The David Doig Foundation is pleased to support for the first time The Ridge, based in Dunbar. The Ridge offers support and training opportunities to disadvantaged local people of all ages in the community of Dunbar and East Linton- an area of geographical isolation- with the aim of improving their life chances.
The David Doig Foundation grant will fund a four-month project with 8-12 pupils from Dunbar Primary School who are exhibiting a lack of engagement and are at risk of becoming school refusers. The organisation has previously worked with the teachers with this group in their community gardens through Enhanced Support for Learning. The children have been learning about nature, growing fruit, vegetables and flowers and the many different uses they have. The award will fund further work with a local artist to produce a small book detailing herbs and flowers growing in their health and wellbeing apothecary garden. This will be the initial publication in their Library of Local Knowledge that will be made available to the community in published and online format.
The Ridge aims to divert individuals, especially young people, from potentially harmful journeys into substance abuse, criminal justice involvement and disconnection from/conflict with the community.
Children flourish when they learn in nature, as it provides significant opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking and STEM education as well as improving their health, attention capacity and social skills. Outdoor learning can also lead to significant improvements in children's mood and well-being, which last through the academic year. The importance of outdoor education is recognised by the Curriculum for Excellence (cfe), which states that it encourages children and young people to engage with the natural and built heritage. Scotland’s countryside and urban areas provide ideal settings for children and young people to understand the global significance of sustainability issues and inform personal decisions around sustainability that contribute towards a greener Scotland.
The proposed booklet will be distributed to other schools, libraries and local community groups as well as being available online. There is therefore some potential for wider impact in terms of community learning.
