Here are some stories of young people-led community initiatives that M13 have had the privilege of helping young people be a part of, from
the most recent, back to the start.
Keep the Youth Fund Campaign 2014
When, in November 2014, Manchester City Council announced they were having to make significant cuts to services, including further
significant cuts to their youth funding, M13's young people decided that youth work was such a needed resource in the lives of young people that they would join with workers to campaign against the
cuts. This involved lobbying Labour Group Councillors at a budget discussion meeting early on a Saturday morning. We also supported a petition, established in partnership with Voluntary
Youth Manchester, which secured over 3000 signatures petitioning to maintain the Youth Fund at current levels. As a result, we were invited to give evidence of the potential impact of cuts at a
Scrutiny Committee meeting and the City Council decided to maintain the current budget for youth work This was a brilliant illustration to the group that collective, planned and passionate
action can make a difference to their commmunity!
Summer Jam 2012
In 2012, a group of young women aged 16 and 17 yrs from the Brunswick estate set up and ran a Summer Club for girls aged 10-13yrs. The
group got together with M13 workers to discuss their ideas in April and we began youth work training in June, helping them gain basic youth work skills, to think through how they wanted to run the
club and their aims and objectives for what they were doing. The group then ran 6 sessions, naming the club Summer Jam. The club had a significant impact on both the older girls
running it and the younger girls attending. Since this project, we have begun a regular Girls Group on Thursdays, and two of the older young women still volunteer each week to support the younger
girls.
Nine years' previously, three of this group were young participants in the 2003 Young People's Council Project
(see below). It's exciting to see the investment made and example given by previous young people many years earlier has resulted in another generation young people following their positive
example.
M12 Productionz 2011
M12 Productionz started life through a conversation on the street, with a group of young men aged 18 - 23 yrs from the Newbank estate,
about healthy eating and their need to learn to cook. This rapidly turned into thinking about how they could pass on these skills to younger children locally. Through conversation, the idea became a
project where the young men would train as youth workers and run a youth club during February half-term 2011. They named themselves M12 Productionz and ran the club daily
for 8-13 year olds during half term. We had massively positive feedback from parents, who were delighted there was an activity their children could attend during the school holiday, particularly run
by local older young people. Each of the young leaders achieved at least one AQA award. At the end of the process they said they learned and achieved far more than they imagined they
could.
Street Child World Cup 2010 Young Leaders
In 2009, M13 were presented with the opportunity to take a group of young people to the first ever Street Child World Cup, in Durban March
2010. We worked together with an older group of young men, aged 17-19yrs, who had skills in football coaching, advocacy and human rights to help prepare and train the group of young people who would
travel to South Africa.
New Generation 2009
In 2009, a group of young people aged 16-18yrs, with whom we had been working for a number of years asked if they could set up and run a
youth club for local 10-13 year olds through the summer holidays, similar to one they had taken part in as young participants in the Community Spirit peer-mentoring project
around drugs and racism awareness in 2004. They chose to call themselves New Generation, to signify that they were the 'new generation' of older young people running activities
for younger children in the area, taking their place in a growing line of community activists. It speaks of their sense and understanding of their place in the history of young people in Ardwick
making a positive difference in their community.
After two months of training and planning with M13 staff, the were ready for action and ran six clubs and trips through the summer
holidays, which included drama, sports, craft and Elliott's flapjack making!
Demolition Dance 2008
In 2008, a group of young mums from the Grove Village area, who had been directly bereaved by two fatal shootings in 2007, had a vision to
offer hope and a positive message to local young people affected by the deaths. They spent months learning dance skills, training in youth work and planning, set up Demolition
Dance and over the summer ran a weekly dance club, starting with a community barbeque and ending with a final community performance by the young participants.
Community Spirit 2005 & Pride of Manchester 2006
In 2005, the Community Spirit group trained for, set up and ran a weekly youth club from July through to
December, as an extension of their previous work. This included one-to-one support, trips out, informal mentoring, role modeling and providing weekly positive activities. In 2006, the group were
chosen from community activists across the city of Manchester to win the prestigious 'Pride of Manchester' Award for their work.
Community Spirit 2004
In 2004, the Young People's Council decided to run another set of summer activities for local younger children, based on their
experience the previous summer and using their own learning around anti-racism strategies, from the Rewind Anti-Racism training they participated in earlier in the year. They renamed
themselves Community Spirit chose to run educational workshops for local young people around anti-racism and drugs awareness. They planned, learned and developed training
programmes for 11-14 year olds, to equip them to resist drug misuse and to deal positively and pro-actively with racism. The summer programme ended with a Community Celebration of their work
including a play and artwork.
Young People's Council 2003
In 2003, a group of local young people with whom we had been working regularly on the streets wanted to meet with us to discuss their ideas
for summer activities. Little did we know they weren't thinking of the usual trip to Alton Towers! When we met, they presented their plans to 'do something for the younger kids locally, who've
got nothing to do.' Young People's Council was born. We set up a series of meetings to plan what we could do together and we worked with the group to train them in basic
youth work and children's work skills, child protection and health and safety. They then ran a summer club of sports, dance, arts and crafts activities with local younger children aged 7-11
yrs.
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