YMCA Edinburgh Early Intervention Collective

Supporting young people earlier, together

At YMCA Edinburgh, much of our work with young people is rooted in early intervention and prevention. Over time, our mentoring, youth work and school partnerships have grown in ways that naturally connect with one another.

The YMCA Edinburgh Early Intervention Collective brings this work together under one framework — linking school-based support, mentoring and community youth work so that young people can access help earlier, build trusted relationships and stay connected to positive opportunities in their community.

Led by YMCA Edinburgh and delivered alongside local partners, the Collective reflects a simple belief: support works best when it starts early and continues across the spaces where young people spend their time.

How the Collective works

The Early Intervention Collective connects support across three key settings:

School

Working alongside staff at Leith Academy, YMCA provides a consistent presence to support early identification of young people who may benefit from additional support. This allows young people to check in with a trusted youth worker, access guidance or mentoring, participate in group projects and receive help before challenges escalate.

Community

Our Friday Night Lights sessions provide consistent youth provision on Friday evenings, offering safe and welcoming spaces for young people to connect, take part in sport and activities, and build positive relationships with trusted adults and peers.

Mentoring

Our Plusone Mentoring programme, now in its 13th year, provides long-term, relationship-based mentoring for young people who benefit from more focused support. Since it began, Plusone has supported over 150 mentoring matches, helping young people build confidence, resilience and positive pathways forward.
These strands work together to ensure young people can move between support in school, mentoring and community activities without barriers.

Starting earlier

Prevention often means reaching young people before difficulties grow.

Alongside our existing youth provision, YMCA also supports primary-aged children through outdoor play and relationship-based youth work, helping younger children build confidence, friendships and connections with trusted adults.

These sessions help create smooth transitions into wider youth activities, including sport and youth programmes delivered with partners across Leith.

Working in partnership

The Early Intervention Collective is delivered alongside a number of trusted local partners, including:

• Leith Academy
• Community Police
• Leith Community Sports Hub
• Pilmeny Development Project
• Street Soccer Scotland
• Leith Community Centre

Together, we work to ensure young people have consistent support, positive activities and clear pathways into mentoring, youth work and wider opportunities.

Pathways and opportunities

Early intervention is not just about preventing problems — it is about creating opportunities.

Through our youth programmes, mentoring and community partnerships, young people can progress into:

• volunteering
• youth leadership opportunities
• training and employment pathways
• wider community involvement

Several young people involved in Friday Night Lights have already progressed into volunteering roles and paid employment within YMCA Edinburgh.

A connected approach

The Early Intervention Collective reflects YMCA Edinburgh’s commitment to long-term, relationship-based support for young people and families.

By linking school-based support, mentoring and youth work in the community, we aim to ensure young people in Leith can access help earlier, build stronger connections and develop positive futures.

“Officers from Leith Community Policing Team regularly attend Friday Night Lights. We have seen first hand how this group gives young people purpose, structure, and a safe space to belong. The kids involved at Friday Night Lights are largely deterred from ASB and criminality, as they are taught right from wrong and have grown to respect themselves and their community. For me, supporting this project is a direct investment in the safety of Leith as a community.”- Paul Gray, Police Scotland

To find out more contact:

Email: jane@ymcaedinburgh.com
Phone: 07715 208528