GYC believes there is a huge role for street-work in North Edinburgh, especially given that vast numbers of young people either do not actively engage with the services in the area. North Edinburgh Street-work Initiative is part of the Granton Youth Centre Ltd. franchise.
Since we have been given funding by the Edinburgh Alcohol and Drug Partnership, we have been able to develop our Street-work team across Trinity, Granton, Muirhouse and Pilton. The teams of Street-workers will normally go out on a Friday or Saturday nights to engage with young people who may be engaging in street drinking.
The focus of our work is with young street drinkers and we are currently running a three-year piece of action research designed to engage young people, using both Street-work and a harm reduction approach – basically giving some sound advice, providing water, alcohol information and signposting into other services!
Streetworkers wear a distinctive red jacket and top and are instantly recognisable. Their role is to engage with young people who don’t access services and over time to steadily build up contact and a relationship with the young people they meet. Streetworkers get asked about a huge range of issues, and are often engaging with young people who have the highest support needs and who may be involved in antisocial behaviour.
North Edinburgh Street-work adheres to the strongest principles of best practice in the delivery of its street-based work. In 1998, the Scottish Executive commissioned The Princes Trust to carry out a National Development Project to develop Best Practice guidelines and methods to monitor, evaluate and create a National focus for Detached Youth Work. Through their research they offered this clear and simple definition for detached work, that is adequate for all those who are unfamiliar with this type of youth work provision,
"Detached youth work is a model of youth work practice, targeted at vulnerable young people, which takes place on young people’s own territory such as streets, cafes, parks and pubs at times that are appropriate to them and on their terms. It begins from where young people are in terms of their values, attitudes, issues and ambitions and is concerned with their personal and social development. It is characterised by purposeful interaction between youth workers and young people and utilises a range of youth and community work methods."
If you want to contact the Street-work team then please contact Shona Cormack on shona@grantonyouth.com