The Green Team volunteers and youth group © The Green Team
Article published 05/09/2023
The International Day of Charity was established with the objective of sensitising and mobilising people, non-governmental organisations, and stakeholders across the world to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities.
At VisitScotland Business Events, we believe that business events can be a driver for social and economic change and benefit local communities. As part of our 2023 trade show activity, we have been showcasing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)-led initiatives from charities and non-profit organisations from across Scotland. The organisations we partner with aim to encourage and support planners to incorporate activities into their event itineraries that support local communities and leave a positive imprint in communities within Scotland.
Take a look at some of the charities we partner with and how you can provide support.
Cyrenians
Edinburgh-based charity Cyrenians tackles the causes and consequences of homelessness, with a focus on prevention and reaching those at the edge of homelessness, as well as those in crisis and in recovery.
With the cost-of-living soaring, many people are facing homelessness, but Cyrenians are working diligently to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness, and recognise that every person's experiences and needs are different. They walk with those who need support for as long as it takes. Will you walk with them?
On the 17th September 2023, the Cyrenians will take on The Kiltwalk to tackle homelessness across Scotland. Fundraisers can choose to walk 4, 13 or 21 miles around Edinburgh in a unique walking tour around the capital city, finishing at the iconic Murrayfield Stadium. Cyrenians will cover the entry fees for participants.
In addition to this, Cyrenians have introduced an exclusive Autumn range of half-day team volunteering opportunities across their ongoing projects including gardening projects at Linburn Walled Garden and the Community Hospital Garden; painting and refreshing spaces at the Flavour and Haver Cook School and sorting and packing food orders at the Fareshare Good Food Depot.
For further information on these volunteer opportunities or to take part in The Kiltwalk email fundraising@cyrenians.scot or visit https://cyrenians.scot
Cyrenians volunteers © Cyrenians
The Larder
The Larder, based in West Lothian, is a social enterprise dedicated to providing learning and community development opportunities to local people. The Larder is calling for a Scotland without poverty, where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential and the right to food, which is enshrined in Scottish law.
The Larder started by providing cookery courses free of charge to young people in the local area to build their skills and employability for the hospitality sector. In 2014, it established its training kitchen and implemented courses to cover professional cookery, food hygiene and health and safety in the kitchen amongst other things, to ensure the best possible platform for employment.
Organisations and event planners can support the charity in a variety of ways including visiting the cookery school and hosting talks with the young people The Larder supports, or through group volunteering and fundraising. Alternatively, planners can choose The Larder as their charity of the year, which provides it with long-term assistance.
Event planners can also use The Larder to cater for their event. The charity has vast experience of catering for larger groups and in 2018 catered for The World Social Enterprise Forum in Edinburgh which had hundreds of attendees. It also supplies the catering for Edinburgh Airport and its partners as well as more local companies and individuals.
For further information on The Larder and to volunteer visit - https://www.thelarder.org
The Larder team © The Larder
Mercat Tours
Mercat Tours is a local independently run family business which has delivered award-winning walking tours of Edinburgh since 1985. The organisation works closely with key community projects and provides storytelling experiences which reveal the fascinating history of the city whilst exploring its premium attractions and venues.
The business events market is hugely important to Mercat Tours and there are several ways event planners can work with the organisation including setting up their own city tours or by donating to the Our Stories, Your City project to help it reconnect the vulnerable communities of the city.
The Our Stories, Your City project, uses the donations left by members of the public to pay for members of the Grassmarket Community Project and local schools in isolated communities to have a private tour and entry to a city attraction. In its first year of the project (April 2022 - April 2023), a total of £3,125 was donated, meaning that 31 private tours for 465 people were funded.
For further information on Mercat Tours or to set up your own tour visit - https://www.mercattours.com
The Green Team
Edinburgh-based charity, The Green Team, provides transformational experiences that connect children and young people to nature.
The team is passionate about protecting the natural environment and using it as a means for young people to have fun, enhance wellbeing and to develop skills and coping strategies that will contribute to them fulfilling their potential.
The Green Team extends its work with young people to activities for corporate groups - providing enjoyable sessions in nature that can support teambuilding and enhance wellbeing whilst taking practical action to protect the natural environment and fulfilling sustainability goals.
Days can be tailored to suit the needs of different groups by flexing the length of the session and selecting activities that provide the right balance of relaxing wellbeing activities and/or hard conservation graft. Income generated from these sessions is used to support our work with young people.
As well as organising outdoor activity sessions for groups as part of their conferences or meetings, there are a lot of different of ways to support our work which can be discussed on an individual basis.
For further information on The Green Team or to set up your own volunteering day visit - https://www.greenteam.org.uk
The Green Team volunteers © The Green Team
Learn more about the UN International Day of Charity here