Author: The Daily Good

The Human Library is a learning platform that challenges stigmas and stereotypes, through the art of open and honest conversations. It is a safe space where strangers can discuss taboo topics openly and without condemnation.

The Human Library is based on a very simple idea: that conversation is key to understanding. The global, hands-on learning platform, which is based in Denmark, works to create a safe framework for personal conversations that can help to challenge prejudice and discrimination, prevent conflicts, and contribute to greater human cohesion across social, religious, and ethnic divisions. People who can help defy stereotypes volunteer to serve as “books,” and — with their “readers” — enter into conversations where difficult questions are expected, appreciated, and received with an open heart. International coordinator Alma Pripp shares more about how the Human Library is working to help create more inclusive and cohesive communities around the world.

What sparked the creation of the Human Library? Why the metaphor of the library?

The Human Library was created in Denmark in 2000 by journalist and social activist Ronni Abergel as a learning platform for diversity and inclusion. The first “books” were published at Roskilde Festival on June 30, 2000, and since then the library has been introduced in more than 80 countries.

When looking around in our civil society, we noticed a lack of understanding and mutual respect, often because of the fact that we are quick to judge each other. The prejudices we hold become obstacles that we are too comfortable, or too scared, to question/challenge. Since all of us judge, we are all also contributing to the stigmas, taboos, and stereotypes that negatively affect people’s lives. We asked ourselves the question of how we best could address this issue and encourage people to start “unjudging” instead? We saw the need for a safe space to have open and honest conversations between strangers, and the Human Library was created to meet that need. It seemed to us very early on that this library had more impact and potential to create change than any other platform we had ever seen. And we saw that the world was in need of more safe spaces to find common ground and learn about our differences.

The Human Library uses the imagery and metaphors of a library and borrows the vocabulary from this setting to describe and explain what we do. We have books, librarians, readers, library cards, bookmarks, a lending catalog, rules for readers, etc. There are several reasons for using the language of the library: First of all, the library is a neutral place where everyone is welcome. People know that there are rules in a library that should be respected as a serious institution of knowledge and a place of freedom of choice. And people know that everyone is welcome at the library.

Secondly, using the terms “readers” and “books” functions as a kind of role-play, which creates a safe but also creative space for a conversation often on heavy subjects. The role of the librarian functions as a guide and upholder of the framework around this setting.

In addition, the titles of the human books highlight how they are objectified and stereotyped, which the reader and book together can challenge through dialogue. We publish our books with concrete titles, such as Autism, Bipolar, Disabled, Transgender, etc. to reflect how they are stereotyped by society. By shining light on the biases we have about people who are different from us, we create the premise necessary to actively challenge them.

How does the Human Library fill a need for the world? What is the importance of your work at this time in particular?

We live in deeply polarized times. Growing divides between groups in our communities and the world needs a safe space to try and find common ground and learn about each other’s differences. The Human Library is a learning platform that challenges stigmas and stereotypes, through the art of open and honest conversations. It is a safe space where strangers can discuss taboo topics openly and without condemnation. We believe this contributes to creating more inclusive and cohesive communities across cultural, religious, social, and ethnic differences.

The Human Library contributes to contrasting the negative narrative that the news and media are creating around certain vulnerable groups in society. There is great power in the face-to-face, one-on-one, human interaction. In this setting, it is hard to hide behind a mask, to not let yourself become vulnerable and open to new impressions and feelings. Meeting with an actual individual, who could tell you about the consequences that intolerance and narrow-mindedness have in their everyday life, is an effective way to bridge understanding and challenge stereotypes.

Finding a way to continue our work during the current pandemic has been vital since the need for conversation and human connection is huge in times of lockdowns and social distancing. In April this year we launched our first online events and since then have been hosting events for the public and for our corporate diversity partners each week. This presented the opportunity to conduct international events with books and readers from all corners of the world, creating a stronger cohesiveness and uniting our global organization even further. We are now able to operate not just internationally, but transnationally.

Although the actual physical meeting is hard to top, we have found that when conversations are genuine and honest, it does transmit through the screen. The basis is the same: It is still strangers who voluntarily take the time to sit down and talk openly to each other — and that does not change, no matter the setting.

How do the offerings of the Human Library embody and cultivate gratefulness and related qualities?

The readings (conversations) facilitate feelings of compassion and kindness and respect. There is something special about finding compassion and kindness for complete strangers by learning their life-story. There is also gratefulness for the books choosing to share their story, their trauma. It is a vulnerable position they are putting themselves into, but I think the feeling of doing good and helping their community is very motivating.

What do you think inspires people to participate in the Human Library – both as books and as readers?

As a book in The Human Library, you are amongst people who all share one thing in common: the experience of being stereotyped. Whether it is because of an experienced trauma, a belief or lifestyle, a disability, a medical illness — they carry stories that are waiting to be heard. To be part of that community is something our books truly value.

As a human book you get to speak out about and help educate on a topic often surrounded by ignorance, stigma, and stereotypes. And when these factors have a daily impact on your life, educating others can be very motivating.

All of our books are volunteers. Although some have been with us for many years now, they are still constantly learning new things about themselves when they get asked a completely new question by a reader. They get to know themselves, as well as process their traumas and experience, through these dialogues. It is a beautiful process to witness, and it is also a sign that the conversations between reader and book are genuine.

