We've had a fun (and busy) week of Christmas trips and activities, planned by the fantastic young people of M13.
And now we're all taking a well-earned rest over Christmas and New Year.
We're back in work on Tuesday 4th January. See you then!
In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Youth Work Week is an annual week long celebration organised by the National Youth Agency celebrating everything Youth Work! For more information on the youth work approach and values of youth work see our What Is Youth Work page.
“This year Youth Work Week will run from Monday 1st November to Sunday 7th November.
We are pleased to announce that the theme for this year’s celebrations will be:
Champions of Youth Work!
This year we will be celebrating the champions of youth work around the country, these can be fantastic youth workers who champion by doing great youth work, or incredible young champions who have inspired youth workers around the country!”
click link for more info: nya.org.uk
A group of young people and volunteers from across the project attended an event in Hulme in celebration of the life of Len Johnson. Len Johnson was a mixed race boxer from Manchester who, after being kicked out of a pub when the licensee refused to serve him due to the colour of his skin, lead protests which resulted in the end to racist laws preventing black people from being served in pubs and restaurants in England.
The event celebrated his life and told his story aswell as talks and spoken word poetry from local people about the racism and discrimination still being experienced in the UK today. The event was held at the same pub in Hulme in which he was refused service, 'The Old Abbey Taphouse'.
At the end of summer M13 held a BBQ for all our young people. This was a great oppourtunity to be with the young people and continue to deepen relationships over food, through conversation and games. It was also an oppourtunity to say farewell to some of our young people who are off to Uni. Nothing but good vibes, good food and music.
We ended our Summer HAF Play sessions with a project-wide trip to Kick Air Manchester. Over 50 children and 6 volunteers attended the 2 hour long unlimited access trip. A packed lunch for all was included as part of the trip. Given that a handful of children couldn't keep their eyes open on the journey home and the feedback from many other children, it's fair to say they enjoyed their time at the trampoline park.
In the summer our lads' group went on their first residential trip together
to Ghyll Head activity centre on the breath-taking Lake Windermere. It was quite the adventure with the lads taking part in various fun and thrilling activities such as team building, kayaking,
paddle boarding, hill scrambling, hiking, wall climbing and zip wire. Young people and workers alike had opportunities to challenge themselves and face their fears. The lads told us some of their
highlights were being together, making memories and getting to do fun activities together.
Over the summer we had a lot going on including:
four weeks of Summer Play Activities with food, for children aged 6-14yrs;
Tuesday lads' groups and Thursday girls' groups continued to meet most weeks during the summer;
we were out in our local neighbourhoods on detached youth work, meeting and chatting with young people;
and we continued to offer support to young dads across the city.
Check out our Current Activities page for more information.
Our girls' group took a long and much needed day break to Blackpool. They spent the day enjoying rides together at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and spent time together on the beach. Girls group has been undergoing a transition with older young women moving on and younger women moving up the older session. The day gave the young women the opportunity to continue to build and develop new friendships with each other as well as creating oppourtunity for conversation and learning.n.
After over a year on lockdown our lads’ group were itching to go out on an adventure together where they could get out into nature. The group planned and organised a ‘road trip’ to Buxton and the Heights of Abraham in the Peak District. They explored and learnt about caverns, rode on cable cars, walked through acres of woodlands and past lakes and took in breath-taking views. It was a time of fun, being active, learning and making memories together.
A group of children from Brunswick that we engage with through detached and play sessions attended a trip to ‘Projekts Skate Park’. This was part of our ongoing work with the group around friendships. The trip provided a space for children to try something new, challenge themselves, form new friendships as well as rekindle old ones and have fun. They took part in a 2 hour session: an hour of coaching and an hour to explore the park and try out their new skills..
Coverdale lads group were inspired by their love of anime, manga and the superhero world, to plan and design two evenings filled with fun and entertainment. They delivered a series of creative games and activities to challenge their knowledge of each area and win some prizes. They also tested their cooking skills and taste buds with new flavours - trying out East Asian food and snacks they hadn't tasted before. The group are already looking forward to next year's event!
During the Easter holidays, we ran 2 play sessions per week in each of the three areas we work in: Brunswick, Coverdale and Grove Village. Children took part in arts and crafts, group games, made bird feeders and planted sunflower seeds. As part of our sessions we provided balanced nutritional lunches and children received a nutritional wall chart and books from Manchester Libraries. Our play sessions offer a safe space for children to learn through play and have fun.
In April, over the course of 2 days, M13 alongside our Central East partners, Anson Cabin, Levenshulme Youth Project and HideOut Youth Zone, packed over 2500 play bags for children on free school meals across 18 primary schools. This was a mammoth task but was achieved due to the dedication and hard work of all involved.
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