Community projects

Student tutors are helping young refugees from Syria to adapt to new lives in Edinburgh.

Ros Claase works at the University and in her spare time is also very active in the local Edinburgh community. She shares her experiences of being a trustee for a local charity, and how her skills from her job at the University have helped her contribute to her community.

Every weekend, in all weathers, University students from the Dirty Weekenders Conservation Volunteer Group pull on their wellies to go out and clean up the local environment.

For over 50 years, a student-run charity has been helping children from disadvantaged areas of Edinburgh to improve emotional wellbeing, confidence and social skills through having fun.

The University has supported the launch of the Edinburgh Sudanese Cultural Forum with a Community Grant.

As the Scottish Premier League season begins, an academic football course delivered by the University’s Academy of Sport has received praise from its participants.

A new initiative sees University student-athletes mentor young people in the community.

The Edinburgh Local Community Grants Scheme at the University of Edinburgh is proud to support organisations who are making a great impact in the city and surrounding areas.

The Edinburgh Girls Project is a project funded by the Edinburgh Local Community Grants Scheme. Hear their inspiring story.

The University of Edinburgh is teaming up with Community Justice Scotland in national campaign.

The Edinburgh Pad Project is a brand new group run by the Edinburgh Remakery and Edinburgh University Students’ Association Volunteering Service.

Over the last few months, University students and staff have been working together to solve a locally-based challenge: how to tackle anti-social behaviour in public spaces, whilst also promoting social inclusion.

The University has provided a one-off donation to Street Assist, a charity that  supports  Edinburgh residents who become vulnerable on weekend nights. 

Mayfield and Easthouses Youth 2000 Project (Y2K) is a place situated in the centre of Mayfield where young people can come, as often or as little as they want,  to activities that are organised around their needs.

The Festival of Creative Learning at the University of Edinburgh has partnered with Magma Poetry on a collaborative film poetry project.

A comic book full of helpful hints has been launched to support people who play vital caring roles within their family circles.

We value enormously the contributions of many people who give back in countless ways to the University.

Discover our collection of Public Art all around the University.

World-leading research into motor neurone disease is helped by £4,000 student rugby fundraiser.

Students at our Badminton Club have been helping out fellow players at the Lothian Disability Badminton Club in Midlothian.

Astrobiologists at the University have been running workshops in two Scottish prisons to imagine life on Mars.

The University has a strong record in supporting Gaelic, establishing Scotland’s first chair of Celtic in 1882 and hosting superb and unique collections.

An Edinburgh computer programming club for under 19s is a big hit in the city.

Modern Apprenticeships at the University are a great way for young people to make a positive start to their career.

Contributing locally is a University priority and Finance staff are doing their bit.

Student project captures local people's stories from the streets of Edinburgh.

The University is successfully raising educational aspiration though the power of sport, especially football.

Student volunteers are helping children and young people experience the achievement and enjoyment of running.

Evocative sound recordings and striking black-and-white images are among the highlights of a newly-refurbished centre showcasing Scotland’s traditional culture.

From 2016 until 2021, the Digital Ambassador project helped to improve digital literacy amongst people in the community.

A unique community choir created by one of our PhD students is spreading Christmas cheer in Edinburgh.

SHRUB is a zero-waste community co-operative in Edinburgh working for a world without waste and empowering people to live a low carbon life.

IDEAL (Intelligent Domestic Energy Advice Loop) is a cutting-edge research project investigating how smart technology can help people save energy in the home.

Edinburgh students have been invited to contribute ideas on how to transform Hunter Square into a safer and more dynamic space.

In support of our sustainability programmes, the University partners with the Edinburgh Remakery, a re-use and repair store which relocated to Leith Walk last year.

The PLOPS (Playground Learning Outdoors Preston Street) initiative connects parents, teachers, University staff and students with the goal of improving play and outside learning experience at the Preston Street Primary School playground.

granton:hub is a new charity located in the historic Madelvic House, a Victorian building nestled in between the established and newly-settled communities of Edinburgh’s Waterfront.