We believe that readers are inspired to participate in the library because of their curiosity, the will to be better informed and educated. But more importantly, we are seeking to inspire readers to participate to test their own preconceived beliefs — what they think they know about a certain topic. Someone can have a clear idea of how a homeless person looks/acts/thinks, without ever having exchanged a word with someone who is homeless. In the Human Library that person can come head-to-head with these prejudices, and not be discouraged or shamed, but rather encouraged to acknowledge and discuss them. The Human Library is not only a place for readers to un-judge the books, but also a place for the readers not to feel anxious for having prejudices. A Human Book will not judge the reader for the questions they ask — as long as they are asked with respect.

What is unique about the Human Library’s approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion?

Our ​mission ​is to create a platform for open-minded dialogue, presenting the reader with an opportunity to talk about topics that are often taboo and in so doing, to work toward a more inclusive and cohesive society. Ultimately we are a human rights initiative, as the protection of the right to be different lies embedded in the Human Library methodology.

The Human Library methodology is unique in its intersectional, inclusive, and neutral approach by always aiming to give a voice to as many stigmatized groups as possible at the same time and place. We wish to give voice to humanity in its different forms and not just work for one or a few groups in society.

How do your special dialogue rooms create “a place where people who would otherwise never talk find room for conversation”? How does your work support the capacity to listen?

The Human Library is a space separated from the social norms that usually prevent us from going up to strangers on the street and asking them personal questions. To create this safe space, there needs to be a mutual agreement between the book and its reader. They agree beforehand that the intention of the conversation is to ask, listen, and perhaps better understand or maybe agree to disagree. This is the role of the library analogy: It is a framework that creates freedom. Just like in a library, you go and borrow the book you are interested in, and then you read it. No one from the outside is going to be listening and judging the reading, or commenting on any questions or answers that come up. It is not a public conversation, you do not have to be aware of how you are being perceived by anyone else but the one you are speaking with.

It is vital for us to facilitate interactive conversations – when reading a human book you are not getting a monologue or lecture. We encourage the readers to ask things that can be uncomfortable, things which would normally not be socially acceptable asking a stranger. By letting the reader’s questions guide the conversation, their genuine interest, curiosity, and preconceived notions about a topic can be revealed. This is essential because when you ask something you are genuinely interested in hearing the answer to, you will listen.

What is the lasting impact of the Human Library’s offerings? What do you hope are the ripple effects?

Walking away from a Human Library event, having for example “read” a person with schizophrenia, the next time you hear about or meet someone with schizophrenia, you will most definitely do so from a new perspective, whether because of a medical fact you learned, the realization that mental illness is not necessarily a scary thing, or the fact that you did find certain aspects of the illness a bit scary, which is okay too. Because in the Human Library, there is no agenda. We do not expect every reader to walk away as an entirely new person. We believe that real change comes slowly, bit by bit, and that the smallest victory is a step in the right direction. The focus of our work is to facilitate a safe space where these changes can happen.

We hope that the power of conversation will continue to grow, that it will help to de-stigmatize groups in our community. That we continue to be interested in each other even though we are strangers, and that we do not let a fear of the unknown stop us. The thing about prejudices and stereotyping is that it feeds off ignorance, and the antidote for it is human interaction between different kinds of people.

What are some of the common barriers and obstacles that arise for participants? How are they addressed?

Initially, there is a tendency for readers to feel anxious asking about a sensitive topic, like trauma, assault, or serious illness. We address this by emphasizing that the books are there to answer the reader’s questions as best they can and that they are trained in being a book, meaning that they are stable and confident. The book will also let you know if there is an area that they do not feel ready to talk about — they will say that this chapter of their book has not been published yet. Usually, the readers get quickly into it and feel comfortable with being open and honest. Our approach is all about creating a solid framework.

How does gratefulness inspire you and the organization as a whole to make change in the world?

We are grateful to the people who make the Human Library possible: our books who voluntarily share their personal stories, being open and vulnerable, and our volunteers around the world who spend their free time dedicated to the cause of a more diverse and inclusive society.

How does the Human Library plan to grow and expand its work?

In order to adapt our work to the Covid-19 pandemic, we started doing events in a virtual format. Most of these events are for companies, organizations, and institutions, and this is a field of partners that is constantly and rapidly growing.

We are also developing several interesting initiatives at the moment. First, we will be introducing our unconscious bias quiz, which is aimed at helping people realize that we all judge and that a visit to the Human Library may be a good way to explore the opportunity to un-judge.

Next, we hope to launch an online library service. A place where readers can log on, reserve a book, and have a conversation using video over the internet. We call it the Human Library Online, and we are raising funds now to build the platform. It will allow readers from all over the world to join the conversation and to select from our global community of amazing books.

If you could encapsulate one message for people who participate in the Human Library, what would that be?

Don’t be afraid to ask those burning questions. The questions that are uncomfortable are usually the ones that result in the most honest and impactful conversations. The books are always grateful when they are asked a question that they know took courage for you to ask.

If the Human Library could share one message about living gratefully, what would it be?

That we do not necessarily have to like or agree with each other, but we need to accept the basic right to be different and have mutual respect. If you take the time to share a conversation with a stranger, you will see the person behind the prejudice and realize that you are not so fundamentally different after all.

How can people engage with and support the Human Library?

