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Crime cash to fund culture scheme
15/05/2008
Thousands more Scottish youngsters are to benefit from new opportunities to access the arts under the latest initiative from the Scottish Government's CashBack for Communities programme.
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill launched the initiative today at North Edinburgh Arts Centre along with Taggart actors Alex Norton and Colin McCredie.
As part of a wider £1.8 million culture fund drawing money seized from the ill-gotten gains of convicted criminals, £600,000 will go to the CashBack for Communities Arts and Business Match Fund to support increased cultural activities for vulnerable youngsters.
The project, a partnership with Arts and Business Scotland (A&BS), is the first culture scheme supported by the Proceeds of Crime Act. A&BS will encourage Scottish businesses to match every £1 of government investment, thereby doubling the money and releasing a minimum of £1,200,000 over the next two years. The funds will then be used to promote social inclusion through the arts for looked after young people between the ages of 10 and 19 years.
Ms Fabiani said:
"Through this excellent initiative with Arts and Business Scotland, we aim to use the proceeds of crime in a positive way, to expand young people's horizons through the inspirational power of the arts.
"Recycling the money of criminals into arts and cultural opportunities is poetic justice indeed and I now want to see this fund benefit young people across Scotland, particularly those who may not necessarily have the parental support to encourage them out to try new and different activities."
Mr MacAskill said:
"Criminals don't contribute to our communities - they live off them and that harms our economy as well as sapping self-confidence and ambition, especially among our young people.
"We need to let our young people be all they can be. There is more to life than drink or drugs. Arts, sports or leisure must not be a luxury and drugs and drink not a right. This latest strand of our CashBack for Communities scheme will help open access to arts activities for young people throughout Scotland, diverting them from crime and helping expand their horizons."
Barclay Price, Arts and Business director, added:
"Evidence shows that the arts can develop skills that help young people gain employment. By helping engage young people in the arts, the CashBack for Communities Arts and Business Match Fund offers business a great way to combat the impoverishment that blights the lives of many Scottish teenagers.
"The idea is simple; for every £1 a business gives to arts sponsorship, the fund will add another £1 to double the sponsorship benefits to the company - truly a win-win idea."
Taggart star Alex Norton, who plays DCI Matt Burke in the long-running hit series, said:
"Both Colin and I are delighted to support CashBack for Communities. We come across crime daily at work - albeit it's fiction, but for many communities in Scotland, crime is a harsh reality. It's therefore great to see that cash seized from criminals who have made the lives of people in Scotland such a misery is now being used to provide positive opportunities for our young people."
Mr MacAskill announced in June last year that the Scottish Government would use the proceeds of crime to make a real difference to the lives of our young people.
Three strands of the CashBack for Communities scheme already announced:
- £2.2 million to be used to fund free football coaching and playing opportunities for upwards of 30,000 young people across Scotland. Already hundreds of youngsters throughout Scotland have taken part in Street Football events over the Easter holidays and thousands more in the Bank of Scotland Midnight League programme, part funded from CashBack
- £3 million for grant scheme to provide funding for projects which support young people involved, or at risk from violence, alcohol, drugs or antisocial behaviour as well as support for initiatives such as youth drop-in services and residential, environmental and outdoor activities including climbing walls, skate parks, mountain bikes and canoes and yachts. The scheme is being administered by Youthlink and we will announce the first batch of successful projects in June
- Over £1.4 million seized from serious organised criminals to provide free rugby coaching and playing activities for over 32,000 young people throughout the country by 2011. This is one of the most significant investments in youth rugby ever seen in Scotland