'Outspoken' - drama project

Following extremely successful taster workshops in Spring 2007, and further exploration of the benefits of drama at the ELSA Youth Meeting 2007, BSA Scotland and TAG Theatre Company are delighted to announce a further series of free drama workshops, commencing March 27th 2008. These will serve as a pilot phase for the longer term Outspoken project which recently secured substantial Scottish Arts Council funding. More about getting involved in the pilot and the main phase...

The 2007 workshops followed a well received one off session in May 2006 at the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow (Mellow Drama):

"...I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. Each activity offered an opportunity to express myself in a way I was comfortable with. There were no expectations on me to 'perform'. It offered me an opportunity to express various emotions (both positive and negative) in an accepting environment. It was an enjoyable way to explore your speech in a non-threatening environment..."

BSA Scotland Summer 'Scool was a great success!

BSA Scotland secured £13,250 from BBC Children in Need to deliver an intensive course for children who stammer, aged 10-14, during the school summer holidays 2007. More on Summer 'Scool...

Stand up - Speak up!

Scottish delegation to Croatia World Congress

Having caught the international conference bug in Dublin last year, BSA Scotland Committee members Claire Pirnie and Roz Urquhart resolved to attend the 2007 ISA event in Croatia. Jan Anderson, BSA Scotland staff member, was offered a scholarship place at the last moment so three Scottish delegates attended in total. The three delegates provide a slice of their Congress experience...

At the summit of Beinn a'Bheithir. Glencoe weekend.

Around 30 people joined BSA Scotland's second 'walk and talk' social and fundraising weekend at Glencoe, 22-24 June. The climb up Beinn a'Bheithir was completed with only a hint of rain during a short stretch of the descent. The weekend involved much conversation, communal catering, singing, laughter and wanders to the Clachaig Inn, as well as discussion about BSA Scotland's future priorities. More on Glencoe weekend...

Our 'Highland Connections' Open Day in Inverness this May attracted more than 40 participants, including children and adults who stammer, parents, spouses, partners, therapists and teachers. The day included testimonies from people who stammer, presentations and workshops. We were delighted that Fergus Ewing, new Minister for Community Safety and local MSP, addressed the audience and stayed on to chat with participants over lunch. Evaluations of the day were overwhelmingly positive.More on 'Highland Connections', Inverness...

Other recent events include our 'Voyage of Discovery' Dundee Open Day in October 2006, our first event specifically designed for children and young people who stammer, family members and interested professionals, and our Knoydart summer social and fundraising event in June 2006.

BSA Scotland Committee

In 2007, the number of candidates matched the number of spaces available and it was agreed that the vacancies would be filled, unopposed, by Carolyn Allen and Liz O' Connell. Nominations are invited for next BSA Scotland Committee. More on BSA Scotland Committee...

Scottish Parliament debate on communication impairment

The debate, proposed by Nanette Milne MSP, took place on the day after the launch of the Scottish training CD Roms for schools. Ken Mackintosh MSP, who spoke at the CD Rom launch, dedicated his entire contribution to the CI debate to speaking about stammering. But this was not all - several other speakers highlighted stammering thanks to the efforts of BSA members and activists who contacted their MSPs in advance of the debate. Claire Pirnie, Chair of the Edinburgh Stammering Support Group received a telephone call from her constituency MSP, Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, who asked to quote her correspondence and offered to meet Claire after the debate. This was truly a great moment for people who stammer in Scotland. Stammering was mentioned by contributors from across the political spectrum a staggering 19 times! This clearly demonstrates that we can make ourselves heard in the Scottish Parliament.

Minister for Communities, Malcolm Chisholm confirmed that research on Communication Impairment will be undertaken in the near future with a view to developing a Communication Strategy for Scotland, and given the extent to which stammering was highlighted in the debate, we are confident we can expect that the needs and interests of children and adults who stammer will be taken into account during the research.

Scottish schools CD Roms

Our Scottish Executive funded training CD Roms for Scottish schools were formally launched on 18 January 2006 at the Edinburgh City Chambers. They have since been distributed to all primary, secondary and special schools across Scotland, and to all speech and language therapy departments. BSA Education Officer, Cherry Hughes, who conducted the project, is currently collating initial feedback from schools which, to date, has been overwhelmingly positive.

The three CDs relate to:
best practice in Scottish primary schools
best practice in Scottish secondary schools
preparing for English oral work in S1 - S4.

The launch was designed to acknowledge the commitment and courage of the stammering children who agreed to be filmed in realistic classroom scenes, as well as non-stammering pupils and staff from Crookfur Primary and Eastwood High, East Renfrewshire, and speech therapists who participated in filming. All children received a certificate of achievement from Kenneth McIntosh MSP/Education Committee. The Scots choir from Torphichen Primary performed songs that feature in the CDs and were also honoured for their contribution. The CDs feature video clips of children who stammer speaking directly to camera as well as typical classroom scenes. These are supplemented by comprehensive printable text.

The CDs are available for purchase from BSA at £4.99 each (shop). Filming the CD Roms...

Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists parliamentary reception

Jan Anderson, Scottish Development Manager, was invited to speak about partnership working with The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists at a reception in the Scottish Parliament on 1st February 2006. At this event, attended by The Minister for Communities (Malcolm Chisholm), MSPs, RCSLT Officers, Speech and Language Therapy Managers and voluntary organisations, Jan spoke about the achievements of BSA Scotland and the benefits of uniting with RCSLT and other voluntary organisations in the area of communication impairment. John Mann, BSA Scotland Convenor also attended and both welcomed the opportunity for networking and keeping stammering on the agenda of all these groups.

Scottish poster campaign

A major billboard campaign ran in Glasgow and Edinburgh during November 2004. This was made possible as we won an award for £36,000 in an international graphic design competition (SAPPI: Ideas That Matter) in association with Glasgow based design company 'Nation1'. More on the poster campaign...

Older news:
2005 news
BSA Conference, Stirling - September 2004
BSA Scotland launch - December 2004

Last updated: February, 2008