There is a constant increase in demand for books, so naturally we are always looking for more human books and volunteer librarians to help us publish the books. We accept applications online using the forms available on our website. You can also apply to become a local organizer if you are interested in organizing a Human Library in your local area. Most importantly, our public events are free and open to anyone, and becoming a reader is a great place to start.

Author: SCCS

Author: Ashifa Kassam

For centuries, the maze of narrow, cobbled streets that make up Lisbon’s Alfama neighbourhood has told the story of the city’s past. But in recent years, as trendy cafes and tourist flats proliferated, the historic quarter began telling a worrying tale of the city’s future.

A rapid transformation had rippled across the city centre as Airbnb-style tourist rentals swelled to a third of the properties. As locals found themselves priced out and communities began hollowing out, many began grumbling about the aftershocks of terramotourism – a tourism earthquake.

That was, at least, until the pandemic brought tourism to a standstill. “In a certain sense Covid has created an opportunity,” Fernando Medina, the mayor of Lisbon, told the Guardian. “The virus didn’t ask us for permission to come in, but we have the ability to use this time to think and to see how we can move in a direction to correct things and put them on the right track.”

The city seized on the moment to cast new light on a programme that was in the works prior to the pandemic: an ambitious plan to convert some of the city’s more than 20,000 tourist flats into affordable housing.

The initiative, billed by the city as a “risk-free” option, offers landlords the possibility of receiving up to €1,000 a month by renting their properties to the city for a minimum of five years. From there the city takes over, finding tenants and renting the homes at a subsidised rate capped at a third of the household’s net income.

For landlords, the rental income is likely to be lower than what they might earn from tourists down the road. But the city is betting that the long-term, stable income – and the offer to pay an advance of as much as three years’ rent – will win over landlords as they grapple with the uncertainty generated by the pandemic.

Lisbon’s efforts hint at how the pandemic has given governments around the world leverage to reshape their approach to the housing crisis. “Just as employment and work are likely to change profoundly as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, housing is likely to change as well,” Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the United Nations envoy on the right to housing, told Reuters in May. “I hope we see it as an opportunity to reimagine housing for the post-Covid-19 world.”

A handful of governments have started doing just that. In England officials have promised to make 3,300 homes available to rough sleepers by next May, while Venice has struck an agreement that will see some tourist flats rented to university students.

Others have fast-tracked plans already in the works. In June, two hotels in Vancouver, with 173 rooms between them, were purchased to house some of the city’s most vulnerable. “The Covid-19 pandemic has put into even sharper focus our urgent need for housing,” the city’s mayor, Kennedy Stewart, said in a statement. Months earlier the Californian city of San Jose said it would accelerate a $17m plan to build up to 500 tiny homes to house homeless residents during the pandemic.

In Barcelona the virus added impetus to a long-running crackdown on empty homes. In July officials sent a warning letter to 14 banks and investment funds whose stock of 194 homes are believed to have been sitting vacant for two years. If the homes were not rented within a month, the letter warned, the city would move to expropriate them at half their market value and turn them into social housing. “The plan was there,” said Lucía Martín, the city’s housing commissioner. “What Covid did was make it even more necessary.”

Some have set their sights on short-term rentals, in plans that could nudge landlords to list them on the long-term market. Amsterdam recently banned vacation rentals in its central old town and imposed restrictions on rentals in other neighbourhoods, while legislators in the Czech Republic have rolled out legislation aimed at better regulating tourist flats. In September Toronto began requiring short-term rental operators to register with the city, a move aimed at allowing officials to enforce a bylaw restricting short-term rentals to principal residences.

The critical role of housing was laid bare early on in the pandemic as governments around the world turned to lockdowns to rein in the spread of the virus, said Leilani Farha, a former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing. “And it couldn’t be more stark. Because in the face of a novel virus for which we have no medicinal cure or protection, the only protection we have is our homes.”

Months later, however, she described the approach of governments as “patchy”. The housing crisis has sharpened in places like the US, where tens of millions of people face evictions, and India, where reports have emerged of forced evictions in Indigenous communities and informal settlements. Even as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on people’s livelihoods, many governments have been reluctant to extend protections such as bans on evictions and foreclosures.

“I think that governments did realise, maybe in a new way, ‘Oh dear, we have trouble on our hands,’” she said. “But what I’m not seeing enough of is the structural changes that we need.”

That’s where Lisbon is hoping it will be a mould-breaker. The city’s programme comes with a caveat for landlords in the historical centre: once their contract with the city is up, they will not be able to return the property to the short-term rental market.

“We need to make a shift,” said Medina, the mayor. “It should change the way the housing market works here in the city.” The city has budgeted €4m for the programme, allowing 1,000 properties to take part, with the national government offering to double that number if there is enough interest.

So far the response has been tepid, with just 177 owners expressing interest after the first appeal for participants. “There was a wait-and-see approach,” said Medina, as landlords held out hope that tourism would rebound. The city is expecting an uptick in demand after its second round of recruitment.

Where the programme has already made waves, however, is in the northern city of Porto, where officials announced earlier this year that they would launch their own version.

Ultimately, Medina hopes the initiative will help strike a balance between locals wrestling with the fallout of their town becoming one of western Europe’s hottest property markets and a tourism industry that has played a critical role in ushering in urban renewal and lifting the city out of financial crisis.

“There is that tension: too much of a thing is not good, but too little of it is a problem,” he said. “It’s a question of balance. Having a house cannot be such a burden that you have to have two or three jobs – that’s not a dignified life for anyone.”

