On Friday 10th of September, Justice Secretary Keith Brown visited the Rangers Charity Foundation and met with the current ‘CashBack – Towards New Futures’ cohort of young people.
‘CashBack – Towards New Futures’ is a bespoke employability programme designed to re-engage young people aged 16-24 who have previously committed offences, helping them build confidence, resilience and skills. Through the programme, they are supported to engage with their communities, access employment and move towards positive future destinations. So far, three candidates from the current cohort have gained employment, with the others working on a range of activities to build skills and support them towards post-course destinations.
During his visit, the Justice Secretary talked with the young people to find out about the activities they’ve participated in so far. These include First Aid training, Mental Health First courses, workshops focused on job searching, interview techniques and CV building, and partnership engagement activities with Police Scotland, Disclosure Scotland and a range of employers and training providers. The young people shared their perspectives on what sort of barriers they felt they had to employment, and reflected upon their experiences prior to joining the programme.
‘CashBack – Towards New Futures’ works with young people in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Inverclyde. It works in partnership with four prison establishments (HMYOI Polmont, HMP Addiewell, HMP Greenock and HMP Barlinnie), as well as the Govan Thriving Place, to support candidates from offending backgrounds who reside in areas of deprivation.
