The faces of ten young people who have been helped by Manchester Youth Zone during the last decade are to shine out on landmark buildings and advertising spaces across the city.
The Harpurphey -based project is celebrating its tenth year this month - and to mark the milestone they intend to make the young people themselves 'the stars of the show'. They have worked with local photographer Jody Hartley and creative agency Typocom to create the 10 in 10 campaign, featuring ten young people who have benefitted from joining.
The campaign launched in May at Axis Tower on Deansgate, the 28 storey residential skyscraper owned by Property Alliance Group which is unmissable to thousands of people, and which will feature the 10 in 10 portraits on its digital advertising space. The ten young people included in the campaign range from aged 10 to 26 years of age, all of whom have very different stories on how MYZ has helped them reach where they are today.
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They include Clayton Davison, 20, who regularly visited the Youth Zone and made it his second home. Growing up with peers who were involved in anti-social behaviour Clayton worked with youth workers at Manchester Youth Zone (MYZ) to create a different path for himself.
Clayton says ‘I gradually turned a corner and was able to manage my anger and not allow it to get in the way of my future’. He focussed on his football skills, often taking the younger kids under his wing and helping them improve.
MYZ enabled Clayton to undertake coaching awards and now Clayton is a coach with City in the Community and comes back as a worker coaching football on the 3G pitch. Of the youth workers that never excluded him or gave up on him he says ‘They helped me open up and changed me.’
Also included is Alec Mudimu, 27, who grew up in Moston and went to school locally. Football was his passion and aged 16, when MYZ opened he came into the centre to see what was going on.
MYZ became a regular hang out for him and his friends and in the early days it was a meeting point to go somewhere else. More often than not Alec and his friends would be there from when the doors opened to closing time.
As time went on Alec’s football career continued, but he was also inspired by the work of MYZ to take up youth work. Starting as a young leader, he was able to connect his passion for football with a new interest in youth work. He moved quickly from being a young leader through to becoming a paid qualified youth worker at MYZ.
During this period, he travelled to Wales for the football and back to Harpurhey for the youth work sessions. Then, he received a call asking him to play for the national team of Zimbabwe.
He says he had experienced first-hand how staff at MYZ had encouraged and supported him personally with his journey to professional football and was keen to be part of supporting other young people to realise their dreams. However, international football was an offer he could not refuse.
He continues to play for the national team of Zimbabwe and across the globe but welcomed the opportunity to return to the club to be part of the 10th Birthday Celebrations.
He says: "Some of the things the young people go through are so scary such as self harm, abuse and neglect. It has shown me the level of support that they need. I was glad to be part of the project. What it does for young people is indescribable."
Amanda Naylor OBE , CEO of Manchester Youth Zone added: “We are thrilled to unveil our fantastic campaign at Axis Tower. Property Alliance has come on board as a supporter of Manchester Youth Zone in our tenth year and it is the perfect building to showcase our 10 in 10 campaign in the heart of our city. The young people themselves are what makes the Youth Zone special and so it’s only right that they are the stars of the show.
“We would like to thank the amazing Manchester businesses and individuals who have given their time for free to help this campaign come to fruition, including Jody Hartley, photographer and Typocom.
“Our centre is just three miles outside of Manchester city centre, one of the most prosperous cities in the UK, and yet the outcomes for children in this area is amongst the very worst in the whole country.
"We want to encourage businesses in the city to help us create a level playing field - as we say at Manchester Youth Zone ‘talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not’. We are here to create that opportunity and the future these young people deserve.
“There has never been a better time to do this as Manchester City Council also launches its work to become a UNICEF child friendly city through its 'Our Year' campaign. The awareness campaign aims to encourage local businesses to get involved to help secure the future of this much needed operation."
The Youth Zone opens seven days a week and expects over 31,200 visits by young people in this year alone. This number is set to keep increasing and the running costs for the Youth Zone will also rise.
A number of other landmark sites across the city will follow in the coming weeks and months, with companies giving their support with digital and display advertising space in this special year for the youth zone. They include the large digital display space at ANS situated at the gateway to the city centre on Princess Road, with the AO Arena also supporting by donating a number of digital and print spaces throughout its concourse.
Experts in regeneration u+i, the creative developers behind Mayfield, the mixed used regeneration project which includes the much anticipated 6.5 acre park and the hugely popular Freight Island entertainment venue has also pledged support with large advertising displays on Fairfield Street, close to the venue.
Visitors to the city are encouraged to look out for the young people’s portraits as they pop up around the city over the coming weeks and scan the QR codes featured to read their stories.
June 30 will see a 10th birthday celebration and fundraising event take place at Freight Island - with all money raised going to Manchester Youth Zone. There are a range of ticket options available from just £5 to £100.
To learn more about how your business can get on board and hear more about Manchester Youth Zone contact info@manchesteryz.org or visit www.manchesteryz.org
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