YMCA Scotland has formed a partnership with Esher House, a behavioural science training consultancy as part of the Youthworks programme.
Last month, 12 YMCA staff members took part in the training.
Esher House is a global developer of behavioural change projects. They deliver outcomes in employability, apprenticeships, mentoring and learning.
Ally Hunter, the Training and Business Development Lead at Esher House said:
“Behavioural science or ’nudge theory’ is more common sense than rocket science. Our model is based on how humans actually think and work rather than outdated conventional wisdom. The Esher model integrates seamlessly alongside the fantastic YMCA Youthworks program and we are looking forward to creating exceptional social and employability outcomes for young people.
I was delighted with how the training went. The participants were open, eager and engaged fully in the experience which was awesome. They clearly saw the potential for changing lives and strengthening their offering.”
Franny McGrath, Operations Manager at Perth YMCA said:
“Attending the Esher House training has given me a greater understanding of behavioural science and how we can best use their evidence-based tools and assessments to better support young people in our local communities. Perth YMCA is extremely excited to implement these methods into all our work.”
Colin MacFarlane, National Programme Manager, said:
“The Esher House training will be embedded in 8 projects across Scotland providing a robust behavioural science approach to our employability mentoring services. This expertise provides us with a robust suite of interventions to help young people into employment.”