Author: David Ross, Press and Journal

Owners of large estates may have felt embattled recently, as their historical and contemporary roles have come under renewed scrutiny.

Last month, research undertaken in Glasgow and Coventry universities was published. It established a link between those enriched by Caribbean and North American slavery, and the Highland Clearances. They bought 33.5% of the West Highlands and Islands, from Islay north, largely between 1790 and 1855.

They often brought an approach to human resources influenced by the plantation economy, as the paper calculated that at least 5,000 were cleared by this new slavery elite. But it concluded that when indigenous families with slavery interests were included, it would be tens of thousands.

The work was widely reported, even by the prestigious Smithsonian Magazine, the official journal of the Smithsonian Institution, which claims to be “The world’s largest museum, education and research complex”.

Exposure of this cruel circle connecting clearance and slavery is not something today’s Scottish landowners would have enjoyed, at a time the world has been “taking the knee”.

It is unlikely to be forgotten. A motion by Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan has been tabled in the Scottish Parliament with cross-party support.

It recognises the importance in exposing how slavery wealth contributed to today’s patterns of landownership – “…and notes the calls for a discussion of an appropriate permanent memorial for these historic connections and their impact on peoples in Africa, the Caribbean and the Highlands and Islands.”

About this time, the Scottish Government announced that grouse-shooting would soon be controlled by a strict licensing regime, because of associated persecution of protected birds of prey. This includes egg theft, nest disturbance, poisoning, shooting and trapping.

According to RSPB Scotland, there were 28 such incidents in 2019, including the disappearance of satellite-tagged golden eagles and hen harriers on grouse moors. A report by Scottish Natural Heritage concluded that a third of satellite-tagged golden eagles had disappeared suspiciously. Prosecutions are rare. This is not surprising. Poisoning carrion for the consumption by raptors, is not something you would do on a village green.

A lonely hillside is more likely. This is where dead raptors are often found. If that is by those responsible, they are unlikely to report it. The dearth of prosecutions and recent declines in this type of wildlife crime have led supporters of grouse-shooting to claim ministers are presuming the guilt of landowners, jeopardising hundreds of rural jobs. But apart from the owners of grouse moors and their employees, who has any interest in removing birds of prey which kill young grouse?

Perhaps the odd farmer worried about lambs, but few others. The day this was being announced, Community Land Scotland (CLS) launched its manifesto for the next Holyrood elections. In it the representative body for community land owners called for a new land reform act.

This would give ministers powers to stop sales of large estates if they are not in the public interest, and to break up existing local land monopolies if they similarly fail public interest tests. The need for this, CLS argued, was underlined by the finding of a Scottish Land Commission in 2019 which documented tenants’ fear of repercussions for “going against the landowner” which could result in eviction or blacklisting.

The landowners dismissed this as CLS rhetoric. But it is known that the land commission felt anonymity had to be offered to respondents, to establish the true facts of estate life. Meanwhile this morning sees the publication of a discussion document on the impact of huge private estates and land monopolies on local communities. The land commission board discussed the subject last week. It is by leading economist, Mike Danson, Professor Emeritus of Enterprise Policy at Heriot Watt University.

He found the value private landlords attach to their exclusive ownership of large estates often offends against classical economic theory. Local residents, communities and the wider Scottish public lose as a consequence. It can “stultify enterprise” thereby limiting job creation, and restrict access to necessary resources such as house sites.

It is far from a left-wing paper. It owes more to liberal economics, than it does to Marxism. It is published by CLS, as was the slavery study. Along with the manifesto, the papers pose questions about current landownership in much of rural Scotland – from its very foundations, to whether the system works today. Only about 3% of Scottish land is under the community ownership which CLS represents. But around 18% is used for grouse-shooting alone, never mind the vast tracts reserved for private deer stalking. Which offers more hope for Scotland’s future?

Author: Scottish Construction Now

The large number of planning application decisions overturned by the Scottish Government is “making a mockery of local democracy”, according to a former councillor.

Figures published by the Press & Journal, revealed that 80% of applications turned down by councillors in Orkney have been approved on appeal by Scottish Government reporters, while 12 of the last 18 major housing developments have been overturned in Dundee — more than 66%.

Nationally, the Scottish Government has approved on average 40% of appeals submitted since April 2015.

But figures for Angus, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Highlands and Islands, Orkney show significantly higher rates.

Jimmy Black, a former councillor who served as depute convener of planning on Dundee City Council, explains how the rules can make it difficult for those approving sites.

“Councillors, when they consider planning applications, are bound by a very strict set of obscure rules, which means they can only object to developments for technical or legal reasons,” he told the Press & Journal.

“Simply not liking a development isn’t enough, but I’m fairly sure whether councillors or their constituents like a development or not is a very important factor.

“That leaves officers in the difficult position of finding acceptable reasons for decisions taken by councillors which, on the face of it, seem hard to justify under the rules.

“Maybe the best example was mobile phone masts, although they seem to go through much more easily now. The temptation is to leave unpopular decisions to the reporter, who doesn’t have to stand for election locally.

“I suspect some developers factor in the costs and time involved with an appeal to the Scottish Government whenever they propose doing something unpopular, like building a new housing scheme near existing homes.

