Big thanks to Ben Macpherson MSP for taking the time to visit YMCA Edinburgh this week following the launch of Inspiring Scotland’s intandem Scotland impact report. As well as discusssing the impact mentoring can have, we appreciated the opportunity to speak about YMCA work to support young peoples voice in influencing community developments and the…

YMCA Edinburgh is excited to share that we have received a successful three-year funding award from the National Lottery Community Fund. The money will support the expansion of our Plusone Mentoring programme and a range of additional supports to build scaffolding around the lives of young people we connect with. Over the 3 years, we…

Last week we were at Leith Community Centre delivering another action-packed Holiday Playscheme over the October break. With around 25 Primary-aged kids attending each session a range of activities were on offer; sports, arts, crafts and Bollywood dance! Thanks to Leith Community Centre for the use of their facilities and to Street Soccer Scotland for…

On Friday, October 4th, the officers at Leith Police Station took time out of their busy days to give the YMCA Play Kids a tour of the station, talk about their jobs, and answer any questions from the group. It was a memorable and fun experience, especially getting to see YMCA staff member, Maureen, in…

Despite his calf injury, Paul Scott (Youth & Play Coordinator) completed the #KiltWalk on Sunday, raising money for YMCA Edinburgh. Paul leads our free-to-access playrangers sessions, holiday playschemes, and youth work, which are focused on improving wellbeing and managing your mental health. He has been working in the local community for almost 10 years, helping…

Cables Wynd, known affectionately as the Banana Flats, is an iconic building in Leith. A diverse community resides there and they have been actively trying to make much-needed improvements to the building, one of the most frequently voiced issues was the lifts in the building often breaking, being unreliable and people getting trapped in them.…

The project directly responds to local needs by delivering a sports-based youth work session to young people at a crucial point in the week. Following concerns raised by police around levels of anti-social behaviour on Friday evenings and the vulnerabilities local young people have to being led into organised crime,  a partnership between the Community…

Solomon’s Story The project has provided an opportunity for one local young person to develop and grow through a volunteer role in the project. New to Scotland, Solomon faced apprehension in travelling around the community due to concerns over incidents of violence following a stabbing in the local area. With the encouragement of a school-based…

Some of the girls from our Older Girls Wellbeing Group enjoyed a horse riding lesson over the weekend at Lasswade Riding Centre They were all absolutely amazing. They began with a 30 minute lesson followed by 30 minute trek. This was something the girls have wanted to do for a long time and its safe…

Our Women’s Group attracts a wide range of women from the local Leith community and further afield. Ranging from early 20’s to early 90’s, the women come from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds facing personal challenges including loneliness, poverty, physical and mental health issues, relationship difficulties, addiction, stress and low self-esteem. On this occasion,…

Pizza, Nachos, all the usual movie snacks and a fantastic movie to watch, what better way is there to celebrate the end of another successful term?

On Saturday 8th June, girls from our Girls Health & Wellbeing group were supported by staff members to run a stall at Leith Gala Day. The girls ran tombola stalls for adults and children and sold popcorn in order to raise funds. As a result of their efforts, the generosity of those that donated prizes…

Amazing & well deserved recognition for Graham Kilpatrick, one of our fantastic volunteer mentors who was recognised as one of Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteers at an recent ceremony held in Edinburgh City Chambers. Graham has been dedicating his time with us for over 4 years and is pictured here with Donald McDonald, chair of our board.

We are always looking for volunteer mentors to support children and young people across Edinburgh. If you have a couple of hours a week you could dedicate to us, please get in touch to find out more.

Welcome to the new and updated YMCA Edinburgh site. Although we’ve made a few changes already, this is just the start of our journey, so please check back regularly for updates.

YMCA Edinburgh are in the second year of their commitment to help #keepthepromise. Following reports from the independent care review and supported by The Corra Foundation and The Promise Scotland we are on a journey of reflection, learning and service adaption to impact change in policy, practice and culture for both YMCA Edinburgh and others…