Falkirk Junior Bike Club (FJBC) focuses on riders aged 4-16. Their vision is to provide a safe, fun and social environment where young cyclists can develop their own talent, identify their own interests and achieve their own ambitions. Coaches from the Club worked with the Zetland Park Development Officer and Friends of Zetland Park to promote and put on cycling taster sessions in the park supporting the new Grangemouth Bike Library. The young people wanted to do something about the antisocial behaviour they experience in the park which they felt discouraged local parents from bringing their children to the park.

They applied for Seedcorn funding to kickstart a series of Friday/Saturday night cycling events, to both benefit the cycling youngsters and to discourage anyone from vandalising the park as it would be busy with the events. Four sessions which reached 89 young people from the Grangemouth community took place and during the sessions the bike club spoke to the participants about what other activities they would like to see take place in the park.

At the same time, the Zetland Park Development Officer worked closely with Police Scotland and two detached young workers who visited the park on some Friday and Saturday nights. She said

“This work is about offering distraction activities, but we are also keen to explore opportunities about how we can encourage and empower the young people who take part to make a difference in the park”

Falkirk Junior Bike Club website More Young Placechangers case studies

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greenspace scotland engages and empowers young people through the Young Placechangers programme.

Young Placechangers puts young people in the lead role – bringing together the wider community to look at local spaces and plan improvements. The Young Placechangers programme has used a co-production approach to develop and pilot a training and support programme enabling young people to transform both the place they live, their relationship to it and the wider community.

Young Placechangers