“Clearly Scottish Governments over the years have not trusted local government to make good decisions. That’s a shame because it turns local councillors into consultees rather than decisionmakers.

“With the exception of nationally important developments, like railways or roads, and working within a clear framework of rules, it seems to me councils should be allowed to live or die by their own decisions.

“If a council strangles economic development through poor decision making, let the electors kick them out.

“And, equally, if councils allow over-development to the detriment of their communities, the ballot box is the way to get rid of them. Where they act illegally, the courts are there for that.

“A strong example of the government overriding local wishes is the saga over the site of the old Kingspark school.

“The council eventually bowed to a strong and sustained community campaign and rejected the proposed Persimmon housing scheme — the Scottish Government reporter overruled it. To me, that made a mockery of local democracy.”

Will Dawson, convener of Dundee City Council’s planning committee, said allowing applicants to appeal, and those decisions being made by government reporter, was part of the “robust process”.

He said: “Planning decisions are made in accordance with the Local Development Plan, the Tayplan Strategic Plan and Scottish Government legislation, which have all gone through a rigorous and lengthy process of draft and re-draft to take into account the views of everyone who has a stake in the built environment.

“All of this information goes on to form the basis of officers’ recommendations; however, most of the applications decided on by the planning committee will use the policies of the local development plan, which has also been agreed by the council at the city development committee.

“Most of the applications highlighted here as being granted on appeal were recommended for approval by officers when they were initially brought to the planning committee.

“Members can, quite rightly, disagree with the recommendations of officers at the committee. There may be differing views on applications that come to planning committee, but as long as decisions are based solely on material planning grounds, the decisions are valid.

“Applicants that are unhappy with the planning committee’s decision have the right of appeal. This is a key aspect of the planning process.

“The most critical point to make is that the planning system in Scotland allows for different views.

“However, it is important to stress that the overwhelming majority of Dundee City Council planning decisions are not appealed and none of the planning committee’s decisions which were subject to appeal were challenged on the basis that the committee acted unlawfully. As such, I believe that we have a robust process.”

The Scottish Government said the majority of planning decisions are still made by ocal authority planning committees.

A spokesperson added: “The applicants right of appeal to Scottish Ministers relating to certain decisions made by the local planning authority is an important part of the planning system.

“Most planning appeals are decided by an independent reporter who is required, by law, to make the decision on the planning merits of the case, taking full account of submissions made by all parties involved, including members of the local community.

“The final decision on the vast majority of development proposals is made by the relevant local planning authority.”

Author: Carnegie UK

Summary

Gross Domestic Wellbeing (GDWe)™ offers a holistic alternative to GDP as a measure of social progress. Using the framework and data in the Office for National Statistics Measures of National Wellbeing Dashboard, the Trust has developed a tool that provides a single figure for GDWe in England and mapped this against GDP for the past six years.

We have supplemented this analysis with a thematic review of over 800 recommendations from nearly 50 commissions and inquiries since 2010 – from Marmot to Grimsey, Dilnot to Taylor – to highlight the many areas of mutual focus, challenge, and concern. The recommendations show that though the data currently being collected by the ONS offers a useful starting point and a framework for measuring wellbeing, there are significant gaps.

In this summary, we provide an overview of the main findings, which show that GDWe was in decline before the COVID-19 pandemic began. We have also produced a full report with detailed domain analysis and methodology, available here.

Author: Scottish Land Fund

Multiple projects across Scotland have received funding in the latest round of grants from the Scottish Land Fund. The money will allow groups from both urban and rural areas to take ownership of local assets and put them to use for the benefit of their local communities.

Amongst the projects receiving funding are Assynt Development Trust, whose award of £65,750 will allow them to buy 55 acres of land, which they plan to develop for self-build plots, affordable rental housing and commercial workshops as well as tracks, trails and motor home pitches.

In Fife, Edible & Tasty Spaces Rosyth (EATS Rosyth), which delivers projects on food and growing, will receive £284,500 to purchase the former Clydesdale Bank building in the heart of the town in order to relocate its community hub and to provide a range of new activities related to cooking and food.

And in Dumfries and Galloway, Annan Harbour Action Group has been given £98,890 to acquire an historic quayside warehouse and area of abandoned land, called Minister’s Merse, in order to create a visitor centre, cafe, boat building facilities and visitor accommodation as part of its vision to celebrate the town’s maritime heritage.

Other projects receiving funding are Edinbane Community in Skye, which has been awarded £81,500 with which to purchase the derelict village shop; SEAchange (Slains Environmental Action for change SCIO) in Aberdeenshire, whose grant of £170,710 will allow them to buy Slains Church in Collieston, along with 28 acres of ground, in order to create an energy-efficient cafe and community space; and Brunstsfield St Oswalds in Edinburgh, who have been given £214,713 in order to buy St Oswald’s church and hall in order to create a community space and provide wraparound childcare facilities.

Willie Jack, Chair, Assynt Development Trust, said: “News of this award from the Scottish Land Fund is a turning point for our community as it means that the Lochinver Future Homes project can now proceed to the next stage allowing our young people and families to remain at the very heart of Assynt.”

Stephen Lynas, Chairman of EATS Rosyth said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this funding. This will allow us to push ahead with our plans to purchase the former Clydesdale Bank building, where we will be able to develop even further the important work and range of services being carried out in the community by EATS Rosyth.”

