Smith on 0141 575 3001/ ksmith@impactarts.co.uk for more information.