Venture Scotland believes every young adult should learn how to change. This helps them lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. Our small team and dedicated volunteers work with young adults aged 16 to 30 over a 12-week period. We focus on those facing life's challenges and who are willing to accept support to tackle these issues.
What does the support look like?
We offer a two-stage outdoor personal development programme. This group-based programme meets twice a week for fun and challenging sessions. We use the outdoor environment to boost personal growth. Activities include hill walking, canoeing, coasteering, and much more.
In both remote and local areas of Scotland, we provide:
- Regular skills and wellbeing sessions
- Outdoor activities
- One-to-one support sessions
- Bothy residentials
These activities help you enjoy routine, build caring adult relationships, and find safe spaces. They also offer meaningful activities and time away from technology, plus the healing benefits of nature.
What will I get?
You can earn a Personal Development Qualification, accredited as SQA Level 3 and 4. You will have 1:1 sessions with the programme leader to discuss your progress and reflect on your journey. After the programme ends, you can receive support from the Outreach and Support Worker. This help guide you in deciding what to do next. You can explore volunteering opportunities, find work, write a CV, or simply have a catch-up chat.
Young people can self-refer or be referred by another organisation. You can find our referral form on our website: www.venturescotland.org.uk. After you submit it, our outreach and support worker will contact you to arrange a meeting and discuss the programme.
When
The programme takes place over 12 weeks. You will be in two days a week (sessions run on Mondays and Tuesdays) with residential trips taking place over the week as well. Dates for the programme and residential trips will be provided in advance.
Where
We begin all of our sessions at our base in Abbeyhill. From there, we take the minibus to various locations to carry out the activities. These can be more local, such as canoeing on the canal or at Musselburgh Lagoons, or further afield - coasteering in Fife or gorge walking in the Trossachs.
What can I do next?
You can work with our Outreach and Support Worker for a few months after the programme. This support helps them figure out what’s next. Meetings will usually be 1:1. The support worker can assist you with finding volunteering opportunities, applying for jobs, writing a CV, or documenting your experiences and achievements from the programme.
