Across Scotland, people with first-hand experience of poverty and related trauma are already leading change - organising in their communities, challenging injustice, and supporting one another through collective action. Too often, however, this leadership goes unrecognised and unsupported - lacking the resources it needs to grow.
With the working title of Grassroots Leadership Award Development (GLAD), our new programme has been co-designed to address this. It is a two-year pilot designed to support 12-14 individuals who are already making a difference in their communities and want to build on that work.
GLAD offers flexible funding, coaching and mentoring, peer support, and tailored learning. It is about giving people the time, space, and backing they need to grow their leadership in a way that works for social change rooted in their communities.
Why GLAD?
Our mission at The Robertson Trust is to prevent and reduce poverty and trauma in Scotland. Through our work, we’ve seen that those with first-hand experience of these issues often have the clearest sense of what needs to change and how to make it happen.
GLAD is about backing those individuals. People who are already active in their communities, already building solutions, and who are ready to grow their impact.
Rather than an open application process, GLAD takes a relational approach. Working closely with Ten Years’ Time, we’ve invited five trusted organisations to act as nominating partners:
- Inspiring Scotland (Link Up programme)
- Sistema Scotland
- Dundee Fighting for Fairness/Faith in Community Dundee
- The Poverty Truth Community
- Social Action Inquiry
These partners are deeply connected to community- driven change and well-placed to identify people already showing strong grassroots leadership.
Over the last year, we’ve co-designed the programme with people who have lived experience of poverty and trauma, alongside our partners.
"GLAD promises to be a brilliant programme for people who are natural leaders in their communities but would never normally get the opportunity to participate in leadership training."
What GLAD Offers
Participants will receive tailored support over two years, including:
- Up to £25,000 flexible funding to support their community work and/or personal development
- One-to-one coaching and a dedicated mentor
- Monthly peer learning sessions with other participants
- Bespoke training in areas like public speaking, advocacy and systems change
- Access to trauma-informed wellbeing support, plus up to £5,000 for caring responsibilities, travel, specialist training or accessibility needs
While everyone’s pathway will be different, GLAD focuses on more than just individual growth by nurturing the shared resilience and connections that drive lasting change.
"I have really valued contributing to the development of GLAD. I think it has been done with time, care and respect - listening to people with experience of poverty and trauma."
What Happens Next?
We’re now working with our nominating partners to identify the first group of GLAD participants and shape the programme together. There’s no long application form - just support every step of the way to make the process accessible,welcoming and effective.
We’re also preparing to recruit a dedicated project lead. This person will play a central role in GLAD - building relationships, supporting participants, and helping the programme run with compassion and care.
If you have experience of grassroots community work, relevant to the issues GLAD speaks to, combined with experience and a strong commitment to working in a strong equity, diversity and inclusion context, this could be a powerful opportunity to be part of something new. Find out more applying for this role here.
Looking Ahead
GLAD is a small pilot with big potential. We believe it will show what becomes possible when bold, lived experience leadership is recognised, resourced, and nurtured with care.
At the heart of it is a belief we hold deeply: that the people closest to the issues are also closest to the solutions. By investing in those people and creating space for them to lead in their own way, we believe meaningful, lasting change can follow.
"I am proud we are supporting this initiative, which is similar to a lived experience Scholarship programme and opens up routes to include those who are not taking a traditional route through higher education. This is something I wish had been around when I was starting out."