Where we work

Fairbridge in Glasgow works in Glasgow city centre, Greater Glasgow, North and West Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire.

Local area map

Issues our young people face

Glasgow has all of the big problems that many big cities face – crime, alcohol, drugs and homelessness being some of them. So the young people we support face similar kinds of issues to those supported by other Fairbridge teams in the UK.

Isolation is also a big factor for our young people, mainly due to lack of direction. 1 in 4 people of working age in Glasgow are unemployed – and the young people we support can be second or third generation unemployed. In that situation they lack a positive role model and think - well why should I work if no one else around me does. As a result, Glasgow has deep pockets of poverty. It takes inspiration and opportunity to break this cycle early on and I hope that is what Fairbridge does.

Gang and knife crime are becoming an increasing problem with young people in Glasgow – what they call ‘bleed culture’ is very big. Young people carry a weapon, so they say, for protection. They talk about slashing rather than stabbing as if it’s not so serious. But they know they are kidding themselves.