Resources
Self Management
Rowan Alba’s Community Self Management project aims to support our clients who do not leave their homes due to social anxiety and physical health issues. Regular events and tools support you to visit new places and take part in engaging activities.
Community guides
Getting out and about can be a great way to build confidence, meet others and share your experiences. Because we know how hard it can be to form new habits and get up the confidence to go to new places, we have made these quick guides that show you what to expect when coming along to our community events.
How you get to The Botanic Gardens
Coming to our groups at The Botanics can be a fun and engaging experience. This short video shows you what you can expect when you travel and arrive there.
What you can expect when you visit The Botanics
Once you arrive safely at The Botanics there is lots of amazing things to see and do
How you get to our Saturday Café events
Saturday Cafés are a great way to get together and chat. This video shows you what you can expect when you travel and arrive.
What we do at our Saturday Café
Our Saturday Café events are fun and friendly. This is some of the stuff we get up to!
What we do at The National Gallery of Scotland: Portrait
The National Gallery of Scotland: Portrait has many amazing paintings and artworks. You can get inspired with us in their beautiful Learning Space
How you get to The National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait
Getting to The National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait isn’t hard when you know how. And a person in tartan troosers will open the door for you!
Voices of experience
As a part of our commitment to create audio visual tools supporting self management, we have gathered stories from our community. We would like to give our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who participated in this project. Your honesty and generosity will be invaluable to others on their journey.
Volunteer speaks about doing extra things for client at end of his life
Rowan Alba CARDS team member speaks about the joy of supporting a client
Client talks about how they went from needing the service to volunteering and helping others
Rowan Alba Community Client speaks about her growing confidence
Community roles
We firmly believe that the lived experiences and perspectives of our service users are invaluable and should be both heard and valued. This group allows us to drive meaningful change and enhance the delivery of person-centred support to individuals affected by addiction, mental health challenges, and social isolation across the sector.
We have a variety of roles you can get involved with:
Rowan Alba Ambassador
As an Ambassador you will represent the service in a warm, friendly, and approachable manner, fostering engaging conversations with members of the public.
By doing so, we aim to generate interest in the service while actively contributing to raising awareness and enhancing the profile of the organisation.
 “Life with Rowan Alba as a service user is a support I have never known before. “
Rowan Alba Lived Experience Consultant
As a Lived Experience Consultant, you will contribute to the learning and development of staff and volunteers by sharing your insights and experiences.
Your input will help ensure the service delivers relevant training, group sessions, and support, shaping the organisation’s approach to meet the needs of those it serves and promoting continuous improvement. You will also have the opportunity to contribute your thoughts and experiences regarding external organisations and services and how these could be improved to support better support individuals.
“I used to hang my head in shame. I’ve now turned things around to be an asset. If I help one person, I’ll be happy. Rowan Alba and Penumbra have been stepping stones for a positive fruitful life.”
Service User Representative
As a Service User Representative, you will work alongside the Community Volunteer Coordinator to recruit and train volunteers.
‘My experience of Rowan Alba is that it is a wonderful community of people who are all supportive of each other, and welcome new friends with open arms’
As part of this role you will share your experiences to provide them with a clear understanding of how the service operates. You will also welcome new clients to the service and Rowan Alba community events, helping to create a supportive and inclusive environment.
Rowan Alba Immersive Art Creator
As an Immersive Art Creator, you will draw on your lived experience to develop immersive art projects that complement our training sessions.
These projects will help enhance the public’s understanding and empathy towards topics such as mental health, addiction, and isolation in an engaging and creative manner.
 “Rowan Alba have helped me through my journey, encouraging me especially with on of my passions, art. Being able to express in an artistic way with their help and encouragement has been great and given me the opportunity to work on a project of immersive art, with the hope that it can give inside knowledge back to others. Being able to look at my lived experience of alcoholism, I have worked on making a playable boardgame to show the ups and downs and many problems we encounter every day. Roll the dice, climb the ladders and slide down the snakes, a game of chance – Snakes and Ladders.”
Compassionate Craft Volunteer
The aim of the Compassionate Craft Volunteer is to provide comfort and support to individuals in hospital by creating handmade knitted items and thoughtful cards.
Through their craft, they contribute to fostering a sense of connection and care, helping to brighten someone’s day and strengthen the organisation’s outreach efforts.
“I like that I got to use up lots of materials that I had bought and were not going to be used because I really hate waste. I’m trying to use arts and crafts to help my mental health, get into flow, get mental rest and feel joy. Although I’ve been unsuccessful in that, making the cacti gave me the opportunity to try. I’m very pleased at the thought of the cacti making other people feel good in anyway. It feels nice to be of some use to someone.”
Green Space Champion
Our Green Space Champions play a key role in nurturing and maintaining our plot in the community allotment at Lauriston Farm.
By working alongside others, they contribute to the growth of plants, vegetables, and flowers, helping create a vibrant, welcoming space for everyone. Their efforts not only support the environment but also strengthen community bonds, offering a rewarding opportunity to connect with nature, learn new skills, and make a positive impact on the local area.
“It brings me back to the days I spent with my dad he taught me everything that I know about gardening, plants, nature he was very about the outdoors and how things grow. I’ll never be as good as him, but I love the challenge i know he’ll be there telling me what I’m doing wrong or right – probably more wrong than right but I’m willing to give it a go! Vegetables out of the garden taste so much different better than shop bought. I love the feeling of when you grow something it’s an achievement to see this little seed grow into something that’s delicious to eat, such a satisfying feeling. And not to mention that the fresh air always makes you feel better.”