About us

People Know How ran services and campaigns in Scotland that placed people at the centre, making their voices heard to improve their wellbeing, overcome barriers and solve social issues. We did this through collaboration with charities, universities, businesses, government and various other bodies.

People Know How was a Scottish charity that aimed to improve wellbeing across communities by supporting people to overcome barriers and thrive. We delivered services locally in Edinburgh and the Lothians, and engaged in research and campaigning to effect change on a national scale. We also provided a national digital support helpline.

Our work supported all parts of the community including children, young people, families and adults. Our services recognised the varied and intersectional experiences and needs of each individual. This is why we took a hybrid approach to our service delivery, combining a holistic model with tailor-made support while also making use of partnerships to signpost to other appropriate interventions in addition to our own service offerings.

These partnerships played a key role in placing the voices of those we supported at the centre of our work to effect social change. By collaborating across the four sectors (third, public, business and academic) we were not only able to work together to deliver local support, but also engage in research, and campaign for policy change nationally.

From our foundation in 2013 until 2024 we formed a People Know How community made up of staff, trustees, volunteers, interns, placement students, the people we supported and stakeholders across the sectors. We committed to inclusion and value the diverse experiences of every member of this community.

Aims

People Know How aimed to achieve three main outcomes, correlating with our key services and spaces: Positive Transitions, Reconnect and All Aboard.

To provide spaces for people to gather, collaborate, exchange ideas and improve wellbeing, both in person and remotely.

To improve digital inclusion in Scotland by providing support and campaigning for everyone to have access to digital skills, affordable data and devices, to safely communicate, connect and engage with opportunities.

To improve school transitions for all children and young people across Scotland by providing support and campaigning for children, young people and families to have access to the support they need in the transition from primary to secondary school.

Queen Margaret University

Queen Margaret University have been working in partnership with People Know How for several years. Each year the partnership has grown from strength to strength. We now collaborate on several activities to support students to integrate theoretical and empirical values of citizenship into their practice. This is achieved through a variety of service learning and placement activities throughout the year both within PKH and in the local community. It has become an invaluable opportunity to enhancing student learning within a variety of practice contexts.

Julie Caulfield

Lecturer in Occupational Therapy/Practice Placement Coordinator, Queen Margaret University

Ecclesiastical

We’re a proud funder of People Know How’s innovative work. They caught our eye in the Movement for Good Awards, using both consultations in the community combined with collaborations with organisations from all across the four sectors, of business, public, third sector and academia, to create projects that really make a difference, promoting social good.

Chris Pitt

Group Corporate Responsibility Manager, Ecclesiastical

Project Scotland

I can’t speak more highly of our relationship with People Know How. Not only do they offer exciting and supportive opportunities to young people across Scotland, they are also able to tailor opportunities to suit the need of their volunteers.

Kim Maxwell

Youth Engagement Manager, Project Scotland

Provost

I am a supporter of People Know How and their work around social inclusion, and this is a great example of what I believe is important – citizenship for all in Edinburgh.

Rt. Hon. Donald Wilson

Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh

Mission, vision, values

Our mission is to support people to overcome barriers so that their wellbeing can be improved, effecting positive change at its root.

Our vision is for those who need support to be heard by decision makers and placed at the centre of solving social issues.

Our values are to be people-centred & people-led, collaborative, inclusive, innovative and action-orientated.

Method

All of our work was formed and developed using our social innovation model: ask, evidence, do, share, and repeat. We then used our learning to effect change on a national scale through research, campaigning and influencing.

Ask

We began projects by asking people to share ideas, needs, strengths and assets. We always believed that people know how to identify their needs and the solutions to help them to fulfil their potential and solve social issues.

Evidence

We reviewed literature and best practice, collaborated to inform people’s ideas and ensured an evidence base before proceeding with a project. We never duplicated existing services and offer truly unique solutions.

Do

We ran projects and delivered activities, putting ideas into practice, testing, and refining as we progress. A robust framework of monitoring and evaluation was built into our projects, constantly gathering data to assess our progress and performance. See Positive Transitions and Reconnect.

We shared the approaches and impact of our work to recognise and celebrate the positive outcomes whilst identifying where improvements could be made. We then asked people for feedback on what we had shared, thus creating a cycle which drove continuous improvement.

Research

In collaboration with academic institutions, private enterprise, third and public sector partners and government, we initiated research to test innovative solutions to entrenched social problems. This ranged from multiyear longitudinal studies to nationwide mass participation, all the way to small locality-based surveys.

We ran two PhD research projects with the University of Edinburgh, one on positive school transitions and the other on digital inclusion.

Campaign & influence

We designed and ran nationwide campaigns that aimed to influence government policy, enhancing community development and acting as a catalyst for systems change across Scotland. We campaigned to end data poverty through Connectivity Now.