North East
Tinderbox (Portobello and Niddrie areas)
Tinderbox Feel Good music project is helping young people in North East Edinburgh express themselves through music!
Our musician in residence at Craigmillar Library is running weekly music sessions on Monday afternoons. We are offering instrumental lessons, drop in sessions and short courses. You can pick an instrument from the loan collection at Criagmillar library have a go at that or take part in creative music making sessions.
Contact Craigmillar Library or contact jenny@tinderboxproject.co.uk for more information.
Portobello Busking Band is an exciting new group who have started playing together at Portobello Library from 4:30 - 6pm on Wednesday afternoons during term time. We’re learning to play songs that make us feel good as a group and working towards taking the music to the streets to spread good vibes in the neighbourhood! Ages 10 - 18.
Contact niki@tinderboxproject.co.uk for more info.
We’re working closely with the expressive arts department at Castlebrae High School to offer creative music lunchtime sessions in band musicianship, songwriting and woodwind tuition.
If you go to Castlebrae and are interested contact niki@tinderboxproject.co.uk.
From grass-roots youth work to award-winning arts and music productions, Tinderbox Collective are a creative community of young people, musicians, artists and youth workers. Tinderbox aims to ignite a spark in people – one which fills them with confidence, imagination and a sense of possibility, and which enables people to achieve things they never thought possible. Our work uses music and the arts to bring people together and strengthen communities, providing exciting opportunities that support young people to build their confidence, skills, self-esteem, and professional experience.
to find more information.
Be Strong, Be You Edinburgh Leisure
Be Strong, Be You works with young people aged 12-18 living in the Castlebrae and Portobello High school catchments including those attending Holyrood. It supports young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and stress, using the power of physical activity and sports to help them improve their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Be Strong, Be You gives you support for your mental health and wellbeing before you reach a crisis point.
Specialist Wellbeing Instructors work with you to overcome physical, mental and emotional challenges to build strong mental health, develop resilience and feel better equipped to cope with the challenges life throws at you.
The project provides
- An initial consultation with a Specialist Health Instructor and a Pupil Support Teacher within the school setting
- 1:1 motivational support to be active from a Specialist Health Instructor for 16 weeks followed by regular follow ups
- 1:1 physical activity sessions
- Group physical activity sessions
- A free one-year youth membership to Edinburgh Leisure facilities
For further information please speak to pupil support in your school.
Leith Wellbeing Services
Leith Wellbeing Services is a partnership between The Junction, Citadel Youth Centre, Multicultural Family Base, Pilmeny Development Project, YMCA and the Ripple Project.
We are working together to support better access to mental health support in Leith and the surrounding area for young people and their families. Most young people will attend schools in the Leith, Drummond and Trinity clusters.
We offer a range of support across the different projects;
Individual support
- The Junction: Up to 20 sessions of counselling for young people aged 12 - 21.
- Citadel: for young people aged 12-19, including 1:1 support and a wellbeing group work programme.
- Multicultural Family Base (MCFB): targeted mental health support for BAME young people aged 12 to 16. Those accessing our weekly evening group can access additional 1:1 support as required.
- Pilmeny Development Project and YMCA Edinburgh - 1:1 support and access to mentoring spaces are available for girls who are anxious about attending our group or in need of additional support (see group information below).
- Pilmeny Development Project: 1:1 support to children aged 12-16 and their families in the Leith Walk area, who are experiencing mental health and wellbeing issues.
Group activities and support
- Multicultural Family Base (MCFB): targeted mental health support for BAME young people aged 12 to 16. This includes a weekly evening group.
- Pilmeny Development Project and YMCA Edinburgh offer a Girls Emotional Health and Wellbeing Group for girls who are 12 to 16. The group is a supportive and safe space to build friendship and take part in sessions focusing on emotional and physical health and well-being.
- The Ripple Wellbeing group work programme is for young people aged 10-15 your Parents/carers are offered a place on the adult course at the same time as you attend.
More information and requests for support can be made to any of the projects
- Citadel call 0131 554 0510 or visit the .
- Junction call 0131 553 0570 or visit the .
