Kibble Admin

Over the past decade KibbleWorks has grown and developed into a vibrant collective of social enterprises.  It remains true to its original purpose of providing tailored employability support for young people (16-25) facing barriers to employment. The ethos of KibbleWorks was recently captured on film; highlighting the range of opportunities available and giving a first-hand account of the KibbleWorks experience from the perspective of young people.

Eileen Cummings, Director of Education and Youth Training, explained: “We offer opportunities to improve employability skills, acquire vocational qualifications and gain experience in a real working environment.”

Young people can upskill and improve their job prospects through an integrated programme of vocational training and work placements. Opportunities are varied and include leisure and hospitality, horticulture, warehousing, auto engineering, mechanical engineering, business administration, joinery and construction, recycling, bike maintenance, picture framing, promotional goods design and production, and pest control. KibbleWorks is accredited to offer City and Guilds and SQA qualifications and in addition to embarking on training to support their chosen area of work, young employees are also encouraged to undertake employability and personal progress awards through these awarding bodies.

Mark Robertson, Education and Youth Training Manager said:  “Young people come here and put in a day’s work.  It’s not simply work experience, we like to look at the whole programme where young people get qualifications and this is treated as a realistic working opportunity.”

The recent launch of OsKar’s new look showroom proved a resounding success as they welcomed over 100 visitors on the first day. Members of the public were joined by community groups and local businesses, all keen to see the revamp and check-out the latest bargains.

OsKar’s is part of the KibbleWorks group of social enterprises; providing opportunities for young people facing barriers to employment by increasing their skillset and ultimately job prospects. Collecting and refurbishing unwanted furniture, OsKar’s then sell the goods in their showroom for a fraction of the original cost. Safety is paramount and all white goods are PAT tested by trained team members. They also provide a range of property maintenance services for individuals and organisations and regularly undertake house clearances, painting and decorating, and gardening.

Alison Organ, project officer for the re-use, repair and recycling charity, Community Resources Network Scotland said: “It’s the first time I have been to OsKar’s to see the recycling and up-cycling of goods that’s going on here. It’s brilliant as there’s a great variety and quality of goods here.

“It feeds into everything we are trying to achieve by creating a circular economy and OsKar’s also gives young people the chance of jobs and employment training.”

OsKar’s manager, Karen Gilligan said: “It’s very heartening for our staff to see such a great interest being taken in what we are achieving here.”

If you’d like to find out what’s causing such a stir, it’s time to take a trip to OsKar’s. Based at 55 Clark Street, Paisley, they’re open weekdays 9am – 4.30pm. Alternatively, for more information log on to www.oskars.org.uk or contact Karen Gilligan on 0141 847 6626.

The Scottish Branch of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) will be hosting a conference in Glasgow on 8 May for practitioners working with children and young people in generic and specialised services.  ‘What the Forensic? – Challenging Cases in Everyday Practice’ will give both a theoretical and practical insight into a series of key issues facing professionals.  We are pleased to confirm Kibble’s Dan Johnson and Claire Reilly from the Specialist Intervention Services team will be presenting at the conference.

ACAMH supports the mental health needs of children and young people and is committed to multi-disciplinary research and practice within child and adolescent mental health.  This is achieved in a number of ways including the publication of research findings, and sharing of innovative practices.

Working with young people with complex and forensic behaviour can be a challenge. Speakers at the conference will share their knowledge on a range of approaches that can be applied, and highlight specific characteristics that can cause concern.  Dan will be discussing ‘Trauma Informed Forensic Formulation’ and Claire will be exploring ‘Theoretical Underpinnings of Adolescent Firesetting’. Topical issues will also be addressed including a discussion on forensic inpatient care.

To find out more about the event and make a booking log on to  www.acamh.org/events

OsKar’s is starting 2015 with a brand new look and will be unveiling its transformed showroom this coming Wednesday (14 January) between 9am and 4pm at its premises at 55 Clark St, Paisley.   The open invite will provide the perfect opportunity to find out more about the work of OsKar’s, part of the KibbleWorks group of social enterprises.

