Our Current Projects

Launched in 2006, this project works in partnership with NHS Lothians, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to support young people with experience of Mental Health difficulties engaged at CAMHS to participate in the DofE. The project has developed a community based mentoring scheme for young people who have left CAMHS but would like to complete their Award.

Funding has been secured from Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation to support this project through to 2017. We aim to support and mentor 25 young people per year through their Duke of Edinburgh's Award. We are planning to new section activities for our participants including the 'On yer bike' programme with Edinburgh City Council, Outdoor Learning at Bangholm and Care of Horses programme with Riding for the Disabled.

Examples of our previous projects:

Neigh Bother
Over the summer of 2016, a number of young people attending our Neigh Bother programme. The group volunteered as part of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award, supporting Ravelrig Riding for the Disabled. Throughout this programme the group learnt how to care for the horses physical and mental health through grooming, poo-picking, and leading them in the paddocks. They also learnt how to ride the horses to keep them fit. The group have had a great laugh, and enjoyed some parts more than others!!

Following funding from The Robertson Trust, our Youth Development Project aims to support 50 young people from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds from Edinburgh to participate in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. We aim to increase opportunity for disadvantaged young people to participate in their Duke of Edinburgh's Award, reducing social isolation, as well as increasing access to education and training opportunities. By completing their different sections, participants will have the option to complete additional awards such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Leadership programme, Sports Leader Award, First Aid. This will increase self confidence and willingness to participate in new learning opportunities. 

Current Projects:

Dogs Trust
In July 2016 the YDP group attended the Dogs Trust centre in West Calder. The trip finished off the groups Skills section for Bronze on learning how to care for dogs. We'd like to say a special thanks to Rachel at Dogs Trust for teaching the group and taking us on a tour of the centre - which included meeting the lovely Jura, a Collie Cross (Border)!'

Art Project

In partnership with Dunedin Canmore Youth Projects we are running a series of art sessions at the Slateford Green Youth Cafe. These are on alternate Wednesdays, 6 - 8pm. We would like to thank our art tutor Alex Weir, who is currently studying at Edinburgh Art College.

"I feel I have gained independance from doing DofE" Participant

Contact: Mo Odling, Development Officer: mo.odling@fota.org.uk | 0131 467 4753. 

Launched in 2017, this project works in partnership with schools across Midlothian to support young people through the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Junior Award Scheme for Schools. We will update this page with more information on this project shortly. 

FOTA aims to support 25 young people with additional support needs to complete their expedition Section during this season. Priority will be given to young people engaged in FOTA targeted youth projects and will be opened out to young people across DofE Network. 

We are delighted to have received funding this season from Christina Hendrie Trust, The Robertson Trust, Edinburgh and Lothian's Health Foundation, Allander Trust and Andy Fanshawe Trust. 

We rely on volunteer support and additional funding for this work. Please support us to help us deliver this work. 

Contact: Neil Birch, Expedition Co-ordinator: neil.birch@fota.org.uk | 0131 467 4753

Junior Award Scheme for Schools (JASS) is a progressive learning programme for young people which has been designed to recognise wider achievement. A key aim has been to meet the challenges of the transition from primary to secondary but in practice it can be used at either level as well as with wider age groups in Additional Support Need settings. The objectives of the JASS programme are aligned with the wider learning objectives of the Curriculum for Excellence, The Outdoor Challenge, and Key Stages 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum, making it easy to run alongside and incorporate existing curricular activities.

JASS develops the whole individual by offering recognition in four key areas – regular physical activity (Get Active, Stay Active), exploring a personal interest (My Interests), working for the good of the community or the environment (Me and My World) and completing an outdoor activity or challenge (Adventure) and is designed so that participants move from Bronze, to Silver and then to Gold with increasing levels of, commitment, learning, and challenge.

"The JASS programme's clearest beneift is to encourage and support students to take on new challenges and learn from them. Its requirement to think about activities before and afterwards increases learning potential of each of these activities" Primary School Teacher

Contact: Joan Alexander, Development Officer: joan@jasschools.org.uk | 0131 538 4028