Manchester United, Manchester City and FC United help kick off new youth services

 Source: MEN

 City and United will be among around 50 organisations laying on activities for teenagers in a shake-up of the way youth services are provided.

Football clubs, music projects and charities will all deliver services for 13 to 19-year-olds in Manchester after the council decided to stop being a direct provider.

The Blues’ City in the Community, the Manchester United Foundation and FC United are among groups appointed to take over from the council.

Organisations, which also include youth groups, arts and religious societies, charities, sports groups and local radio stations, have been given a share of a £2m town hall commissioning fund for youth activities.

The council gave up its role as a direct provider of youth services as part of £170m cuts over two years. The move will save the city £9m.

Now the £2m fund has been used to commission ‘high quality’ activities.

The new youth service providers, which will deliver workshops, outreach and skills programmes and sports including boxing, cycling and football on 20-month contracts, were chosen by a panel.

This included officials plus 19-year-old Becci Tighe, from Clayton, and 21-year-old Ashley Macfarlane, from Moss Side, both of whom work with the council’s Children’s Rights service for kids in care.

Ashley said: "Because I’m still quite young and can remember being a youth, I was thinking about the stuff young people would like to do and would benefit from. There was nothing to do when I was a child and it’s very easy for young people to fall into the wrong path when they’ve not got skills or aspirations.

"There were certain people who helped me choose the right path and its about putting youths in contact with those sorts of people."

Becci added: "It was important the organisations include a wide range of young people and that they provide something interesting and fun to do to keep them going back."

Coun Mike Amesbury, the council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: "We have had to move away from a universal service but this is targeted at those young people who are most in need and furthest away from the labour market."

Deborah Linton
August 22, 2011