Kibble staff were delighted to welcome Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick of Police Scotland on a recent visit to learn how Kibble is helping build safer communities.
Deputy Chief Constable Fitzpatrick is the Building Safer Communities Champion for Ferguslie Park, and in her blog ‘An Enterprise of Hope and Opportunity’, she praised Kibble staff for guiding young people through uncertainty to “hope and opportunity”, as well as being valuable role models in young people’s lives and the wider community.
Kibble has a strong community connection and continues to strengthen its services for young people with complex needs and/or challenging behaviour. KibbleWorks, a Youth Employment and Training Facility is equipping young people with vital skills and recognised qualifications to open up greater employment opportunities, while supporting the local community. Young people learn new skills from; furniture restoration to catering; gardening and landscaping to picture framing. Work plans are tailored to individual needs, giving each person the skills and confidence to enter the job market, while aiding the transition from living in care to living independently.
The latest development from Kibble is The Experience – a 5-star themed entertainment and events venue that’s attracted much excitement in the local community. The large go-karting and laser complex, based at Hillington Park, is a social enterprise providing employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged young adults, equipping them with vital skills in leisure and hospitality – all in a fun, fast-paced environment!
“The overriding impression is that the project is genuinely equipping young people for life with qualifications and experience that will be credible with businesses and therefore transferable in the long term” and “This is real nuts and bolts social enterprise at its very best”.
Building Safer Communities Board Member, Police Scotland
The Experience also features The Academy restaurant where high-quality food is deliciously prepared using fresh local produce, many of which have been grown in their community garden.
One Building Safer Communities Board member described Kibble as:
“A new inspirational model for lifting young people with more difficult and deprived backgrounds out of a hopeless situation into training, employment and a sense of achievement and self-confidence”.
Read the blog by Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick on the Building Safer Communities website.