Self Management in the Community 2025 finalist – Castlemilk Youth Complex

“There is no magic potion in what we do, but we are managing to do it well for the past 30 years.”

Castlemilk Youth Complex (CYC) is a youth organisation in the south side of Glasgow, working with young people aged 12-25 years old. Managed by a youth led board of directors, they have five teams delivering youth work in the community.

CYC Hub – Provides a base for the young people to access the services, 4 nights per week, 50 weeks per year.

CYC Streetwise – A detached youth work team engaging with young people on the streets of Castlemilk.

CYC Youth Stress – A team who focus on health and wellbeing of young people.

CYC Employability – A team working with disengaged school leavers to support their employability journey.

CYC School Based Team – Youth work staff providing support in 6 schools in the local area.

As well as local schools, CYC work in partnership with local and national organisations to ensure that the work being delivered to young people is relevant and is contributing to them being active members of the community. They work closely with the City Health Care Partnership (CHCP) team within the NHS, Jobs and Business Glasgow (JBG) support team, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Post Schools team, Glasgow City Council, Social Work and Glasgow University as well as several local businesses. Their aim is to build the capacity of young people to actively engage in services and connect with their communities. Through their holistic approach to working with families, they have created a level of trust within the community and are now supporting the second generation within some families.

The Youth Complex has become a pillar of support within the community. Relationships are being built with young people at an early age. As they embark on the transition to adulthood and beyond, people tend to ‘bounce back’ to the Complex when they need support. If the need cannot be met within the organisation, the staff are well equipped to point them in the direction of partner agencies.

They say, “there is no magic potion in what we do, but we are managing to do it well for the past 30 years.” A lesson and strategy they would share is to utilise the knowledge of the client group. They work with young people aged 12-25 years old, and having the youth led board of directors has been invaluable. The young people know what other young people need. They know the gaps in services and provide a more forward thinking approach to the service development and strategic planning.  

They are well aware of the funding challenges currently affecting organisations. “For the voluntary sector, the constant battle is that of long-term funding. We are in a consistent struggle and have managed for over 30 years with year-to-year funding. This has and continues to be difficult to manage, not just for our staff, but for the community.”

They have been working hard for many years and now having a school based staff team established across 6 schools within the community, young people have access to youth work support from 8am – 9pm, fifty weeks of the year.

Castlemilk Youth Complex’s hope for the future – “is to make the next 30 years as successful as the last. We hope for consistency in delivery, with access to long-term funding.”

You can read all Connected Communities case studies here: https://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/blog/case_studies/?projects=connected-communities