We are excited to be introducing a new project to benefit children and young people during the lockdown. Set to launch in June, The Circle Superstars is a new initiative to provide activity packs to children and young people living in Dundee whose families currently access provisions from local food projects. The packs will include activities that will stimulate creativity while encouraging a focus on mindset, community and environment. This is a pilot project and will initially be delivered in the areas within Strathmartine Ward. This project has been funded by the Wellbeing Fund; a fund administered by the Scottish Government for organisations providing important services for people as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The packs will be distributed to local food projects in the Strathmartine area where they will then be given to families. Due to the lockdown these young people are unable to attend school and are limited in what kind of activities they can do to pass their time. This is particularly true for families who rely on local food projects for food and other essential items as they may not be able to purchase new games, toys or creative materials for their children to use during this time. We are aiming to combat this by distributing their activity packs initially on a monthly basis. This project is being run in partnership with the candidates who took part in the latest run of The Circle Academy. The candidates of the programme felt that they wanted to use some of the knowledge they gained through the training to give back to the community and in particular the young people of Dundee.
The other main aim of The Circle Superstars project is to encourage a sense of citizenship and community spirit within the young people of Dundee. We aim to achieve this by providing activities which fit around the themes of mindset, community and environment but also by shouting out young people who are doing work to support their community. With this in mind, The Circle are putting a call out for local communities to nominate young people who have demonstrated community spirit to be ‘Superstars’. Those who are nominated could receive a certificate to decorate and their own pack with fun treats and activities to thank them for their achievements. Families can then share a photo of their ‘Superstar’ along with a story of what they did to be nominated.
In the planning stages of the project, we consulted with a number of local organisations who are already supporting these families. Jacky Close of Faith in Community Scotland says,
“The Circle Superstars is an exciting initiative that really takes into account the challenges families are facing at this time. Having spent months juggling home schooling, anxiety about the impact Covid 19 is having on life and then seeing the school holidays looming ahead, these activity packs will be welcomed by many. But it’s not just about the packs, it’s also an opportunity to celebrate young people who have demonstrated community spirit, the ‘superstars’ in our midst – I can’t wait to hear these positive stories and to celebrate with them.”
Jenny McCarthy who is an Associate Consultant at The Circle and ‘Superstars’ project lead says,
“This grant from through the Wellbeing Fund will allow us to support and celebrate young people in Dundee during these particularly challenging times. We’re grateful to the Academy candidates and other organisations who have supported us with this project, including DC Thomson who are providing some pack materials for us.”
If you know of any young superstars who you think deserve to be nominated for this please submit a nomination here and share the story of the child or young person who you’re nominating.