Using coaching & mentoring to reduce youth violence
Background
Youth violence is a growing issue in Greater Manchester and across the UK with a report revealing that half of teenagers in England and Wales have witnessed or been victims of violence.
To help combat youth violence, we joined a group of charities, youth organisations and government bodies to form the SAFE Task Force. Their mission was to provide young people with safe spaces and opportunities to discover their potential, learn skills for the future and express their emotions in calm, creative ways.
Our Youth Team started working with local schools in North and East Manchester in 2023, supporting groups of young people at weekly sessions. Young people are taken out of their lessons during the day, and invited to take part in activities in the evenings and during school holidays.
Engaging young people through nature, sport & craft
Methods to engage young people vary between youth workers, with mentors like Frankie, who works at Abraham Moss School, taking a more nature and community based approach:
“I’m utilising communities and different outdoor spaces as a way to give the young people a different outlook on where they live, and I’m using creative and artistic methods like going for nature walks and creating art with different materials”
Suraiya, who mentors at Manchester Academy and Manchester Communications Academy, uses her dancing skills as a way to build trust and confidence:
“I’m using dance as a tool to get young people to come together and tap into their leadership and social skills”
Carlos, who mentors alongside Suraiya at Manchester Communications Academy, has also utilised physical activity to give young people a way to release their emotions in healthy ways:
“It’s been great seeing the young people participate and engage in physical activities and discover new hobbies, we play a lot of team sports like Football and Basketball”
Noticeable changes
Over the past year, young people have flourished through the programme, with mentors seeing huge improvements in confidence, communication and participant’s overall outlook on life.
They’ve learned valuable life skills during in-school sessions and by taking part in activities outside of school which some young people had never done before.
Abraham Moss outcomes
At Abraham Moss, 100% of participants surveyed said that they felt an improvement in their skills and knowledge, and 73% of male mentees feeling more optimistic about the future.
Talal had a promising sporting ability, which was supported and encouraged by Guy, one of our mentors at the school:
“Through the programme’s support, Talal was also able to access a local gym membership, as well as some much-needed replacement sports clothing and equipment which allowed him to continue his participation in the school’s football team with further honed talent and much renewed pride in himself. All this work means Talal is now more confident than ever to express his hopes about where his expectations and broader ambitions might take him.”
Khadeejah struggled at first due to low self-esteem, but Frankie supported with bespoke singing activities:
“Khadeejah is a very talented singer, we would often end our sessions with songs as it gave Khadeejah the opportunity to express herself, she also loved showing her new favourites. On her final reflection, Khadeejah put ‘Singing really helped me’ Khadeejah said because English isn’t her first language, that sometimes she struggles to communicate but through singing she could really say how she felt.”
Manchester Academy outcomes
At Manchester Academy, 70% of mentees felt safe and enjoyed the sessions, as well as 60% feeling like they’d built up good relationships with their mentors.
Miles didn’t feel like he belonged in a school environment, so mentor Suraiya referred him to a specialist programme:
“Miles is Autistic and needed a safe place where he could feel accepted outside of school. I referred him to Starling as they specialise in neurodiversity, they deliver various creative projects. His Step dad was happy for him to attend and since he applied, he’s be going continuously every Wednesday, developing new friendships with like-minded people.”
Wendy, while being an women’s rights activist, found it hard to avoid conflict with her teachers. Suraiya stepped in to help Wendy learn about solving issues in a calmer way:
“I explained to Wendy that there is nothing wrong with having an opinion or feeling like someone is being is treated unfairly, but there’s a time and a place. To show support to Wendy and the teachers, I mediated to help the student and teachers come to a middle ground and provided a safe space for each participant to get their point across.”
Manchester Communications Academy outcomes
At Manchester Communications Academy, 80% of mentees have felt happier since attending the sessions, and 70% feel like they’ve gained useful knowledge.
Taylor would always skip or walk out of lessons, but has since learned to understand her emotions better:
“Taylor has been able to open up during the sessions, discovered she is a great actress and grown her skills in being honest. I’m very proud of Taylor as she’s making small steps and sticking to her goals, such as attending her classes even if she is tempted by her friends to skip.”
Basin didn’t enjoy school due to learning barriers, but has enjoyed having dance sessions as an outlet:
“Dance has inspired Basin, she has gained various skills such as team work, leadership and communication. Basin has had the opportunity to teach her peers the routines and even compete.”