There is proven evidence of the transformational impact of Big Noise programmes and they must be allowed to continue, writes Nicola Killean, chief executive of Sistema Scotland.
It has been a very challenging few weeks for the community of Torry and the staff and participants of Big Noise.
Everyone watched on with concern as council officials in Dundee recommended withdrawing funding for Big Noise’s sister project in Douglas, and we were left anxiously awaiting confirmation that Aberdeen City Council would honour its partnership agreement to pay 75% of programme costs.
That confirmation never came and, as budget day arrived in Aberdeen, the devastating news emerged that the administration was cutting all financial support for Sistema Scotland. It left everyone involved incredibly emotional and fearful for the future.
At the weekend, however, came the uplifting news that the Scottish Government was stepping in to provide the additional money required.
We are extremely grateful to Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney for recognising the transformational impact of Big Noise, and for the continued support from other public sector and private donors who still stand by us.
And we are hugely appreciative of the incredible backing we have received in the media, particularly from the Evening Express and The Press & Journal, who have taken the time to listen to the community and amplify the difference that our programme makes.
Ultimately, this result would not have been possible without the community-led campaign. Those with first-hand experience made sure that politicians knew the strength of feeling in Torry.
The community put considerable passion and energy into speaking up for Big Noise and the way it has changed their life. Being listened to by the country’s most senior politicians will have a considerable impact on their confidence and self-belief.
Together, we can now look forward to a more secure future. Because the work we do with 750 children and young people in Torry is all about the future.
From the babies and toddlers in Little Noise and nursery and primary school-aged children right through to secondary-aged pupils from Lochside Academy, we use music purely as our tool. It is a means by which children gain an invaluable range of life skills and experiences.
Sometimes we are compared with school music lessons, and while we can understand the comparison at first glance, if you take a closer look it couldn’t be further from the reality.
Maintaining long-term relationships is crucial
Underpinning the music is the long-term, quality of relationships with the Big Noise musicians. To support the relationships is a continuous service design pathway from birth to young adulthood.
As a child in Big Noise, you can have the same Big Noise musicians in your life from birth, then in nursery session, through school into a holistic after-school programme that focuses not just on what you play, but how you learn, how you feel, and what you need to help you to shape a new future for you and for your community.
Long-term relationships are crucial for our most vulnerable children in Scotland; they allow them to thrive and cannot be replaced by a web of individual, disconnected services.
That’s why Big Noise programmes are so specifically targeted in areas of deprivation. The children, young people and families there need and deserve additional support to ensure they can achieve their potential.
We are so grateful that the Scottish Government could step in to give us the additional support we needed to ensure we could continue to succeed as an organisation and continue to deliver this.
Children are being helped to reach their full potential
There is proven evidence of the transformational impact of Big Noise programmes, which have been independently evaluated by the experts at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) since 2013.
These professionally assured evaluations show that Sistema’s respectful and empowering support has helped children reach their full potential, improved their confidence, mental health and wellbeing, and supported them to go on to a positive destination after leaving school.
The GCPH has carried out robust analysis of the long-term outcomes of our first programme in Raploch, Stirling, looking at children who had been with the programme throughout their school years. This found that almost all (98%) Big Noise participants achieved a positive post-school destination compared to 84% of young people who had not taken part.
Three further independent evaluation reports have also confirmed that Torry is on track to achieve the long-term outcomes identified in Raploch, including on attainment.
As Chris Harkins, public health programme manager at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, said: “These findings have translated into statistically significant improvements to post-school destinations.”
Or as Leanne Garden, whose 10-year-old daughter Emily attends Big Noise Torry, commented: “Big Noise is vital to our community, vital to the kids. For me, there is nothing else that can replace what Big Noise gives to our children.”
We are so incredibly grateful to you for the support we have received during this difficult time – thank you.
Nicola Killean is chief executive of Sistema Scotland
Conversation