Deekin to Jan

the ‘deekin to Jan’ programme provides outdoor, natural heritage-based learning activities to transform the life chances of young people aged 11-15 years from the Gypsy/traveller community in the falkirk area. deekin to Jan, which means ‘looking to learn’ in the Gypsy/traveller language, is delivered by tCV Scotland in partnership with article 12 and funded by the national lottery Heritage fund. the programme is organised by Cara Jackson, tCV training officer, and Project assistants Gregor McLeod and Krissy Stevenson, along with Laura Flannagan from article 12. Here, they outline deekin to Jan’s aims and activities: our young people have developed core skills such as communication, teamwork and essential employability skills. the group visited the inchyra Grange Hotel for an experiential learning experience where they created a mystery shopper like check list to review the customer service. they absolutely loved it and were very fair critics. following this, the group were tasked with an entrepreneurial activity of creating their own hotel. they had a set budget, target audience and had to pitch their idea to the group/panel. their ideas were so imaginative; they really didn’t scrimp on the detail. the group have achieved one SQa unit so far, ‘Working with others’ by working collaboratively including the creation of a woodland obstacle course and building a team den. during our first block of activities the group have successfully completed their John muir award. the young people have discovered who John muir was and the importance of connecting with and protecting our natural world. as a result, we have learnt about and explored biodiversity in the local community woodland. the group have carried out habitat, bird, and tree surveys. they have learnt what conservation is and put this into action by planning how they could protect local species. the group have planned, developed, and built their own hibernaculum (winter shelter) for small mammals and amphibians.

We have used local natural heritage and the group’s own cultural heritage as a platform for learning. three sessions each week connect the young people to local green spaces in falkirk, whilst teaching them skills which will enhance their future prospects. every member of the group has come out of their shell, and we are so proud of them! Parents have commented on how they can see notable changes in their child’s confidence and wellbeing.

Going into the new year, our second activity period will focus on community impact and building the group’s connection to their local heritage. deekin to Jan continues until July 2023.