Taking brave decisions and making bold investments has been central to our success, particularly when we introduced new concepts such as growth mindset and positive coaching to Scotland.
We know that innovation is risky and takes time, but we believe it’s worth it.
Our approach to innovation involves:
Research - scouring the globe for proven and effective approaches.
Partnership - bringing committed groups and individuals with us on the journey.
Develop and test - starting small, working iteratively and looking for best practice.
Customise - making sure it works for people and communities.
Spread and embed - once we have a model that works, we grow it - always keeping steps 1-4 in mind.
Move on - we will hand successful innovations over to a long-term delivery partner.
Our innovation is currently focused in three areas:
Planet Youth in Scotland We’re collaborating with Argyll & Bute, Dundee, Clackmannanshire, Highland and West Dunbartonshire to pilot a community engagement programme to tackle drug and alcohol use among teenagers.
The programme is based on the Planet Youth model globally renowned for its impact in Iceland, once ranked as having some of the highest rates of drug and alcohol use among teens in the developed world. The attitudes and lifestyles of its young people have been transformed to the extent that they are described by the World Economic Forum as the ‘cleanest living teens in Europe’. We’re very excited about this programme’s potential for Scotland - find out more here.
Mindset in care We’ve also recently expanded our growth mindset partnership with Dundee City Council to support working with looked-after children. We achieved positive outcomes in a small pilot, and are now working with Dundee and the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection to develop a professional learning programme to be used across the care sector.
Mindset in Early Years Evidence shows that the most important time for humans to learn is when we are under five years old. This is when our brains are most receptive to new ideas and information. It stands to reason, therefore, that if we can instil young people with a growth mindset attitude before they reach the age of five, then they are more likely to maintain this mindset throughout their childhood and into their adult life. We are exploring this idea with Early Years Scotland. Watch this space!