Operating in the heart of the community, OsKar’s offers two main services; furniture reuse, and property maintenance.  In doing this, it provides young people facing barriers to employment with the chance to gain new skills and experience as they move on to seek permanent employment.

OsKar’s manager, Karen Gilligan said: “These are very exciting times for the company as we’ve recently upgraded our showroom, have started up-cycling a whole range of furniture and we also have a new range of vintage furniture pieces.

“We’re inviting everyone, whether they are a business, community group or member of the public to come along on Wednesday to see our new showroom and the wide variety of household goods we have for sale.

“And as well as getting a cup of tea and some cake, people coming along might well leave with a real bargain.”

For further information, contact Karen on 0141 847 6626, visit the OsKar’s website or follow them on Facebook.

As a member of Glasgow Social Enterprise Network (GSEN), Kibble welcomed the chance to get involved and become a sponsor of the organisation’s first ever trade show. GSEN is a membership network for social enterprise leaders in Greater Glasgow, all sharing a common belief that social enterprise can transform the economic, environmental, social and cultural life of Glasgow.

Shortly before Christmas, The Briggait, a stunning historical building in the heart of the city, opened its doors to the public and businesses to host the free event. With over 30 exhibitors including The Experience, the event was well attended.  The Experience is a themed entertainment and events venue, housing Scotland’s only indoor electric adult and junior go-karting arena, and operates as a social enterprise under the KibbleWorks banner.  It will provide a minimum of 50 transitional jobs for young people aged 16+ annually and offer opportunities for vocational training and work experience.

Lynsey McLean, General Manager at The Experience said: “It’s a great idea to hold an event like this in Glasgow where all the different organisations can trade together and bring in members of the public.  A lot of people aren’t aware of what a social enterprise is and the quality of products and services offered so it’s really important to back events like this.”

The event was filmed throughout the day and comments were captured from those in attendance. View their feedback in the film below.

Kibble young people recently put their acting skills to the test when they starred in a couple of short films for CELCIS (Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland). CELCIS aim to improve the experiences and life chances of children and young people who are looked after, their families, and those who have left care. Our talented bunch of young people were joined by Kibble staff to take part in a trailer promoting a free online CELCIS course on Caring For Vulnerable Children at Strathclyde University. Starting February next year, the six-week course is free to anyone who might be interested and will offer an insight into the approaches involved in caring for vulnerable children. To find out more about the course and to view the trailer visit the Future Learn website.

Feedback has been very positive and our young people impressed so much that additional footage from the first film was used to make a second insert highlighting important statistics for young people in care and some of the issues faced. We think our young people are stars in the making, check it out for yourself.

Download Ending for Kibble MP4 (13MB)

GAME of Thrones star Daniel Portman was very impressed by the panto staged by pupils and staff at Paisley’s Kibble Education and Care Centre…oh yes he was!

The actor who plays Podrick Payne in the cult hit TV show was a guest at the panto, called The Big Freeze performed in Kibble’s Safe Centre.  And after the show, he presented certificates to the young people who had been involved both on stage and behind the scenes.

The panto told the story of the wicked Ice Queen who keeps the Earth frozen by using a giant Ice Blaster gun and only relents by the heart-warming story of true love between the hero, Jack and Princess Wantalot.

Daniel Portman regularly helps out with drama coaching at Kibble, as his former drama teacher at the then Reid Kerr College is Gavin Sinclair, now Kibble’s Creative Arts Development Officer.  After the performance Daniel said: “The show was brilliant and like all the other performances at Kibble there was a great amount of talent and enthusiasm to be seen on stage.

“This kind of performing is also a great confidence booster for the young people at Kibble.”

Gavin Sinclair, who played the part of Gaz in the panto said: “The young people and staff who took part put in a huge amount of work to make this happen.

“The room where the panto was staged was packed and the people watching were a typical panto audience cheering and booing in all the right places.

“The reaction would have given the young people a huge boost to their self-esteem.”