A Manchester-based charity is supporting young people at risk of becoming involved in crime to reach their goals through employment support, mentoring and providing a safe space to talk about their worries.

Mancunian Way is an anti-social behaviour reduction charity based in central Manchester that works to

• reduce anti-social behaviour (ASB)
• create safety in communities
• promote personal responsibility to young people
• ensure that young people understand the consequences of anti-social behaviour.

Using funding granted by the Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit, the charity offers bespoke support by using music, art and sport as a tool to engage local young people.

They also provide a safe space to access guidance by driving around the community in furnished vans with WIFI and seating for young people at risk of crime or anti-social behaviour to have a hot drink and chat about issues affecting them on their terms.

This can lead to the young people being signposted people to other services (where appropriate) as well as direct mentoring, peer to peer mentoring and workshops.

Having a frequent presence in the community in this way provides a sense of safety and supports their targeted work with young people. By offering a consistent service and listening to the local people, they have been able to make a huge difference in areas that are vulnerable to instances of anti-social behaviour.

This can lead to the young people being signposted people to other services where appropriate, as well as direct mentoring, peer to peer mentoring and workshops.

Recently, Mancunian Way helped a 16-year-old from Salford after concerns were raised about the activities and friendship group he was involved with.

The team met the young person weekly and used music sessions as a catalyst to encourage him to stay in school and think about his future.

Over time, the young person’s mother reported that he was visibly happier because of Mancunian Way’s intervention.

After leaving school and becoming disheartened by not being able to find an apprenticeship opportunity, Mancunian Way managed to secure him a chat with an employer. This opportunity gave the young person the support to develop the confidence he needed to initiate further conversations with organisations, which has resulted in him now being settled in a full-time job.

Vicki Duncan, Head of Youth Service at Mancunian Way, says:, “We are a small charity with a huge impact and I am very proud of the work we do. The team go above and beyond every shift to ensure children are safe and the communities we serve are safer.  It is paramount to me that we make these communities safer spaces for everyone and that every child has the same chances as another.  This commitment has led to building solid relationships with people who live in the local area, including families and businesses.

“I am from a deprived area in Edinburgh and grew up in poverty.  I was fortunate to have had youth workers available who were influential to me and wanted better for everyone in the area.  My career has been focused on working in challenging communities that are socio-economically deprived because I know services like ours can make a difference.  It starts with caring and when you genuinely care, you can achieve great things but it takes time and consistency. It also takes reliability and ensuring we monitor and evaluate our work to understand what is working really well and what we need to do differently.  I am very proud of the work we do.”

The Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has been supporting community organisations in their mission to tackle violence and anti-social behaviour since the VRU was created in 2019. Using its Greater Than Violence Strategy as a blueprint, the VRU recently set out its ten year ambitions plan, which include steps to to reduce violence and increase community safety within the city-region. Find out more about the strategy here

To find out more about Mancunian Way, please visit their website

Article posted on: 07/06/2024 09:06am