Richard Brodie, Chair, Annan Harbour Action Group, said: “This is great news which will kickstart a major development at Annan Harbour. Now the hard work begins to raise the funds to turn our inspirational ideas into reality.”

Alastair Danter, Chair, Edinbane Community Company, said: “The purchase has been a priority wish expressed in every community consultation in recent years, making it a reality is a dream come true.”

Professor Peter Smith, Trustee, SEAchange, said: “We are delighted with this award from the Scottish Land Fund. It will allow us to develop the old Kirk for use as a low carbon community café and the land for creating a community woodland. There is still a lot of work to do, but this award marks the first vital step on our journey to become a carbon neutral community.”

And David Urch, Chair of Bruntsfield St.Oswald’s, said, “We are absolutely delighted to hear that our application for funds to purchase St. Oswald’s Church and Hall has been approved by the Scottish Land Fund. This money, together with additional funds for refurbishment, as well as the continuing hard work and dedication of our team, will breathe life into an historic building and bring it into local ownership. Its development as a vibrant community hub to provide genuine public and affordable space for childcare, youth clubs and services, learning and development opportunities for local primary school children, as well space for community groups and services for the elderly, will be well received and of great benefit to all in the Bruntsfield area.”

Land Reform Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham said: “The coronavirus pandemic has continued to set us all unprecedented challenges throughout 2020, acutely affecting local communities right across Scotland, and beyond.

“But despite these challenges – in fact, because of them – communities up and down the country are playing an increasingly vital role in maintaining and building our resilience, our spirit and local support networks.

“I commend the latest recipients of Scottish Land Fund grants for driving forward plans to support and enhance their local areas as part of our Green recovery, in what are clearly difficult circumstances. I am particularly pleased that, through what is the final round of funding for this year, the Scottish Land Fund is supporting such a high number of unique and diverse projects, and I look forward to these projects delivering on their ambitions in the new year.”

Sandra Holmes, Head of Community Assets at HIE, said: “These successful projects announced today are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities. Knoydart Foundation for example, will be able to purchase a disused cottage and associated land near the village of Inverie on the Knoydart Peninsula to provide three affordable homes, business units and as well as for agricultural use, all of which are vital for future development of the area. Ownership will give these communities greater control over important assets and will help ensure their long-term future. We wish all the successful groups the very best in their new ventures.”

And John Watt, Chair, Scottish Land Fund Committee, said: “The wide range of groups across urban and rural Scotland who are sharing in £3,660,370 of funding are now in a unique position to take control of land and property assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come.”

Other groups receiving funding are:

Acharacle Community Company

Award – £45,015

This group will purchase the Acharacle Community Centre, which provides key services to the community and is a meeting place for the village and the west Lochaber community. Ownership will allow ACC to upgrade the hall and enhance the services it provides.

Am Fasgadh Regeneration Company

Award – £85,500

With the award, AFRG will purchase the Old Telephone Exchange in Kingussie to provide a bike hub social enterprise, space for events and meetings, an office and a kitchen.

Clachan Village Hall SCIO

Award – £168,888

This project will acquire the former Kilcalmonell Free Church as a replacement village hall. The new facility will provide an extended range of service and facilities for locals and visitors.

Colinton Village Enterprise SCIO

Award – £47,898

This group will purchase a former coach house to operate as a community hub in Colinton.

Crail Community Partnership

Award – £41,500

CCP will acquire Crail Community Hall from Fife Council in order to provide sports for all ages, a youth club, meeting space and information point, exhibition area and cafe.

Drongan, Rankinston and Stair Regeneration Group

Award – £55,000

This award will allow DRSRG to purchase Hannahston Woods to provide a local amenity and woodland for the Drongan community to use everyday and for education, skills development, workshops and community events.

Dumfries High Street Ltd

Award – £178,200

DHSL will purchase numbers 111 and 121 High Street and refurbish the buildings for affordable enterprise space at ground level and affordable homes on the upper floors, as part of a project to create a contemporary living, working, socialising, learning and enterprise quarter.

Earlsferry Town Hall Ltd

Award – £42,500

The group will purchase Earlsferry Town Hall and operate it as a community hub.

Garioch Heritage Society

Award – £466,000

GHS will take ownership of the building where it currently holds collections and exhibitions, runs a cafe and provides community meeting space, in order to ensure a financially-sustainable future for the Centre.

Glentrool & Bargrennan Community Trust

Award – £110,000

G&BCT will purchase and renovate three empty houses to ensure continued availability of housing for affordable rent in this remote community.

Go Golspie

Award – £147,890

The award will allow Go Golspie to purchase Fountain Road Church Hall to operate as a multi-use community space.

Insh Community Holdings

Award – £23,500

This money will be used to purchase Insh Community Woodland in Kingussie, which the group currently leases from Forestry and Land Scotland.

Keir, Penpont and Tynron Development Trust

Award – £47,500

This project will connect three villages by creating an active travel path, linking three strips of agricultural land, woodland and unused green space between Penpont and Thornhill.

Kilmuir Community Trust

Award – £19,000

Purchasing three areas of land adjacent to the village hall will allow for additional parking facilities, increased space for visiting services and for the development on-site of small businesses to support the community and tourism.

Knoydart Foundation

Award – £391,150

Knoydart Foundation will buy an unoccupied cottage and 111 acres of associated land near the village of Inverie. Ownership will allow the Foundation to convert the cottage into three affordable homes and develop the land for self-build plots, business units and agriculture use.

