The Factory

Manchester Youth Zone: An Overview

Our Mission
Manchester Youth Zone (The Factory) aims to serve the needs of disadvantaged young people living in Harpurhey and surrounding areas, who are experiencing a range of poverty and deprivation on a scale almost unprecedented throughout England. The Harpurhey area is the second most deprived in the country; a hotspot for juvenile anti social behaviour where 45% of households are on benefits and levels of obesity among young people is the highest in the North West and educational achievement at its lowest. Bereft of places to go, positive things to do and reliable adults to talk to, the risk taking, anti social and despondent behaviour of disadvantaged young people in the area has been criminalised and demonised. Their marginalisation doesn’t seem fair when there is a solution.

Opening at the end of 2011, on Rochdale Road, Harpurhey, our mission is to inspire disadvantaged young people to lead healthier and more positive lives and raise their aspirations by providing them with:

Somewhere to go
The Factory will be a state of the art facility, open seven days a week (15.00-22.00) and all day school holidays (08.00-22.00). The annual membership of £5.00 will help to build a sense of pride and ownership in the young people of the area and we have created a funding model which will remove financial barriers to accessing the facilities, with a heavily subsidised entry fee of only 50p.

Something to do
A team of professional youth workers and volunteers will be recruited to deliver a range of positive activities, every evening and provide something for everyone regardless of ability and experience;

• Youth Clubs: age (8-21) tailored sessions delivering a wide range of activity
• Out of School Care: Breakfast, After School and Holiday Clubs for children 8-16
• Just for Girls; the only single-sex project to meet the needs of girls from all cultures
• Independence Group and Deaf Club: for young people (up to 25) with disabilities and learning difficulties
• Outdoor Adventure and Residentials: Opportunities to get away from home and face new, exciting and developmental challenges in Manchester and further afield

Someone to talk to
The safe and welcoming environment of The Factory will provide opportunities to increase young people’s access to information, advice and guidance. In addition, for those young people, with little or no contact with any significant adults, no support or discipline, the Youth Zone also hopes to offer a volunteer mentoring programme that will provide one to one ongoing support to disadvantaged young people in crisis, based on the Queens Award winning project developed by Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

Our Impact
Currently there are no other providers in Manchester offering a 7 day a week, 52 weeks a year service to young people from a state of art facility. We have an opportunity to capture the changes in the lives of young people attending The Factory. We are committed to measuring our outcomes and embedding impact measurement into the charity from the start. Our overall aim to provide young people with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to is supported by our belief that The Factory will;

• Provide a safe place where everyone is included
• Help young people to make healthy, safe and informed choices
• Support young people to do well in school, work or volunteering
• Enrich young lives

Our Community
By the end of 2011 we anticipate that The Factory will be serving the needs of over 1,500 young people a week. To achieve this we are embarking on the challenge to recruit and train a local workforce of 17 full time staff, 40 sessional workers and over 50 volunteers from the Manchester community.

Volunteering at The Factory will be a gateway to employment for young people, the unemployed and socially excluded and those looking to gain or develop skills, improve their employability or just make new friends. Volunteering will be a key part of the community engagement strategy that we hope will bring North Manchester communities together to challenge perceptions and encourage greater integration and participation in the future of their area.

In 2009 a Young People’s Development Group was formed to work with the Youth Zone architects. Our consultations support the need for the project to remove the barriers young people’s perceptions create and to raise their confidence. During 2011 the Group is working to make sure every young person in North Manchester knows about the opening and opportunities of The Factory. The views of young people will continue to be represented in management and decision making after it opens.

Our Partners
A board of Trustees, chaired by Kate Vokes, HR Director of Manchester based property company Bruntwood, has been recruited to steer the project through the first three years of operation and drive the mix of public-private and voluntary sector support needed. Chief Executive, Johannah Aynsley, is leading the development of project and with the Board is working in partnership with a range of stakeholders and is backed by the Council, who have recognised the significant impact The Factory will have on young people, their families and the regeneration of communities in North Manchester.

Contact details:

Tel: 01204 362128
Email: info@thefactoryyz.org
Web: www.thefactoryyz.org

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