M13 Youth Project

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Overview of our Work

M13 works together with young people to create opportunities for enjoyment, learning, action and change. Although our schedule can look very different from one week to the next, each week you will find us out on the streets, meeting and working with young people, offering one-to-one tailored support and working together on developmental activities and projects. Our work methods have a clear developmental process, rooted in the rinciples and practices of informal education and are worked out in partnership with young people.

Detached Work 

Our initial point of contact with young people is through regular and purposeful detached work; in pairs, regulary walking round and 'hanging about' on the streets, in order to meet with, listen to and engage young people in conversation who choose to spend their leisure time there. We currently undertake regular detached work on three neighbouring estates in Ardwick; Coverdale, Grove Village and Brunswick. 

We are usually out at least twice and sometimes as many as four times a week in each area, for 2-3 hours each time. This enables us to become known to young poeple and other community members, shop-keepers, etc, and gives us opportunity to get to know young people. 

Developmental Activities

From here, we build relationships and develop activities together with young people, which offer opportunities for enjoyment, learning, action and transformation at varying levels. Wherever possible, we encourage young people to take a lead in organising and planning activities. Activities range from;

• Evening trips
• Day activities
• Issue-based workshops
• Residential trips away
• Developmental projects and training
• Community Action

Tailored one-to-one support

Alongside these activities, as trust develops, young people often ask us for more tailored one-to-one support. This can involve many things, for example,

• accompanying young people through a time of challenge or crisis
• helping a young person connect with other agencies which can offer them support
• helping young people write CV’s, prepare for interviews and find work
• helping young people set their own goals and achieve them.

Conversation

Conversation is a central part of our work with young people. In whatever setting we are in with young people, we seek to have thoughtful conversations which embody (both verbally and non-verbally) positive messages about young people’s humanity, dignity, creativity and immense potential. Good conversations show us that someone else knows we exist and is interested in us - and all of us need to know this; they help us to make connections with others and with ideas; to find and understand our place in a community. Good conversations affirm us, challenge us and help us to learn and grow.

 Overcoming Barriers, Maximising Opportunities

Sometimes young people and workers spot ways in which we can overcome some of the barriers young people may face to help them maximize their capacity and opportunities. An example of this was recognizing that many young people from Brunswick didn’t visit their local Connexions office, largely because they lacked the confidence to meet with Connexions staff they didn’t know, in an unfamiliar building over two miles away. The simple solution was to set up an M13 satellite Connexions Advice Drop-In at the local McDonald’s restaurant, staffed by M13 workers whom they knew and skilled Connexions advice workers, in a well-known setting with free wi-fi and drinks courtesy of our local supportive McDonald’s franchise. Over summer 2009, we saw over 20 young people accessing advice, internet job searches, support writing CV’s, accessing information about college courses and making positive plans for their future. 

Community Action

In all our work, we encourage young people to consider how they can contribute positively to their communities, with the result that often young people dream up their own plans to make a positive difference locally and beyond.

We work with young people to;

• support them to work together
• offer training and help securing resources
• help them realise their plans for community action
• recognise, publicise, accredit and celebrate their achievements.

This picture shows a group of M13 young people winning the prestigious Manchester City Council, 'Pride of Manchester' Award, for their work setting up and running a youth club to support other local young people in the community.