Mull & Iona Community Trust

Award – £121,254

M&ICT will purchase the schoolhouse in the remote village of Pennyghael on the Ross of Mull to ensure its continued availability as a secure and affordable rental home within the local community.

Newburgh Community Trust

Award – £10,000

NCT will buy East Shore Park from Fife Council in order to increase indoor and outdoor sporting activity including amongst inter-generational groups.

North East Fife Community Hub

Award – £167,512

This project will acquire the St David’s Building in St Andrews for community activities including a Foodbank, Credit Union and cooking classes, in order to provide support for people living with ill health, financial hardship and isolation.

Old Luce Development Trust

Award – £261,250

OLDT will buy the GP surgery, house and adjacent land in Glenluce in order to secure the existing practice and provide the opportunity to develop a new surgery.

Penicuik Community Development Trust

Award – £130,000

PCDT will buy the Pen-y-Coe Press buildings where they have already developed a Papermaking Museum and operate working vintage presses as part of the town’s heritage and as a tourist attraction.

Sanday Community Craft Hub

Award – £61,510

The award will allow SCCH to purchase the Bank House, where they operate a craft hub with space for local artists to display their work. They also propose to open a tearoom in the building.

Sanday Development Trust

Award – £33,240

Funding will allow SDT to purchase two plots of adjoining land in order to develop a project providing a communal space and four affordable assisted living homes for rent.

Trossachs Community Trust

Award – £90,000

This group is set to purchase the former Trossachs Primary School from Stirling Council and develop it into a visitor and heritage centre, cafe and shop selling groceries alongside local crafts and produce.

Author: Cate Devine, The Herald

Hopes of converting one of Glasgow’s golf courses into the city’s first urban farm ahead of COP26 have taken a step closer to becoming reality following a major award from the National Lottery to be announced today.

An unprecedented £629,582 from the National Lottery Community Fund to the Glasgow Community Food Network (GCFN) means work can begin tomorrow [Friday] on transforming Glasgow’s food system and reducing its impact on the climate crisis. It is the Lottery’s largest award given to one project specifically tackling climate change in Scotland.

A project called ‘Low Carbon Sustainable Food City For All’ will be led by GCFN in partnership with Urban Roots, Glasgow Eco Trust, The Space, St Paul’s Youth Forum and Central and West Integration Network.

Nine new jobs will be advertised from tomorrow, with appointments expected to be made before the end of the year for work to begin in January.

Five of these are for full-time Community Activators to establish Green Assemblies across the city, where local people are invited to discuss issues around food that affect them in their area. Small grants of £1000 will be awarded to community groups to develop the best food projects.

“Green Assemblies are aimed at empowering people to take action themselves,” Abi Mordin, Chair of GCFN and lead architect of the National Lottery bid, told The Herald. “A Community Activator’s job will be to inspire change in their community. Hyper-local food production and delivery systems, short supply chains – the more that can happen close to communities the better.”

A big push on food education aimed at energising young people in the climate movement, and teaching them how food makes an impact on climate change, is another priority.

But perhaps the most visible sign of the re-greening of Glasgow could be the city’s first urban farm. GCFN and its partner organisations want to use some of the National Lottery money to convert one of the five municipal golf courses currently under threat of closure to realise this. They are Linn Park, Lethamhill, Littlehill, Alexandra Park and Ruchill.

“We urgently need to upscale urban food production in the city and localise our food systems,” said Mordin. “If we can persuade Glasgow City Council to release one of the surplus golf courses it would be just amazing because it would enable large-scale urban agriculture and vegetable growing, facilitate training and apprenticeships in animal husbandry, beekeeping, vegetable growing and so forth. How exciting if – ahead of COP26 – the city can boast that it has its first urban farm.”

The National Lottery Community Fund is part of the ten-year £100m National-Lottery-funded Climate Action Fund aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of communities. Some 300 organisations across the UK have applied and Glasgow’s bid is the only one to be awarded to Scotland this year, though Greener Kirkcaldy was awarded just under £200,000 for the Climate Action Fife project in the first round last August.

The focus on food was unique to GCFN’s successful application. “If you impact the food system you impact many other things like air quality, carbon emissions, the local economy,” said Mordin. “There has never been a time like this, nor such a need for such coordinated collective action. The challenges from Covid-19, Brexit and climate change require a food system that can respond and recover from shocks.

“I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to all the partner organisations for their time and of course to the National Lottery players for making the funding possible.

“I have no doubt that hosting COP26 tipped the balance in our favour,” she added. “The whole of next year will be geared towards this, and we hope President Biden will come to the city and see what we have achieved.”

Kate Still, the National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, said: “This exciting partnership project will inspire a collective community action among the people of Glasgow. Over the next two years, it will raise awareness of the links between carbon emissions and food production whilst showing just what can be achieved when people take the lead and response to the climate emergency.”

Asked for a response to the golf course challenge, Cllr Anna Richardson, City Convener for Sustainability and Carbon Reduction, told The Herald: “Glasgow City Council has been delighted to support the successful collaborative funding bid to the Climate Action Fund.

“The new Community Activator posts will embed climate action work at the heart of local communities, which perfectly aligns with the council’s approach as we count down to COP26.

