Case Studies

SCOTO and Community Led Tourism

SCA network to network digital exchange

Dumfries town centre showing a row of shops and cafes with two women in conversation on a bench.

SCOTO is a rapidly growing network seeking to grow, develop and raise awareness of community led tourism and secure added value from tourism for Scotland’s people and places. Community Led Tourism in the 3rd sector is a about visitor facing experiences which are delivered by the local community via social or other enterprise models which are not for profit and deliver social, economic and/or environmental benefits for the community.

This learning exchange offered networks the opportunity to identify which communities they are working with who are providing visitor services, facilities and experience and how those communities can develop, manage and promote their community as a destination.

The outcome was increased partnership opportunities between SCOTO and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland to measure impacts of events and festivals on local tourism and with Scottish Island Federation to share expertise on the impact of cruise ships in Orkney – how the community are shaping tourism around this on their terms.

Learning Outcomes

  • To deliver positive impacts for people, places and planet: measuring impact – what difference is tourism making in communities?
  • To prioritise the common and shared interests of visitors, businesses and residents – send of place and place branding for locals and the host community.
  • To deliver enduring benefits for the whole community beyond the more limited short term interests of the tourism and hospitality industry – things that matter to our communities in place planning and action planning to recalibrate tourism.

"Responsible tourism is a collaborative approach which places an onus on all tourism players to take responsibility for their actions. It seeks to protect our people, places and the planet by reducing negative impacts and ensuring as an absolute minimum they are no worse off. COMMUNITY LED TOURISM goes further. CLT seeks added value from all tourism players and activity ensuring our people and our places are better off as a consequence of tourism – and in a way that matters to that specific community."

Case Studies

Afghan Community Group Inverness

Sharing culture through food and welcoming community spaces.

A group of people standing outside a community building holding gardening tools.

This exchange was to support the sharing of culture through food and to learn about how other community group support diverse cultures in their community through welcoming spaces.

Learning Outcomes

  • The Afghan community of Inverness has been trying for the best part of a year to set up their own cultural association and take on a space which will enable them to offer support to the growing, but very new, Afghan community in Highland.
  • SHIMCA have helped countless local orgs to find their feet by offering them space to start their ideas, and advice on how to go it alone!
  • This learning exchange will help to get the Afghan community the experience and support they need to support themselves beyond the extent of the resettlement scheme run by the government which currently support them.

“The creation of the Afghan Community Group is a significant milestone in our collective efforts to promote inclusivity, empowerment, and cultural diversity. This group offers a space for Afghan individuals and families in Inverness to unite, share their experiences, and contribute to our vibrant community.”

Case Studies

Public Interest News Foundation local partners

To gain a better understanding of the common thread in what the partners do

a group of twelve people standing outside the gates of a park, facing and listening to a person.

The exchange gave an understanding of what is understood as ‘public interest news’ and how to articulate it to funders, regulators, government and policy makers.

Learning Outcomes

  • How the Graeter Govanhill Newsroom allows diverse communities to access information, and the challenges faced in running the organisation, especially when it comes to generating funding and covering ongoing expenses.
  • Explore potential research projects that include measuring the impact and value of indie news and a deep dive into what drives sustainability.
  • Learn about the way in which members of the community who have no prior engagement with journalists are able to interact with them for the first time

“The Independent News Forum was a very successful exchange and funding from the Scottish Community Alliance made it possible for 9 Scottish Beacon members to attend. This allowed them to share their experiences with the wider community of independent news providers in and build resilience to meet the challenges of working in the industry.”

Case Studies

Community transport approaches

To learn from one of the most experienced community transport networks in South Ayrshire to sustain our local activities in the South West.

a person stepping onto a community transport bus

This exchange was primarily about community transport processes in taking bookings, recruitment of staff and volunteers. How to source different streams of funding was also part of the learning in order to sustain local activities.

Learning Outcomes

  • Improved understanding of supporting the wellbeing of volunteers for sustainable recruitment
  • Sourcing funding partnerships and pathways
  • Improve service delivery and increase effectiveness of operations

“We learned a lot from our visit – with extra understanding on ways to join up our strategic approaches to non-emergency patient transport.”

Case Studies

LGBTQ+ leadership in the SE space

The exchange focussed on learning from other SE’s by sharing some of the challenges and solutions of being an LGBTQ+ leader in the SE space.

a graphic of the Pride Outside Leadership Gathering.

The purpose was the development of an LGBTQ+ SE supplier chain and support the development of partnership working.

Learning Outcomes

  • Peer learning and partnership working
  • Connection to the SE sector- for LGBTQ+ SEs to build relationships with support organisations to encourage more LGBTQ+ SEs to be part of the sector.
  • To develop an LGBTQ+ Community Network which meet regularly to skill share and mentor new organisations joining the sector.

“This exchange has helped inform our direction of travel by highlighting what people need in terms of support- such as developing an informal mentoring programme and the establishment of a formal LGBTQ+ SE leadership course.”

Case Studies

Rural Employability Partnership Learning Exchange

Third sector organisations from Argyll and Bute; Inspiralba, Fyne Futures, Oban Youth Cafe and HELP were able to host a learning exchange, with a focus on third sector collaboration for employability delivery.

a graphic of the Rural Employability Partnership

The exchange enabled 32 third sector representatives from across Argyll, Highland and Dumfries and Galloway to participate. In addition, representatives from Argyll and Bute Council, Highland Council, the Scottish Government, COSLA, and TSI’s attended and contributed to the discussions.

Learning Outcomes

  • Share learning on collaborative third sector delivery models: Exchanging ideas and strategies on how the third-sector organisations can work together effectively to improve their services.
  • Build connections across rural employability social enterprises: Creating networks among social enterprises that focus on rural areas, so they can share resources and work together to tackle local employment challenges.

“The exchange helped us identify the regional variations alongside the common themes. By sharing our experiences from the Highlands, Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll and Bute - we’ve gained a broader perspective on how employability services could be adapted to regional differences while still maintaining a cohesive strategy.”