Rosina, an experienced mentor and Children’s Panel member, has been with our befriending project since the very beginning. Alongside more long-term matches, Rosina has also supported the project by doing extra ad-hoc volunteering with young people to help them navigate their new city upon arrival and accompanying them to specific appointments. “I was drawn to … Continued
Margaret is a volunteer with Aberlour’s Sustain service in Perth and Kinross. In January 2020, Margaret was matched as a Befriender for a Mum with young children and would meet weekly: “I met with my Befriendee weekly for 2.5 hours, and we had coffee, followed by a walk or trip to the supermarket. On several … Continued
Our One Shirt One month challenge has been featured in The Sun two days before it takes off. So far it’s been backed up by some of our wonderful supporters who will wear the same shirt throughout November to raise money for families struck by poverty. We also received the support of celebrities like international … Continued
Nina began volunteering with the Scottish Guardianship Service in December 2019 after completing the befriending training. “It seemed like something I would be well equipped to do, having previously worked with teenagers. It also wasn’t a huge time commitment and seemed like the activities would be fun for both the young person and myself. It … Continued
End Child Poverty members in Scotland welcome today’s report from IPPR Scotland calling for urgent action by both the UK and Scottish Governments to help low-income families stay afloat amid increasing financial uncertainty and rising child poverty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before this crisis 1 in 4 children in Scotland were living in … Continued
As an organisation that has children’s rights at the heart of the work we do every day with children, young people, and families, we are committed to supporting, promoting, and protecting children and young people’s human rights. Incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) will ensure the universal rights … Continued
AmazonSmile customers can now support Aberlour in the Amazon shopping app on iPhones and Android phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations, it literally takes 5 minutes! – If you’re not already signed up to AmazonSmile, sign in here using your usual Amazon login details: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ and select … Continued
Aberlour continues to campaign to end child poverty in Scotland along with other organisations, charities, and anti-poverty campaigners. We want to see the Scottish Government being ambitious in its determination to reverse the rising child poverty we have seen in Scotland in recent years. We believe this begins by getting money directly into families’ pockets … Continued
This week across Scotland campaigners, activists, children’s charities, and others have marked Challenge Poverty Week. Over the last seven days, we have been sharing blogs, reports, research, and all sorts of content and information about the impact of poverty on children and families across Scotland. I don’t think I can say anything more about a … Continued
Having money in your pocket and food on the table does not make you immune to trauma. However, what I know from our work in Aberlour is that the stress for families of living in poverty makes them more vulnerable to the impact of trauma and makes recovery much harder. Working with families living in … Continued
Attending the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, on 1st October 2020, Chief Executive SallyAnn Kelly described migration schemes for youngsters during the early 1900s as “not acceptable”, but said it was among many other mistreatments at the time. She said: “My view as a professional in 2020 is that there were a lot of things happening … Continued
“Imagine you arrive in Scotland, as a child, all alone.” This short animation highlights some of the struggles faced by asylum-seeking and trafficked children and young people, and how the Scottish Guardianship Service supports them through all the unknowns. Over the last ten years, the Scottish Guardianship Service has supported nearly 700 asylum-seeking and trafficked … Continued
“This is the team I support. Celtic. I just came to know them here. Some of my other friends support Rangers, but I love Celtic.” Meyman fled from Somalia after being captured and attacked by al-Shabaab at the age of just 15. Two years later he arrived in Scotland just as the country entered lockdown … Continued
“I’ve never experienced anything like that before and I enjoyed it more than anything I’ve done before.” 16-year old Dlovan from Iraq laughs with his guardian Sarah as he remembers the day he went go-karting with other young asylum seekers, speeding round the track and overtaking their guardians. While such days out with his peers … Continued
“It was so good, it was like a film. I said to them I cannot hold that Iraqi flag because I am Kurdish. So they surprised me with my own Kurdish flag which felt great.” The flag ceremony at a residential holiday in Dumfriesshire with other young asylum seekers was a proud moment for Pshtewan. … Continued
“We’ve won a couple of times. But unfortunately, we didn’t win any cups. No trophies yet. But in the future yeah I hope so.” Every Saturday morning and Thursdays too, Mahad plays midfield for his football team in Maryhill. Sometimes he has a treat of chips and cheese on the way home. Hard to believe … Continued
“My favourite Scottish word is daftie. I use it a lot.” 19-year old Zayn loves living in Glasgow. “I feel like I’m home. Glasgow is just making me so happy every day. I think the memories that I’ve made with friends here, and just the people that I’ve had experience with, it’s a good feeling … Continued
“Learning to drive. That was my foster mum’s dream for me. I was a bit scared. But it was fine. I passed first time.” Twenty-year-old Hai has a flat of his own now but remains very close to his foster Mum. His guardian Hannah knew a good foster placement was the safest option for him, … Continued