“We are committed to supporting and expanding food growing opportunities for our citizens through our successful Food Growing Strategy, and this funding will also help unlock pieces of land, and bring them to life as a range of innovative growing spaces.”

Author: Neil Cooper, Bella Caledonia

The launch this week of a major new grassroots arts initiative in Edinburgh comes at a very interesting moment. Craigmillar Now has announced a programme of local-based international arts that aims to rekindle the spirit of the old Craigmillar Festival Society. This has been brought to fruition as a labour of love by people living locally.

Craigmillar Now and Then

Away from all that, Craigmillar Now has begun operations in the former church that was previously the home of Craigmillar Community Arts. Drawing much of its inspiration from Craigmillar Festival Society, the organisation founded in 1962 by the late Helen Crummy and other local mothers after seeking some kind of arts provision for their children, Craigmillar Now aims to provide a year-round artistic programme as well as hosting an archive of its forebears.

Already announced is a six-month residency and exhibition by Craigmillar based Syrian artist, Nihad Al Turk, who will develop a new body of work set to be shown in Summer 2021. Al Turk’s work has been seen all over the world, from Damascus to Venice to New York, as well as at the 2003 Latakia Biennale, where he was awarded the Golden Prize.

Alongside Al Turk’s work, artist Shauna McMullen will be leading the creation of a new community artwork celebrating the women of Craigmillar. This is designed to replace a now missing Women of Achievement plaque dedicated to Crummy.

Craigmillar Now will also be developing a local archive of vital historical material about the area. This will see a team of trained volunteers collecting and preserving the Craigmillar Festival Society archives, featuring documentation of the organisation’s 40-year history up until its closure in 2002.

In keeping with this emphasis on living history being passed down through generations, a series of community mapping walks will be led by local 5-11-year-olds. These will be run in collaboration with The Venchie, the Niddrie based children’s activity centre run on the site of what is believed to be Scotland’s first adventure playground, which is currently under threat of closure.

With other major events set to be announced in 2021, Craigmillar Now has already made quite an opening statement. Despite this, those behind the new initiative are more than aware of the tough act they have to follow. Craigmillar Festival Society, after all, was a boundary-pushing organisation that revitalised a marginalised area of Edinburgh that suffered institutional neglect and a welter of social problems that came in the wake of ill thought out planning decisions.

Despite this, during the 1970s and 1980s, CFS and the work it enabled was championed and supported by forward thinking individuals within a well-resourced local authority. The influence of CFS saw it used as a model for community arts around the world.

The full background to Craigmillar Festival Society can be found in Crummy’s memoir, Let the People Sing! published in 1992. A short history of CFS appeared in 2017 in  Rachael Cloughton’s essay, Dangerous Mothers. This formed part of Dangerous Women, a project initiated by the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities.

Since then, as newly appointed Project Manager, Cloughton has become one of the driving forces behind Craigmillar Now. With support from City of Edinburgh Council and others, Cloughton has worked alongside community councillor Maureen Child, artist Andrew Crummy, who is also Helen Crummy’s son, veteran Craigmillar activist Johnni Stanton and others. Support has come too from Dr Sophia Marriage of Scottish Episcopal Church, owners of the building. With such a strong team in place, Craigmillar Now looks set to pick up from where CFS left off to create a brand new future for Craigmillar.

*

Author: Voluntary Arts

EPIC Scottish Winner

Bridgend Eco-Bothy

Based in Edinburgh, Bridgend Farmhouse is a community-owned training and volunteer hub situated between three large housing estates, which are in the highest 15% on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. The farmhouse was renovated several years ago, but the surrounding barns were unused and in a state of disrepair – until the local community saw an opportunity to create a valuable space for all to use.

Clearance of the barns began in January 2019, and a team of volunteers have worked since to design and build this unique ‘off-grid’ eco-bothy. All materials are locally sourced, as are the traditional ecological techniques. Volunteers led on every part of the design and build, with a core group of eight and a wider team of around 40. Over 70 local children were also involved, helping design the accessible outdoor play area.

“Volunteers come from all walks of life,” says Will Golding, “including single parents, people experiencing homelessness, mental ill-health and unemployment, retired people, New Scots, students, all with different levels of ability.
“There are many female volunteers, unusual for construction projects, which is testament to the inclusive environment that’s been purposefully nurtured.”

The Bothy will be used by local residents for outdoor play, environmental education, counselling, storytelling, arts, performance and an outdoor classroom linked to the woodlands.

Scottish Runner up and winner of Celebrating Diversity Award Winner

Spit it Out is a collection of young people who aim to build connections and provide a platform for discussions about mental health, sex positivity, and healing through creativity.

In 2019, they started organising screenings, live performance events and talks as a way to raise money for various different charities that share their message. From there, they began a six-episode podcast series exploring themes of sexuality and consent – followed by a zine to educate and inform people about topics such as sex positivity, trauma and depression.

The collective is made up of 12 young professionals with diverse skills from event management, visual arts and performance art – all of whom volunteer their time and skills to organise free and accessible events. All of the artists voluntarily create content to use for marketing and promotional purposes as well as performing and giving talks about mental health, consent and creativity.

“The volunteers in Spit it Out are working on a new way to perform and create content about difficult and taboo subjects,” says co-founder Lea Luiz de Oliveira. “By releasing art about sexual trauma, queer identity and mental health issues, the organisation tries to fight the current stigmas and push for a more accessible representation of these realities.”

See shortlist