YOUNG men in our care at HMP & YOI Polmont recently donated £40,000 to four very important charities across Scotland, in an innovative 'Dragon's Den'-style giveaway.
The group had secured £75,000 of funding for work in the prison from the Corra Foundation's Promise Partnership - a grant which stipulated that the young people decided how the money should be spent.
They decided they wanted to make an impact in the wider community, making four pots of £10,000 available to support projects directly working with young people.
The initiative was entirely led by the group of young men, with Iain Corbett (Children and Young People's Centre for Justice) stepping in to support with things they couldn’t do themselves, such as the online advertising.
They decided on its scope, crated the application forms, and sifted through the large volume of applicants to select the final eight who would pitch to the panel of 'Dragons'.
The winners, chosen by the panel, were:
- The Anchor – who deliver peer led suicide prevention and community integration work in Inverclyde.
- SISCO – a recovery charity, who deliver sessions in Scottish Prisons, and the community.
- SEAMAB - a residential school that provides care and education for children and young people from across Scotland, who have complex needs and require specialised intensive support.
- Glass Performance – a performing arts charity who deliver theatre sessions to those in Polmont.
The winning charities joined some of the young men to discuss what the project meant to them, with LBC Radio, earlier this month.