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The GalGael Trust was set up in the mid 90's by Colin Macleod and a group of his unemployed friends.
After being out of work for 10 years, Colin brought GalGael to reality based on his interest in woodwork, traditional Scottish sailing boats, and a desire to help the people of Govan.
GalGael currently has several ambitious self-build projects on the go, including the building of The Guiding Star, a 26ft traditional Scottish boat.
As a charity organisation, GalGael is run on donations, and it has just recieved £3500 from the Scottish Community Foundation to go towards Guiding Star.
They also plan to build a 21st century longhouse on the south bank of the Clyde and a huge 70 ft Birlinn - the first full-scale Gaelic-Norse longboat to be produced in Scotland for centuries.
They are also planning to build a new quay and slipway - an addition to Govan that Colin says will benefit the entire community.
Now other communities from all over Scotland want to copy GalGael's success.
Lochaber, the Isle of Islay, and Eyemouth, near Berwick, have all been in touch with the Trust, and GalGael is carrying out feasibility studies for these communities to establish if similar projects will work in their areas.
Colin says," People are the building blocks of the community, if you neglect them the community will suffer.."

By his own admission, Kevin Traill has had his fair share of trouble, and he has found it hard to mix with others.
Born and bred in Govan, Kevin left school at 16 with no qualifications. He found work in a warehouse, but the work was hard and repetitive. He took solace in drinking and fell in with the wrong crowd. It eventually led to a jail sentence when he was just 19.
He got involved in an argument at a party at a friend's house. He says someone puuled a knife and attacked him. He managed to wrangle the knife from his attacker, hit back in self-defence, and wound up spending 12 months in jail. He has been unemployed ever since.
But this is no longer the type of life he wants - either for himself, or for his young son, also Kevin. The reason for this is, he says, GalGael.
GalGael (a ninth-century term coined to describe seafarers in the Hebrides) is a charity organisation that teaches boat-building, woodcarving, weaving, metalwork and sailing skills to the long-term unemployed, and to people with drug, alcohol and mental health issues.
Based in a huge hangar in Ibrox, the workshop buzzes with the sound of power-tools - and the raucous laughter of the mostly male trainees and volunteers.
"It's an amazing place, I love it." says Kevin. "If there'd been something like this to go to after I finished school, I wouldn't have got into trouble.".
"Even after my course is finished I'm going to keep going along to GalGael. It beats hanging around the streets or playing PlayStation.."
Kevin's support worker put him in touch with GalGael and a month ago he joined the charity's 'Navigate The Future' 10-week programme for long-termed unemployed people from Govan.
"People at GalGael treat you differently from any other job I've had,." says Kevin. "I didn't know places like this existed. It has a really happy atmosphere and everyone is equal. They are a right good crowd of people. Everyone has time for you and there's loads of good banter. If you want to learn something or be shown how to use a tool someone will show you. It doesn't matter if you make a mistake, you just start again. People are happy to help you learn, they encourage you.."
All around the workshop anonymous lumps of wood and blank sheets of metal are slowly taking shape and are being transformed into beautiful creations.
"The work these guys do is amazing ."says Kevin, clearly inspired by being in such a creative environment.
"I know I'm getting the chance to work with really great craftsmen. Now I want to learn how to build boats. Before GalGael, I was on a total downer." Kevin says."I couldn't get a job, I couldn't get to see my boy because I couldn't agree with his mum, I kept moving around, never staying in the one place, just hanging about the streets.."
Kevin adds;" Now I feel like my head has cleared and I'm on the right track. Now I'm doing things that I'm proud of and that my son can be proud of.."
GalGael takes around 60 people a year on the Navigate The Future course, which is taught mostly by volunteers.
One such volunteer is Billy O'Hara." I'm here to try to help the guys like myself.." says Billy.
A former heroin addict, Billy, who's from Govan, says he understands what many GalGael trainees are going through.
" I encourage people to stick with it. We've all had problems ourselves at GalGael and we can help and support people because we know what they are going through. The hardest thing is the mental thing, not the physical addiction. When you stop taking drugs or drinking, you think 'What did I used to do before?' You have to re-invent yourself totally and it's hard.."
" When I left school in the 1980's heroin was everywhere in Govan and everyone was doing it. One day, even my own father didn't want to know me and wouldn't open the door to me. That was it for me. I moved to London where I didn't know anyone and so couldn't buy any drugs.."
Billy had already quit his heroin habit when he was asked by a friend to help launch a boat at GalGael.
Inspired by the creativity he saw there, he asked someone to show him how to make Celtic knot designs. That was five years ago and Billy has volunteered with the organisation ever since.
Despite his bear-like appearance, Billy creates extraordinarily delicate silver jewellery and metalwork. He says that he doesn't really think he has achieved anything yet, but he is studying for an HND in silversmithing at Cardonald College and hopes to become professional.
Many trainees are encouraged and helped on to higher education courses. Billy also made a stunning, silver replica of a chain worn by ancient Pictish Kings, which the organisation's founder, Colin Macleod, wore to the opening of the Scottish Parliament
Down-to-earth Colin herds the young trainees at GalGael in agruff, fatherly fashion, encouaging them to keep on the right track and 'do it for Govan'.
Full of energy and enthusiasm, he says they are using Govan's rich ship-building heritage as a catalyst for social enterprise and to re-enthuse local people.
" When you are unemployed, you don't exist, ."says Colin.
" Learning how to build and sail traditional Scottish boats gives people their self-respect back. We take everyone at GalGael on sailing trips. They learn how to trust and rely on each other and they also have a good laugh.." Colin adds;" For individuals who have seldom been in employment or even left the confines of the city, the process of crafting a tree into a sailing vessel then sailing it on the west coast of Scotland proves to be a profoundly positive experience. Local people have responded enthusiastically to our efforts to build a bridge between Govan's shipbuilding past and the social problems.."
Unemployed himself for ten years, Colin can empathise with people coming through GalGael's always open doors.
" There are a hell of a lot of people in Govan on benefits and it's that dependency culture that we're trying to tackle by giving people confidence and skills they can use in the workplace."