Caol Youth Club benefits from mental health recovery grant

A youth centre creating a safe, supportive and creative space for LGBTQ+ young people has been awarded a rural micro grant to support and promote mental health recovery in the local community.

 

High Life Highland’s Coal Youth Centre is one of 13 organisations across Scotland to receive a grant from the Rural Community Engagement Fund, facilitated by mental health charity Support in Mind Scotland and provided by the Scottish Government.

 

The fund is specifically aimed towards people who face additional inequalities in achieving good mental health after the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

High Life Highland develops and promotes opportunities in culture, learning, sport, leisure and health and wellbeing across many services throughout the Highlands for both residents and visitors.

 

Caol Youth Centre hopes to give young people a platform so that they are heard and listened to while providing not only a voice but a positive place to celebrate diversity in the community.

 

Rachel Chalmers, youth development officer at the Caol centre, said: 'This money will help ensure we are doing the things we had hoped and planned in regard to encouraging our LGBTQ+ Young People to come along with their allies to a welcoming and creative space.

 

'Here they can explore what they would like to have happen within their group and what changes they would like to see in our community.

 

'We look to provide informal learning in regard to their expressed needs and ask our partner organisations to come along and build relationships while offering our young people information, support and expertise.

 

'We hope to work with partners such as Women’s Aid, Police Scotland, Room 13 Art Studio and various mental health and wellbeing support agencies locally.'

 

Funding will be used to host a series of much-needed LGBTQ+ drop in sessions which will start at the end of the month. For more information contact Rachelc Fort William Youth Worker on Facebook.