Services
The BIG Project supports children and young people aged 5-15 years living in The Broomhouse Area to learn, achieve, have fun and feel good about themselves through the provision of well resourced, integrated, flexible and co-ordinated activities.
We aim to improve long term quality of life by developing self-confidence, resilience, optimism, high self-esteem and a commitment to personal excellence as a basis for their potential life role as family, community and workplace members.
We do this through the delivery of a programme combining open-access activities with targeted work that addresses needs and priorities identified by local children, young people, their families, and other service providers.
Participating in these activities has given children and young people a sense of connectedness and trust that makes them feel valued and supported so that they are better placed to deal with difficulties and manage set-backs and challenges.
Open Access
The BIG Project provides a number of open access youth and children's clubs for children living in the Broomhouse Area or attending school in this area. There is no charge to attend these clubs. Our overall approach is one of early intervention and often children move up seamlessly from one group to the next as they get older. This continuity of service combined with the existing good relationships they have with staff means that they identify very positively with The Project and provides a very stable and strong base from which to develop provision.Targeted
ResidentialsWe offer children and young people a variety of residential experiences over the year, starting from Primary 3, right through to S4. Each is different, and we go to different places depending on the individual needs of the group. Some examples are Summer Camping, Hopscotch holidays and Pilton Retreat.
Summer CampingWe usually head down to East Lothian or Peebles, taking small groups for swimming and river walks, as well as the joy of putting up the tent!
Hopscotch Holidays
Hopscotch Holidays for Kids is a local charity that offers 5 day residential experiences to children that don't normally get the chance to go on holiday. They have a house up in Ardgour, close to Fort William.
We take 12 children, 6 boys and 6 girls up to Ardgour where they take part in a number of activities like going to the beach, Oban sea-life centre, climbing at The Ice Factor and going up on the Gondola at Annoch Mor. This year saw the 60th child from Broomhouse participate in a Hopscotch holiday.
Pilton RetreatOver the years, we've realised you don't have to go to far to give kids new experiences! We use Pilton Retreat at Ratho for residentials. It's the fun of staying over somewhere new and the routines put in place that makes it a success. We've found that this is great for younger children, as it is so close to home.
CampingCamping is a very popular feature of our summer programme. We take children and young people away for a couple of nights during their holidays.
