Description of organisation

STAND International was established in 2007 to work with socially and economically excluded young people. It is a Scottish charity [37667] and is a is governed by a Voluntary Board of Directors.

It was formed after some very successful joint work between two Edinburgh homeless charities and an international aid agency during 2003-2006 when it was agreed that the STAND International [Start a new Day] should be given a priority of its own. To this end STAND International was set up as a separate charity at the beginning of 2007.

All of the young people we work with will have had experience of homelessness, drugs/alcohol addiction, poor mental health and low level criminality. Because of these issues they experience greater barriers to employment and very rarely progress into full time employment.

Principally STAND allows disadvantaged young people to use their first hand experience of being without a home, close family and social networks to harness their talents and genuine feelings of compassion and look at ways to assist those who are in similar situations themselves in other countries by developing their own sills in vocational training . This can include renovation and construction work, helping with basic care of excluded children, adults and young Or providing outdoor activities for disadvantaged children.

One of its objectives is to Advance citizenship by encouraging volunteering in disadvantaged communities[ both geographical communities and communities of interest] by recruiting, training and supporting volunteers in this country and abroad. We see this as a way to empower socially and economically excluded young people to fulfill their potential, integrate more with their local communities and thereby reduce their risk of social isolation and enhance their employment opportunities.