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Latest

Order the new book by Carol Craig who edits the Postcards series

 . . . such a beautifully written and compelling account of a remarkable story of collaborative inquiry into confidence, well-being and the Scottish psyche. Every illuminating chapter is rich with creative initiatives, humane insights, remarkable thinkers and practitioners and honest reflection. . . (a) superb book. 

Will Storrar, Director

 . . . such a beautifully written and compelling account of a remarkable story of collaborative inquiry into confidence, well-being and the Scottish psyche. Every illuminating chapter is rich with creative initiatives, humane insights, remarkable thinkers and practitioners and honest reflection. . . (a) superb book. 

Will Storrar, Director, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey  

This is a limited edition book which won't be reprinted. So order your copy of this handsome, hardback book now with £10 off RRP. 

Latest, and final Postcards book - Born to Play

TO ORDER BORN TO PLAY please click here


Play is a necessity (indeed a biological imperative) for children and young people to develop into the rounded human beings we all want them to become. The predisposition to play can be found regardless of the situations in which children find themselves: play can blossom even in the most adverse cir

TO ORDER BORN TO PLAY please click here


Play is a necessity (indeed a biological imperative) for children and young people to develop into the rounded human beings we all want them to become. The predisposition to play can be found regardless of the situations in which children find themselves: play can blossom even in the most adverse circumstances. 

 
The book aims to reach a wide number of readers who would like to find out more about play including those with an interest in what digital play is squeezing out of children’s repertoire and to provide an understanding of what makes children born to play. 

 
Tam Baillie is a member of the International Play Association World Board. He was previously Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People. 

John H. McKendrick is a Professor in Social Justice at Glasgow Caledonian University. 

 
Contributors to Born to Play include Sue Palmer from Upstart, Marguerite Hunter Blair CEO of Play Scotland, Dr Lynn J. McNair, Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop, Cameron Sprague from Stramash and Robyn Monro Miller and Theresa Casey who both hold senior positions in the International Play Association. 


To whet your appetite here's one enthusiastic endorsement -

    

‘For the authors of this snappy collection – an “A List” of play champions from Scotland and beyond – the personal is playful is political. The result is an engaging tapestry that weaves together impassioned argument and moving testimony to highlight the centrality of play in the lives of all children everywhere.’ 

Tim Gill, author of Urban Playground: How child- friendly planning and design can save cities 


(For PLAY IS THE WAY orders click here)


Next event: The Scots' Crisis of Child Development with Alan Sinclair and Carol Craig

Next event: The Scots' Crisis of Child Development with Alan Sinclair and Carol Craig

Tuesday 20th May 2025, 5.30-7.30 pm

St George's Tron Church of Scotland

163 Buchanan Street (Nelson Mandela Place) Glasgow G1 2JX 

Tickets £6 from Eventbrite where you can book and read more information on the event.


Scotland is facing a crisis in child development, and this is of vital importance to anyone who cares about Scotland's future. 

Tuesday 20th May 2025, 5.30-7.30 pm

St George's Tron Church of Scotland

163 Buchanan Street (Nelson Mandela Place) Glasgow G1 2JX 

Tickets £6 from Eventbrite where you can book and read more information on the event.


Scotland is facing a crisis in child development, and this is of vital importance to anyone who cares about Scotland's future. Scotland cannot be a vibrant, productive, well-functioning society unless we can improve the experience of children as what happens in childhood has enormous repercussions for future health and well-being.


Alan Sinclair has worked closely with the Centre for Confidence and Well-being for the past fifteen years and has written one of the Postcards from Scotland books - Right from the Start: Investing in parents and babies. His interest in early years policies developed when he was Head of Skills for Scottish Enterprise and interested in the development of the type of skills employers were looking for. He quickly learned that these were developed in the early years and that investing in this age group gave much higher returns for society than university education.

Alan has been worried for years about the poor start in life that blights many Scots children. But he has become acutely concerned since the Scottish Government published new data from Health Visitors a few months ago.


Alan Sinclair is fearful of what the Health Visitors data show but also thinks it can be a source of hope as it provides firm evidence of the problem we need to address and the straightforward remedies.


Carol Craig published The Scots' Crisis of Confidence in 2003 and set up the Centre in 2004. But, as she explains in her new book A Time of Hope: The story of the Centre for Confidence and Well-being, she now thinks that confidence is the least of Scotland's problems. She also believes that the way that Scotland has historically treated its children is the key to understanding many of Scotland's health and social problems including the damaging effects of drugs and alcohol. She has been heavily influenced by the argument that Alan Sinclair sets out in Right from the Start.


Carol will chair the event and present a few of her own thoughts following Alan Sinclair's presentation. There will be plenty time for questions and discussion.

We hope that you will join us on the 20th of May for an interesting and important presentation and subsequent discussion. 

