St Clair: Community Involvement

Employment Opportunities

Work Placements

At present we have seven centre members employed in part-time paid employment in various locations. They are employed for between four and nine hours per week and attend the centre on the days they do not work.

Type of Work

The work involves washing dishes; stacking the dishwasher; cleaning the tables in canteen environments; stacking the shelves in shops; kitchen work; clearing tables in cafes; making various marketing and advertising products i.e. badges, posters etc.

Voluntary Placements

We also have six centre members currently doing voluntary placements at various locations. These involve working in cafes, (WRVS), ecology centres and charity shops.

Developing Skills

The skills learned help to improve confidence and give centre members the opportunity to improve skills needed to get paid employment.

Work Experience and Staff Support

One staff member works as a co-ordinator one day a week to arrange and support centre members in their placements. Good contacts have been developed with other employment services and employers.

We are at present giving centre members the opportunity to get work placements at various locations to give them a 'taster' of what is involved in working. Members get the chance to mix in an actual working environment (with support) and are able to develop their confidence as well as learning a lot of new skills.

Environmental Groups

Environmental Group - Conserving our Countryside

Working in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Society as part of Beachwatch, mobile centre members of all abilities tidy and monitor all of the rubbish washed up on the beach. With at least four official cleans/monitoring per year, everyone is well equipped with waterproof jackets and "picker - uppers". Hard working group that is playing its part in improving our environment.

Craigencalt Environmental Project

Two centre members work as volunteers in this environmental project at Kinghorn. Small groups from the St. Clair Centre visit at various times of the year to help or participate in the activities of the project.

Making a Better Environment

Past projects that have offered a lot to the community has been the work many centre members contributed to at Maspie Den, Falkland, Coull Den, Glenrothes and Ravenscraig Park Kirkcaldy.

This work involves a mixture of things such as helping to create new paths or widening existing ones, making signs to explain the environment to visitors and installing resting seats along country walks.

Countryside Awareness Groups

Several centre members are involved in group visits to a wide variety of venues within Fife, learning about all aspects of the countryside.

Disability Awareness

Women's Independent Disability Network
Quest Theatre Company: This group was set up over eight years ago to entertain and educate people about disability issues.
Clairschach Songwriting Group

Other Groups Using St. Clair

Groups that use the St. Clair Centre on a regular basis are:

The Thursday Club: A long running group supported by carers and volunteers for people living in the Kirkcaldy area who have a learning disability.
TAC: A group for teenagers with aspergers syndrome, run by volunteers from the Scottish Society for Autism.
Citizens Advocacy Project: A mix of professionals and adults with disability, working to set up an independent advocacy project.
Posture Management Clinic: The Clinic makes use of the St. Clair Centre facilities to offer a Fife Wide Service to families, carers and individuals requiring specialist advice, training or support in the management of postural and mobility problems.

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