This funding will enable LinkLiving’s award winning SmartLiving employability service to work in partnership with Total Health, a specialist health and sports science company, to provide a unique nine week programme called ‘Steps to Resilience - be what you want to be’.

The project will specifically address the personal development needs of vulnerable young people who have experienced trauma.

The project is due to start in Edinburgh and Fife in April 2017.

Sarah Smith, director LinkLiving, which is part of the Link group of social enterprises said: “We are delighted that Big Lottery Fund Scotland has awarded a Young Start grant to LinkLiving. This innovative project has been developed through the strong belief that these young people can be supported to develop the survival tools they have gained through adverse circumstances into positive skills for their futures. The programme aims to harness the ‘spark’ and determination that these young people clearly have and help them to ignite this into leadership qualities.”

Run by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Young Start awards money from dormant bank and building society accounts to support a range of projects to help young people aged eight to 24 years old reach their full potential.