Previous books in the series

The Dear Wild Place

Right from the Start

The Dear Wild Place

The Dear Wild Place
Emily Cutts

 The Dear Wild Place:

 Green spaces, community and campaigning 

Emily Cutts  

Find out more

The Golden Mean

Right from the Start

The Dear Wild Place

The Golden Mean:
Fostering young people’s resilience, confidence and well-being
Morag Kerr (Editor)

The Golden Mean: 

Fostering young people’s resilience, confidence and well-being

Morag Kerr (Editor) books non-fiction

Find out more

Right from the Start

Right from the Start

Hiding in Plain Sight

Right from the Start:
Investing in parents and babies
Alan Sinclair

Right from the Start:

Investing in parents and babies

Alan Sinclair books non-fiction children

Find out more

Hiding in Plain Sight

Hiding in Plain Sight

Hiding in Plain Sight

Hiding in Plain Sight: 
Exploring Scotland’s ill health
Carol Craig

Hiding in Plain Sight: 

Exploring Scotland’s ill health

Carol Craig books non-fiction publishing

Tears that made the Clyde Scots Crisis of confidence

Find out more

Knowing and Growing

Hiding in Plain Sight

Knowing and Growing

Knowing and Growing:
Insights for developing ourselves and others.
Alan McLean

Knowing and Growing:

Insights for developing ourselves and others

Alan McLean books non-fiction 

Find out more

Conviction

Hiding in Plain Sight

Knowing and Growing

Conviction:
Violence, culture and a shared public service agenda
John Carnochan

Conviction:

Violence, culture and a shared public service agenda

John Carnochan books non-fiction Glasgow violence reduction unit knife crime

Find out more

The Great Takeover

The Great Takeover

The Great Takeover

The Great Takeover:
How materialism, the media and markets now dominate our lives
Carol Craig

The Great Takeover:

 How materialism, the media and markets now dominate our lives 

Carol Craig books non-fiction Scotland materialism

Find our more

Latest book

    

. . . such a beautifully written and compelling account of a remarkable story of collaborative inquiry into confidence, well-being and the Scottish psyche. Every illuminating chapter is rich with creative initiatives, humane insights, remarkable thinkers and practitioners and honest reflection. . . (a) superb book. 

Will Storrar, Director, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey 


Order a copy of this handsome, hardback book. £35 including p&p anywhere in the UK. 


Click here or button below to buy.

Find out more

Schooling Scotland

Working for Equality

Schooling Scotland

Schooling Scotland:
Education, equity and community
Daniel Murphy

Schooling Scotland:

Education, equity and community

Daniel Murphy books non-fiction

Find out more

She, He, They

Working for Equality

Schooling Scotland

She, He, They
Families, gender and coping with transition
Shirley Young

She, He, They:

Families, gender and coping with transition

Shirley Young

books non-fiction transgender transistioning

Find out more

Working for Equality

Working for Equality

Working for Equality

Working for Equality
Policy, politics, people
Richard Freeman, Fiona McHardy, Danny Murphy (Editors)

Working for Equality:

Policy, politics, people

Richard Freeman, Fiona McHardy, Danny Murphy (Editors) books non-fiction

Find out more

Raising Spirits

Scotland's Local Food Revolution

Working for Equality

Raising Spirits
Allotments, well-being and community
Jenny Mollison, Judy Wilkinson & Rona Wilkinson

Raising Spirits:

Allotments, well-being and community

Jenny Mollison, Judy Wilkinson and Rona Wilkinson books non-fiction growing

Find out more

Scotland's Local Food Revolution

Scotland's Local Food Revolution

Scotland's Local Food Revolution

Scotland's Local Food Revolution
Mike Small

Scotland's Local Food Revolution


Mike Small books non-fiction publishing

Find out more

Letting Go

Scotland's Local Food Revolution

Scotland's Local Food Revolution

Letting Go
Breathing new life into organisations
Tony Miller & Gordon Hall

Letting Go:

Breathing new life into organisations

Tony Miller & Gordon Hall books non-fiction

Find out more

The New Road

Shaping our Global Future

The New Road

The New Road
Charting Scotland's inspirational communities.
Alf Young  and Ewan Young

The New Road:

Charting Scotland's inspirational communities.

Alf Young and Ewan Young books non-fiction

Find out more

AfterNow

Shaping our Global Future

The New Road

AfterNow
What next for a healthy Scotland?
Phil Hanlon and Sandra Carlisle

AfterNow:

What next for a healthy Scotland?

Phil Hanlon and Sandra Carlisle books non-fiction health Scotland

Find out more

Shaping our Global Future

Shaping our Global Future

The Tears that Made the Clyde

Shaping our Global Future
A guide for young people
Derek Brown

Shaping our Global Future:

A guide for young people

Derek Brown books non-fiction

Find out more

The Tears that Made the Clyde

The Scots' Crisis of Confidence

The Tears that Made the Clyde

The Tears that  made the Clyde by Carol Craig

The Tears that Made the Clyde

Well-being in Glasgow

Carol Craig

Find out more

The Scots' Crisis of Confidence

The Scots' Crisis of Confidence

The Scots' Crisis of Confidence

Scots' Crisis of Confidence
Carol Craig

The Scots' Crisis of Confidence

Carol Craig

Companion volumne to Tears that made the Clyde


Find out more

About Postcards from Scotland

 

In the face of huge challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, financial melt-down, globalisation, falling living standards, rising inequality and mental health problems, it is becoming  increasingly clear that western societies will have to make huge  changes. In short, we cannot go on in the same vein: we need to envision  and enact a radically different future.


Scotland is well-placed in some respects to make a significant contribution to this new thinking: we played a major part in the 18th  century Enlightenment and many of the factors which facilitated  Scotland's leading role are still in place. Namely, we are a small, networked society with strong commitment to social  improvement where it is easy to have conversations across subject  disciplines.


This period in western culture and Scottish political culture requires outlets for new ideas across a whole range of topics – environmental, social, organisational, political, cultural, psychological, economic and spiritual – as well as new frameworks and  ways of conceptualising.  Postcards from Scotland aims to help develop this new thinking  in a readable and accessible format and publicise, to a much greater  audience, some of the projects in Scotland which are already aiming to  help bring about a new way of living. books non-fiction.


The Centre also runs some events and advertises them on this site. The blog also sometimes features topics not yet included in our book series. 

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