Outside the Box are delighted to announced that we have received funding from the Scottish Government Equalities Team to fund a project which develops practical resources that will:

• make it easier for community groups to respond immediately to Covid-19;
• make it easier for older people to get the support they need in this crisis stage and as long as this continues;
• put community groups in a stronger place for the next stage of responding to Covid-19 and being part of how communities in Scotland work in the future.

Community groups are having to work fast to react to the ongoing crisis and find new ways to support the people that they work with. The resilience, adaptability, and the willingness to connect already shown by so many working with communities across Scotland has proven how necessary this is.

Over the past year, Outside The Box has worked with approximately 110 community groups, connecting directly with nearly 3000 people across Scotland, and having an impact on the lives of many thousands more.

Over the years, we have produced many resources to support and grow communities. This funding will allow us to build on this work, and produce new, short-form accessible resources that will offer practical advice to community groups and older people.

Outside The Box will work in partnership with other members of the Scottish Government’s Older People’s Strategic Action Forum, community groups and some local authorities. This will enable a wider range of individuals, professionals and community groups to feed into the project and ensure that it provides the types of support that really makes a difference.

The funding will enable Outside The Box to work to develop the capacity of community groups, involving more people as volunteers in a wide array of roles to support a diverse range of older people right across Scotland in both urban and rural settings.

The resources will include tips on: appropriate support for people living with dementia or with different cultural needs; finding and giving peer support; reducing social isolation and looking after mental wellbeing; ways to contribute to looking out for older people.

In the longer-term, the materials produce and the learning will becomes a set of resources that can then continue to be used by the wider voluntary and community sector across Scotland.

Chief Executive, Anne Connor said:

“We’re thrilled that the Scottish Government Equalities Team is recognising the vital role that community groups can play in this crisis. This will make a tangible difference to the lives of so many people that might not otherwise be reached by larger Scotland-wide efforts.”