Lunch time ZOOM meeting - Speaker Amy Thomson

On Thursday 27th May 2021 President Geoff Sampson welcomed 17 members and guest speaker Amy Thomson to this lunch time meeting held by ZOOM.

Three apologies for absence were received.

Our speaker this week was local lady Amy Thomson, a trained Mental Health Nurse with a background in community work, in particular working with young people supporting them to make more positive informed decisions about their lives, around drugs, alcohol, abuse, their safety, sex education, self-harm, mental health, territorialism, and relationship breakdown. Amy has worked as a senior nurse in hospitals and in the community (charities): as a detached youth worker, mental health nurse, substance misuse nurse, group facilitator with teenagers to enable them make films and raise awareness about the things that affect their lives, their communities. I set up and coordinated a project called 3D (drink drank drunk) in Edinburgh targeting young people in the city centre. She recently resigned from being on the Children’s Panel with the view to doing something locally / starting an initiative to move communities towards working together with their young people. to bridge the gap for the betterment of our communities. Her plan is a New Pilot Detached Youth Work Project in Markinch which will provide 2 hour detached youth work shifts twice a week on a Friday and a Saturday. 

The teams will approach the young people who are hanging about Balbirnie Park and any other areas in Markinch where young people are congregating and creating youth disorder. The detached youth workers will aim to build a rapport with the youth who are coming into Balbirnie Park from other areas, as well as our local youth. They are drinking alcohol, using drugs, putting themselves and others at risk, littering, smashing glass, starting fires, violent altercations, graffiti-ing, vandalising bins, trees, benches, and buildings within Markinch as a whole. Workers will seek to challenge behaviours and offer guidance to negate negative consequences of activities resulting from the groups of young people hanging around our area. The DYWP will communicate and collaborate with other agencies such as the Police/our Community Police Officers (Danny & Dave), Clued Up Drug and Alcohol Detached Project, Collydean Community Centre Detached Youth Team and community safety officers. All the organisations have met with Amy and offered their help, advice, and continued support.  The new Markinch Detached Youth Project are piggy backing with Collydean Community Centre. This is so they can seek funding and start the project ASAP, while they gather a steering group together to do the constitution, nominate board members and become a charity in the project’s own right. The plan is to work together with the other agencies to face head on the serious issue of youth disorder which is affecting our community, local businesses, parks, and residents here in Markinch, and is an issue Fife-wide. Amy has been offered financial support and we in Rotary have also offered financial support to get the project off the ground. Funding this project for a Team of 2 Volunteers & 2 part-time/sessional youth workers they are currently filling out an application For Fife Council Community Planning for equipment/activities: ID badges/lanyards, waterproof jacket, bag, torch, first aid, folder/write up session materials, logo, cards/flyer. Their start-up cost covers a Training budget -Detached Youth Work Training -Alcohol Focus Scotland Young People & Alcohol Any Free training available? Clued up? Eventbrite? -NSPCC Child protection training @ £50pp-Youth 1st membership (£90) and Insurance: £190-PVG cost £18 per youth worker: £36

Now going into our last week with our involvement in The Old Tools and Sewing machines we must thank everybody in Rotary and the General public for their massive support and in particular Rotarian Iain Oates for his support and enthusiasm.  The Ecology Centre at Kinghorn’s Tool Shed who are refurbishing old tools donated by the public and, with the help of the charities Tools for Self-Reliance and the Global Concerns Trust, are shipped out to people with physical disabilities in Malawi. This project is ongoing and if you have such items please contact Lee at the Ecology Centre.

The Books abroad project is gathering momentum as support is coming in from schools and the public.

This coming week Thursday 3^rdJune 2021 will be our club assembly where incoming President Brian Johnson will roll out his plans for his Presidential Year with the meeting being held on ZOOM at 1pm

If you were interested in supporting the community and international projects get in touch by Private message on The Rotary Club of Glenrothes Facebook page. You will be made most welcome.