- Pilmeny Development Project call 07375 918 524 or visit the
- YMCA call 0131 553 7877 or visit
- Ripple call 0131 554 0422 or visit the
- Multi-cultural Family Base call 0131 467 7052 or visit
The Junction – Young People, Health and Wellbeing
The Junction provides health & wellbeing services for young people aged 12 – 21 who live, work or are in education in the North East Edinburgh area. Services include:
- Counselling – You can receive up to 20 sessions of counselling, provided by BACP qualified counsellors and counsellors in training.
- One-to-One Support - Provided by workers using an informal coaching approach. Staff are also trained in LIAM ‘Lets Introduce Anxiety Management’, and BA Brief Behavioural Activation which focuses on low mood and depression.
- Drug & Alcohol Support - One-to-one support if you are affected by substance, this includes those affected by substance within families or amongst their peers.
- Mosaic Project - Promotes the mental wellbeing of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) young people. The group is co-facilitated by the Multi-Cultural Family Base and is for young people in High School in S2-S6.
- Creative Express - Creativity-based workshops and one-to-one support that help you to express emotions. Beneficial for you if you are neurodiverse, have experienced trauma, or you simply want to express yourself creatively.
- Wednesday Walk-In (4 -7pm) - Available for you to talk about mental health & wellbeing without the need for an appointment. Where possible, arrive before 5.30pm to ensure you can get a one-to-one chat.
- Friday Chiller (12.30 – 3.30pm) - A drop-in/ group with free toasties and a chilled atmosphere for young people in North East Edinburgh and beyond. Make friends, find out how to support your wellbeing, and get one-to-one support.
- Sexual Health Service – Access to safer sex supplies through c:card and/or access pregnancy and STI testing service. Attend during walk-in and drop-in hours or arrange an appointment to ensure a staff member is available.
- Outreach Service - Providing information on health & wellbeing topics via street work and delivering educational group work in schools and youth groups.
Want to find out more? Go to .
To make an appointment call 0131 553 0570 or 07758 348 850; e-mail support@the-junction.org/ or fill in the form using this .
PlusOne Mentoring - YMCA
Sometimes it can feel like there is a lot of difficult things going on. Maybe you have been missing school, find things at home hard or are being encouraged by others to get involved in things you know you shouldn’t.
YMCA Edinburgh offers a mentoring service to young people (8 to 14 years) who live in North East Edinburgh and are feeling things are difficult in their home, school or where they live. They will match you with an adult who will meet with you one-on-one and offer you support
Visit the for more information or to make a request rebecca@ymcaedinburgh.com or 0131 553 7877
Young Carer Services in Edinburgh
There are an estimated 29,000 young carers in Scotland. Being a young carer can mean different things to different people. Perhaps you might support a relative or a friend from time to time or be responsible for providing care for an adult at home for most of every week. If you think you might be a young carer it can be helpful to speak to an adult you trust about it. If you aren’t sure if you are a young carer
If you are a young carer you are entitled to support. There are three young carer services in Edinburgh. They work together across the whole of Edinburgh and each service covers a different area. offers support in East Edinburgh including places like Leith, City Centre, Craigentinny, Duddingston, Portobello, Craigmillar, South Central, Liberton and Gilmerton.
Edinburgh Young Carers offers support for people aged 5鈥痶o 20 years old who care for or are affected by someone else at home - usually a parent, brother or sister. The person they care for may suffer from:鈥痟ealth problems or other problems like drug or alcohol misuse.鈥�
They can tell you more about the support they can give you and you can contact them at info@youngcarers.org.uk鈥� or 0131 475 2322
North East Systemic Family Therapist
Systemic Family therapy is a time when families can talk and listen to each other to solve problems with the support of a family therapist. Sometimes, things can get tough at home, and it may feel confusing or upsetting. Family therapy helps everyone understand what's going on, understand each other's feelings and find ways to improve things together.
It can help with lots of things, like when someone feels really sad or angry, when there have been changes like moving house or your parents have split up, or when people just can’t get along.
Sessions are free for families in Edinburgh in the Portobello or Niddrie area with children aged 5 to 21years. Each session lasts about an hour each week. You can have sessions online or in person at
Northfield and Willowbrae Community Centre,10 Northfield Road, EH8 7PP
For more information contact the North East Systemic Family Therapist