Who we are
Youth Community Support Agency (YCSA) is a Glasgow based charity that has supported children, young people and families from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), refugee, and asylum-seeking backgrounds for over 25 years.
We work with children, young people, and parents who face multiple and intersecting barriers, including poverty, racism, trauma, insecure immigration status, and language or digital exclusion.
Our Approach
Our work is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves to feel safe, valued, and able to thrive, regardless of background or circumstance.
We take a trauma informed, culturally competent, and whole family approach, recognising that the wellbeing of children and young people is inseparable from the wellbeing of their families and communities.
What We Offer
We offer a range of free, accessible services including youth clubs, trauma informed art psychotherapy, personal development sessions in schools, ESOL and digital literacy classes, family wellbeing groups, and practical advocacy around housing, education, and benefits.
These are complemented by community based events that bring families together in safe, inclusive spaces to share experiences and build resilience.
Our People
Our staff team are qualified in the many different areas and services that we provide which reflects the communities we serve, building deep trust and cultural understanding.
We are recognised locally as a safe, welcoming service for families who often feel excluded or misunderstood elsewhere.
YCSA’s approach focuses on long term relationships, not one off interventions helping children, young people and families stabilise, heal, and move forward with dignity.
Partnerships and Community Impact
We work closely with schools, social workers, health professionals, and community organisations to ensure coordinated, holistic support for those most in need.
Our partnerships across Pollok shields, Govanhill, and wider Glasgow allow us to reach some of Scotland’s most diverse but disadvantaged neighborhoods, consistently ranked among the top 5% most deprived areas in the country (SIMD 2020).
Our Commitment
At its heart, YCSA is more than a service provider; we are a community anchor, trusted by children, young people and families to walk alongside them through crisis and recovery.
Guided by the voices of those we support, we continue to adapt and grow, ensuring that our work remains responsive, dignified, and rooted in equality.