Trefoil no longer operates the House as an Adventure Centre. However in order to discharge our Mission Trefoil offers a variety of options. The underpinning principle is broadly the same as the original Trefoil Charity which is that we will support the development of Children and Young People with Special Needs. The support will be provided in order to allow the recipient to maximise their capabilities and achieve as much independance as possible.

Trefoil achieves this by a number of strategies including:

• Holiday Grants for under 18's.
• Personal Development Grants for those over 18 years and under 25 years.
• Collaboration with other Charities.
• Special educational projects.

The ability of Trefoil to support an application is based upon the Articles of Association. This is a legal document which has been approved by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and our Members. The Articles govern who is eligible for a grant and indeed the type of grant. The criteria are described above however a more detailed explanation can be downloaded. An Application form can also be downloaded from this part of the site.

An example of some of our other ongoing projects can be found below.

Although Trefoil is now a stand-alone Charity and not an integral part of the Guiding Movement some links still endure. One of these links is with the Worldwide Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) http://www.wagggsworld.org. Trefoil in discussion with WAGGGS looked at various overseas options for collaborative working. It became apparent from those discussions that the Guides overseas could help Children and Young People in a very structured way if properly postured and funded. The principle driver from Trefoil was to assist in the development of Children and Young People with Special Needs. It was also very clear that we required an organisational infrastructure in country to make to make this happen.

Nicaragua and Honduras were two countries where WAGGGS had an aspiration to progress a rural Guiding project and if funded would allow a structured approach which would support the development of Children and Young People with Special Needs. In this case the nature of the Special Need is predominantly Social, however this impacts upon health and education in an area of profound social deprivation. The aim is to provide through Guiding a programme of Health Education (AIDS/HIV awareness), Social issues (awareness of Child Trafficking) and wealth creation in small communities. Although not aimed solely at Childen and Young People with Special Needs in the conventional sense, inevitably they will benefit. In any case the Trefoil Board agreed that the degree of poverty experienced in both of these countries constituted an impediment to development of similar gravity to that experienced in those with physical or learning difficulties.

The projects in South America provide a positive impact to a large population, for relatively little money. Therefore we are considering the expansion of this type of collaboration with WAGGGS.

Please take the time to read the supporting documents, you can of course make a contribution to this work by providing a donation.

The Holiday Grants scheme came about as a method of providing the support which had previously been available via the Holday and Adventure. The accommodation at the House had been very heavily subsidised which had enabled a number of guests to stay at the House and to have a holiday that otherwise may not have been possible. It is our intention to ensure that this benefit is not lost and indeed by providing these grants we facilitate freedom of choice for our applicants who can choose where and when they go on holiday. They are not tied to Trefoil House and they can be a little more adventurous by sourcing Holiday options which suit them as a family or organised group.

Here are a few of the many comments that we have received from our applicants:

“Thank you for supporting our family Holiday to
Disneyland Paris; it was a holiday to remember. My sons
Matthew 10 and Joshua 5 had a fantastic time.”

“It was lovely seeing the kids’ faces light up
there was so much to do and see.”

“The Holiday provided to Dylan, Anissa and Katrina
enabled a much overdue family reunion in the North
of England. We went shopping to Keswick, only 5 or 6
miles away. Dylan found pies and a chocolate shop,
Anissa and Katrina found a very large football.”

“Please once again thank all concerned
for their kindness and consideration.”

PUSH provides a range of services for Young People www.pushinfo.org, Trefoil is collaborating with PUSH to develop new projects. To learn more access the PUSH website via the link.

The Calm Project, managed by YMCA Glasgow, provides a holistic range of person-centred support services (pro-active, early intervention and diversionary) across the South West of Glasgow area for vulernable young people, aged 12 to 21, who have been affected by issues such as bereavement, violence, violent crime and anti-social behaviour, particularly where it has impacted on their mental and emotional well-being. All young people who access the Calm Project live in postcodes that are listed within the bottom 15% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD).

AIMS

The main purpose of the Calm Project is to support vulnerable young people to:

• develop and apply coping skills, build resilience and overcome their issues
• enhance confidence, self-esteem and emotional literacy
• improve overall mental well being
• boost social, life and communication skills
• explore alternative opportunities to anti-social behaviour, gang activity, drugs/alcohol and risk taking behaviour
• increase access to local services and facilities for young people

Trefoil has provided funding to support elements of this project over the past two years. To learn more follow the link http://www.ymcaglasgow.org/service_detail.asp?serviceid=6.

SKYE HOUSE at Stobhill in Glasgow was opened in 2009 to provide treatment for young people aged 12 - 17 years with conditions such as depression, psychosis and obsessive compulsive disorder.

The new facility cost £7.6m but there was no funding for landscaping of the garden attached to the school and leisure building. The staff and young people at Skye used their initiative and decided to turn the need for an external space into a development project which would provide learning opportunities as well as a usable space. In summer 2010 they approached Trefoil for funding and we were delighted to support this initiative. It was clear that the garden project would provide the opportunity for the young people attending Skye to learn practical skills as well as developing as individuals. In addition to the gardening activities it was clear that everyone would be involved in project planning, time management, leadership, budgeting and management in a very applied and ‘real world’ environment outside the classroom. The social skills benefits were immense as all of the work involved close co-operation and learning to work as a team.

Linda Brown of Skye House said:
“We presented the opportunity for Trefoil to support a project where the youngsters would actually design and build their own garden where they could have somewhere to relax and learn new skills such as gardening, out-with the main facility.”

Trefoil target projects where normal statutory funding is not available and Chief Executive, David McArthur said:
“Trefoil supports projects across Scotland and we saw this as a perfect fit for our criteria. Many of the youngsters had never worked in teams on practical projects and they have done an excellent job, and we’ve handed over a plaque to mark their efforts.”

If you have a project that you think we would be interested in please let us know.