Outside the Box

05/06/2026

Today is World Environment Day

Last year on World Environment Day we launched our Climate Wisdom project.  Climate Wisdom is a dementia-inclusive climate action project. The project brings together people living with dementia, their care partners and their communities to co-create practical, creative and rights-based responses to climate change. The 5-year  project  brings together 15 Meeting Centres across Angus, Fife & Tayside to collaborate alongside project partners Outside the Box,  Meeting Centres Scotland, The Institute for Place, Environment and Society at the University of Heriot-Watt and the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York. 

Find out more about the broad aims of the project and how we have been achieving them in our latest blog https://otbds.org/world-environment-day-2026/

18/05/2026

The women of Moments of Freedom warmly invite you to join them on Tuesday 16th June for their event ☕️
Earlier this year the group became constituted after 9 years of meeting fortnightly in Centre81, Clydebank. Outside the Box were first introduced to the group back in 2017 through a West Dunbartonshire Council resettlement officer and we have continued to work with and support them.
The group has gone from strength to strength and over the years they have held events, networked with a wide range of groups across Scotland, established strong working relationships with their elected representatives and even influenced Scottish policy through the New Scots Integration Strategy.
This event marks an important milestone in their journey as a New Scots women's group, and they are hoping to bring together community members, organisations and elected representatives to celebrate. Please do join us from 12:30pm - 2pm for free food, refreshments, creative activities and a chance to chat to the group.

The Moments of Freedom group will host a community gathering bringing together local residents, community groups, local workers, elected representatives, organisations and New Scots to celebrate the next stage in their journey as a constituted community group. The event will provide free food, refre...

12/05/2026

With our new MSPs now in Holyrood and beginning to return to casework or set up offices in communities across Scotland, now is a good time to get in touch them 📨
Our Connecting Equalities resource 'What to Do After Elections', explains what you can do between elections and how you can get involved.
It’s important to remember that politics doesn’t just happen on polling or election days, it happens all year round. By working with your elected representatives, you can help make positive change and improve our communities.
https://otbds.org/what-to-do-after-an-election/

06/05/2026

We are all calling on all Party Leaders ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary Election tomorrow to support the inclusion of a named and dedicated Minister for Older People in the next Scottish Government. Make sure you have your say tomorrow, polling stations are open from 7am - 10pm🗳️
Age Scotland

13/04/2026

It started with…the wisdom of a Kingdom! In March the Ancient Kingdom of Fife played host to an energising and inspiring Climate ‘Un-conference’. This was a gathering organised by Fife Communities Climate Action Network and Fife Climate Hub. Rather than sitting in silence being talked at, the ‘un-conference’ format meant participants were able to vote for discussion topics and take part in round-table discussions they were interested in.

Climate Wisdom team members (from Outside the Box, STAND and Meeting Centres Scotland) contributed their thoughts and experiences of climate action from the point of view of people living with dementia. The Climate Wisdom project brings together people living with dementia, their care partners and their communities to co-create practical, creative and rights-based responses to climate change.

The common thread and clear message was the importance of reframing the climate change narrative (and language) so that it is meaningful for people’s everyday lives, and as part of that ensuring ALL voices are heard and everyone can be involved in local community initiatives. We also discussed the importance of food resilience, social connections and being involved with Hand, Head and Heart.
The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland

25/03/2026

The sun came out just in time for the STAND Cupar and Dunfermline Meeting Centres Scotland and Katie & Christine from the Climate Wisdom team's visit to the Scottish Deer Centre.

‘Climate Wisdom’ is an inclusive, dementia-friendly climate action project that will support people living with dementia, their care partners and their communities to feel inspired, empowered, and confident to take positive, practical action on climate change.

We heard about the impact of climate change on animals within the centre and all the great conservation and rewilding work the centre was doing. Find out more about the visit on our blog 🦌🦅

The sun came out just in time for the Climate Wisdom team to visit to the Scottish Deer Centre in Fife, Cupar.

16/03/2026

Since 2018 we’ve been supporting the Q***r Families group in Glasgow, to help LGBTIQ+ families with children find ways to connect and build community. Over the last year, this has grown a lot – with more families joining and new spin-off groups starting up.
Read our latest blog to find out more about groups across Scotland. If your area doesn’t have a LGBT+ families group, and you’d like one – we’d love to help. We love helping new community groups and activities get started.

Setting up community spaces for LGBTIQ+ families Since 2018/19 we’ve been supporting the Q***r Families group in Glasgow, to help LGBTIQ+ families with children find ways to connect and build community. Over the last year, this grew a lot – with more families joining and new spin-off groups star...

23/02/2026

Whether it’s your first time voting in a Scottish Parliament election or you simply need a refresher, feeling prepared can make the whole process much easier. With the next election taking place on Thursday 7th May 2026, we’ve launched two brand new resources designed to guide you through everything you need to know, from registering to vote to confidently walking into the polling station.
Find them on our website now:

With the next election taking place on Thursday 7th May, we’ve launched two new resources to guide you through everything you need to know.

03/02/2026

Our team are at the Scottish Human Rights Conference in Glasgow today. Looking forward to an afternoon of workshops and presentations.

27/01/2026

The Intergenerational National Network (INN) brings together people from across Scotland, and further afield, who have an interest in intergenerational and multigenerational working and practices.

We at Outside the Box host its web presence so more people can find out about what the Network is doing 💻

There are 3 events planned so far in 2026, it would be great to see you there in-person or online:

📆Monday 2nd February, Middlefield Hub in Aberdeen, 12pm - 3pm, "Coaching and leadership within an intergenerational setting".

📆Wednesday 18th February, The Citadel in Leith, 11am - 2pm, "Intergenerational Work Through a Youth Work Lens”.

📆Wednesday 1st April, Keep Scotland Beautiful in Stirling, more details tbc.

Find out more:

The Intergenerational National Network connects people and organisations in Scotland - and beyond! - to share multi-generational ideas.