Compass is a project run by The Rock Trust, aimed at helping young people who have an offending background, those who have been looked after and/or those who have experienced homelessness. The project was launched in July 2011 and has had a very successful first six months.

Drop ins have been running since the very start. All the young people who attend are asked to complete a short referral form which allows us to allocate a key worker from the Compass team. The allocated key worker contacts the young person directly to arrange an initial meeting where an informal assessment takes place. What services the young person wants to engage with is determined through this assessment.

Regardless of whether the young person is only attending one group, or several groups and a volunteer placement for example, they will be asked to commit to regular reviews with their key worker. These will happen a minimum of once per month but may be more frequent, depending on individual need.

Although the drop ins are a great source of referral, we also receive referrals from a variety of other sources. The process remains the same with the referrer completing the paper work then the young person being allocated a key worker and invited to an informal assessment where they can learn about the services, etc.

The opportunities available are multiple. The young person have access to issue based group work, open access sessions, community volunteering, being matched with a mentor, one-to-ones or a combination of all depending on the individual's needs.

As we go into the New Year, we have drop ins on a Monday from 4-6pm and a Wednesday from 6-8pm, and 3 groups:

1) ‘Fit For It’ – Mondays, 1.30-3pm. Gym group with a focus on promoting health and fitness as well as tackling issues of social isolation.

2) Music Group – Thursdays, 4.30-7pm. A regular group coming together to learn skills in song writing, playing instruments and performing as a group while working towards a performance in a community space later in the year.

3) ‘Compass Step Up’ – Wednesdays, 11am-4pm. 

Community volunteering with participants taking on different projects in and around Edinburgh, focusing on practical activities such as conservation work, gardening, painting and decorating.

In addition, we occasionally run groups out in the community in partnership with other youth and homelessness projects.

The Compass programme changes periodically to address identified needs and to take into account young people’s feedback and ideas. For up-to-date information on what Compass is offering young people, please contact any of the Compass team.

For any further information or to make a referral please contact compass@rocktrust.org or call us on 0131 557 4059.

Lynne Thomas - Operational Manager