This week’s blog is by Tracy Leavy, Director of Community Engagement & Curriculum and John Montgomery, Senior Curriculum Manager - Service Industries, Sport, and Community Learning, at Glasgow Kelvin College. Colleges Scotland is marking the diversity and variety of the work that Scotland's 24 colleges do with our new blog series, 24 in 2024.

Here at Kelvin, our campuses are based in Springburn, Haghill, and Easterhouse in the north and northeast of Glasgow, some of the areas of greatest deprivation in the whole of Scotland.

Engaging with these communities and bringing the people who live here closer to education, qualifications and sustainable employment, is a critical part of the work we do at Kelvin.

Sometimes that means delivering education at outreach centres across the areas but often, it is also about bringing the community on campus. 

The Youth & Community Hub was established by the College in 2021 to deliver a dynamic and engaging range of learning opportunities as well as to provide healthy activities to local residents two evenings per week.    

In an area where 20% of residents have few or no qualifications and around a third are economically inactive (NOMIS 2021), northeast Glasgow is already significantly disadvantaged.  We try to ensure that our provision is inclusive and addresses the needs of our local communities to improve access to skills, qualifications and learning opportunities. 

Existing challenges were compounded further by the pandemic, which brought increased isolation and a lack of access to amenities and, as a renowned community anchor in northeast Glasgow, the College was deeply concerned about the impact of the pandemic on local residents’ mental and physical health.  

Coupled with the closure of partner venues, our ability to support community provision and widen access to opportunity was curtailed.  To deliver on our ambitions and priorities of strengthening communities and building capacity, in early 2021 we worked with partner organisations and young residents in the Springburn area to identify the areas of need.  

In October 2021, the College established the Springburn Youth and Community Hub which delivers health and lifestyle related activities to young people, adults and children all under one roof, creating a sense of ownership and engaging them in the learning process in a sustainable and social environment - a safe, welcoming space where people can make friends, learn and have fun.

In 2022, we built on the Hub’s success with the launch of a Youth & Community Hub at our Easterhouse Campus. Each member of the Hub, regardless of age, is an enrolled student at Kelvin which often provides a real sense of pride and belonging. The College also provides help and support to Hub members who want to progress on to other college courses and to advance their learning. 

The project is funded by the STV Children’s Appeal and makes use of all the campus facilities when they would otherwise be unoccupied. These Hub activities take place in professional cookery kitchens, hair and beauty salons and gym halls. 

The programme is run by college Teaching Staff, Community Learning & Development staff and Support Staff to create formal and informal learning opportunities. Many partners join us in the delivery, including community groups, Police Scotland, and local sport organisations. The College’s advanced-level students also get involved in running the Hub’s supervised activities which in turn provides these students with invaluable work and leadership experience. 

You can see more about the work of the Hub on the STV Children’s Appeal programme, later this year.