History

LAYC can trace its origins to The Edinburgh Federation of Girls Clubs in the 1930’s and probably originated in the period immediately after the First World War when a number of similar organisations (Boys Clubs, etc) were formed.

Through the 1950’s and 60’s the organisation became ‘mixed clubs’ and thereafter ‘youth clubs’  and through the 1970’s and 1980’s moved totally from the realms of well meaning amateur involvement from mainly middle aged and middle class ladies to an agency with a professional youth work staff effectively managed by an informed voluntary committee which worked closely with the relevant local authority education departments in promoting and developing youth and children’s work.

The constitutional purposes of LAYC were reaffirmed in 1997 as being “to advance education and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and other leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for children and young people.”

At our AGM in October 2010 we formally adopted the name LAYC (dropping Lothian Association of Youth Clubs) and the strap line ‘fun and learning for children and young people’.