Initiatives

£300,000 funding boost for community sport programmes supporting young people at risk of violence

Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has provided £300,000 of investment for community sport through the Greater Manchester Violence Prevention Fund. StreetGames are the VRU’s strategic sports partner and are responsible for commissioning organisations that can deliver against the VRU’s strategic sports plan. The £300,000 investment will use community sport-based interventions to enhance positive outcomes […]

First ‘We are Greater’ week for young people organised by Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit

‘We are Greater’ week sees schools, colleges, youth groups and sports teams from across Greater Manchester encourage young people to be greater than violence by participating in positive activities in their local areas. The week is inspired by the Violence Reduction Unit’s ‘I am Greater’ campaign which encourages young people to be greater than violence […]

Programme that helps young people transition from primary to secondary school supports over 150 students in year one

Funded by Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit, the primary transitions programme supports young people with the transition from primary to secondary school to mitigate potential risks of involvement in or connection with violence. The programme (also referred to as Blocks) responds to feedback from primary schools that intergenerational violence and knife carrying are affecting children […]

Violence Reduction Unit mentoring offer in Bury prevents young people becoming involved in crime

On Friday 20th October, the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester visited the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU’s) community-led programme in Bury to hear about the positive impact it is having in preventing young people becoming involved in serious violence and other crimes. The programme in Bury works with young people aged between 10 and 25, and […]

500 young people take part in sports and positive activities in Bolton through Violence Reduction Unit’s community-led programme

On Wednesday 18th October, the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester visited the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU’s) community-led programme in Bolton to hear about the positive impact it is having in preventing young people becoming involved in serious violence and other crimes. The programme in Bolton works with young people aged between 10 and 25, and […]

Service for parents and carers concerned about their children becoming involved in violence launched by Violence Reduction Unit

Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has invested £750,000 to develop a programme of support for parents and carers who have concerns about their child. They may have noticed a change in their child’s behaviour, and/or, suspect that their child is involved in violence, criminality or potentially being exploited. The service is free and confidential, […]

Community-led initiatives reducing violence across the city-region are set to benefit from £1m in new funding from Violence Reduction Unit

A £1m funding-boost is set to further support the work of vital programmes which are helping to tackle serious violence across Greater Manchester. This will enable Greater Manchester’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to understand more about the strengths and needs of different communities across Greater Manchester to keep driving serious violence down. The funding will […]

345 young people in Oldham attend youth sessions through Violence Reduction Unit’s community-led programme

Programme launched by the Violence Reduction Unit in 2022 to create an alliance of organisations to support local young people 345 young people have taken part in positive activity through youth club and family workshops On Thursday 31st August, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester visited the Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU’s) community-led programme […]

The Home Office and Youth Endowment Fund invest in new programme to help young people choose a life away from violence

US-inspired violence prevention programme rolls out in Manchester and Trafford The Home Office and Youth Endowment Fund invest in Focused Deterrence Young people who are involved in violence will be given a new opportunity to choose a positive alternative under a US-inspired programme rolling out in Manchester and Trafford. Despite significant reductions in hospital admissions […]