In 2016, I walked into Front Lounge for the first time. I was 18, a new mum to my son Mason, and looking for a bit of fun. I’d heard they ran a playgroup called Bringing Up Baby (BUBS) and did some cool projects with young people. What I didn’t expect was to find a space that would change the course of my life.
Back then, Front Lounge was a social empowerment charity helping young people see and reach their full potential. During those early sessions, we partnered with Eat Well, Play Well and learned how to make simple, healthy meals. As a young parent with little kitchen experience, that knowledge was invaluable. It was my first taste of informal learning – no pressure, no exams. Just practical skills shared in a way that made sense.
By 2017, I was back at work full-time. When I returned to Front Lounge, Kindred Clothing had launched. We’d attend sessions and leave with a new item of clothing for our kids. I never loved sewing, but I loved the organisation. I became a volunteer playworker, running activities for the children while their parents stitched and created. And even though I wasn’t behind a sewing machine, I was learning too; about community, creativity, and the power of shared experience.
That’s when Front Lounge began to evolve. People didn’t just want to make clothes; they wanted to learn. They wanted recognition. Kindred Clothing grew, and Front Lounge ran with it.
In 2020, after having my second child Parker, I joined the pilot cohort for the Kindred Clothing Garment Production Award—an SCQF Level 5 qualification worth 30 credits. I completed it with a newborn in my arms, via Zoom, during a pandemic. It was the first qualification I’d earned since leaving school seven years earlier. And it worked. Not because I suddenly became academic, but because the support and encouragement from Front Lounge made it possible.
That’s the thing: it’s not just my story. It’s the story of countless others who’ve found themselves in spaces where traditional education didn’t fit. Where they were told they weren’t capable. Where they felt stuck. Front Lounge is becoming a learning centre because we know these stories all too well.
Since 2022, I’ve worked with Front Lounge to support learners and help Kindred Clothing evolve. I’ve watched young people, many of whom struggled in school, thrive in our environment. Each cohort brings something new: internships, online learning trials, creative projects. I’ve worked with Front Lounge and local fashion brand Isolated Heroes, learning garment construction and business basics with the intention of creating a follow-on award.
That experience changed everything and afterwards I realised I wasn’t afraid of learning—I’d just been in the wrong environments. In 2024 I applied to study Community Education at Dundee University, and with Front Lounge’s support, I was offered a place. I also trained to become a qualified assessor, helping others earn qualifications through informal, conversation-based assessment.
Now, in 2025, I’m a third-year student doing a Masters in Community Development and Youth Work as well as working with Front Lounge. I currently organise and facilitate their after-school club called Adventures Of The Little People (AOTLP). Many of the children in the group were once BUBS babies during my time as a playworker. My own son being one of them. I’ve watched him grow into a happy, confident, and free little boy in the Front Lounge space.
But I can’t ignore the reality: the current education system is falling short for many children, especially post-COVID. In Scotland, attainment gaps have widened. Attendance rates have dropped. For example, in 2023/24 over 30% of children are persistently absent from school in Scotland.
Learning isn’t one-size-fits-all. While some children thrive in traditional settings, others struggle to attend. As a mother, a youth worker, and a human being, this terrifies me. Without education or qualifications, our children face a future of low-paying jobs and high rent, with little hope of escape. Front Lounge is becoming a learning centre because we refuse to let that be their only option.
We’re building a space where learning is accessible, creative, and empowering. Where qualifications are earned through conversation and craft. Where children and adults alike can discover their potential without fear. We’re still developing the learning centre, but the vision is clear: in 10 years’ time, we want our children to feel confident, capable, and unafraid of learning.
I know what it’s like to feel stuck. I know what it’s like to think you’re the problem, when really, the system just wasn’t built for you. Front Lounge took that fear away, and showed me that learning could be different, and that I could be different too.
Now, I get to pass that on. To the children at AOTLP. To the young people in Kindred Clothing. To every learner who walks through our doors unsure of themselves.
Front Lounge is becoming a learning centre because our young people deserve more. They deserve education that works for them. And we’re here to build it—with them, for them, and alongside them.
