About Young Manchester

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MANCHESTER IS YOUNG

Manchester is a young, diverse and vibrant city.

42% of Manchester's population is aged 25 or under, our city is home to world-class cultural institutions, and Manchester is the third fastest growing economy in the UK - expected to reach a size of £71 billion by the end of 2023.

But we're leaving our children behind. 45% of children in Manchester are currently living in poverty. The impact of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis, and the way systems are currently working are restricting young people's ability to thrive and reach their potential.

YOUNG MANCHESTER

Young Manchester is a youth-led partnership with over 120 members - all local non-profit organisations and groups supporting children and young people in Manchester.

We strengthen, connect and champion opportunities for children and young people (aged 0-25), ensuring these reach the most excluded children and young people in our city.

Together, we're creating a Manchester where every child and young person can shape their city and reach their full potential through vibrant, connected and inclusive opportunities.

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"Our vision is of a Manchester where every child and young person can shape their city and reach their full potential through vibrant, connected and inclusive opportunities."

WHAT WE DO

The challenges facing Manchester’s children and young people can’t be solved by one person or organisation alone.

Young Manchester brings organisations, individuals and systems together, to strengthen, connect and champion their work, and to find and deliver solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing our children and young people today.

We do this in four ways:


  • 1. We Put Power in Young People's Hands

    We embed young people's voices in all levels of Young Manchester's work. From young trustees, a young Co-CEO, young staff and Young Ambassadors to youth-led funds, youth consultations and young grant panelists; young people shape every decision we make. When we work with others, we encourage them to do this too.

    Adults have been making decisions about children and young people's lives without their input for too long - and we still haven't solved the challenges young people are facing. We're here to change that.

    By demonstrating what is possible when young people have a voice, we're creating a Manchester where all children and young people can meaningfully shape the future of their city, and the services that exist for them and their communities.

  • 2. We Build a Strong and Connected Sector

    Through our membership offer we support over 120 non-profit youth and play organisations to enhance their work, develop together, build capacity and celebrate their impact.

    Every day our members are supporting and empowering tens of thousands of children and young people across Manchester, providing safe spaces with supportive adults that young people can trust.

    We're building a youth and play sector in Manchester that is strong, vibrant and sustainable, supporting all children and young people to to be happy, healthy, safe and realising their full potential.

  • 3. We Resource High Quality Youth and Play Opportunities

    We work in partnership with funders and organisations with resource who want to support youth opportunities. We support them to design their programmes and develop their ideas, drawing on insight from our members to increase the volume and quality of provision for our children and young people, ensuring it meets need where it is greatest.

    We're supporting the creation of a Manchester where all children and young people, regardless of their background or life circumstances, have access to outstanding opportunities.

  • 4. We Influence Investment, Policy and Practice to Support Our Shared Vision

    We build and maintain strong relationships with partners locally, regionally and nationally to keep them connected to the real local challenges facing young people in Manchester. In turn, we work together to influence investment, policy and practice to support work towards our shared vision.

    We're working to make Manchester a city for all children and young people, where the benefits of economic growth are experience by all.

Read our Cultural Competency Pledge

Meet the Team

  • Samuel Remi-Akinwale
    Samuel Remi-Akinwale
    CEO

    Samuel is a young person that’s eager to help and support everyone he can. Having earned a Politics degree from King's College London, he is excited to continue his academic journey exploring public policy and the philosophy of political economy.

    Samuel currently manages a small production collective called Creation Foundation, dedicated to hosting honest conversations and authentic content and is also working on an anthology of stories of young people who have had challenges accessing higher education due to the UK’s immigration policies, prefaced with policy analysis and suggestions

  • Emma Sims
    Emma Sims
    Head of Development & Partnerships

    Emma joined Young Manchester in January 2022, bringing over 8 years of experience in partnerships, impact and strategic communications from her career in the charity sector. Prior to this, Emma held roles at a number of national charities including the Together Coalition; Step Up To Serve - the charity that co-ordinated the #iwill campaign; the Community Transport Association and National Union of Students.

    Originally from York, Emma spent five blissful years in the North West, studying Politics and Policy at the University of Liverpool; as Vice President at Liverpool Guild of Students and working in Manchester before venturing to London for 3 years. She returned to Manchester in 2020 and is glad to be back up north.

    Emma is a Trustee at UCLan Students' Union, and spends her spare time pickling vegetables, going to gigs (pandemic allowing), and admiring her cat, Mildred.

  • Megan Powell
    Megan Powell
    Grants and Impact Manager

    Megan is a young professional who has over 5 years experience in the VCSE sector across the UK. Prior to joining Young Manchester, Megan was working for the Citizens Advice Bureau supporting those in debt and facing financial insecurity. Megan is passionate about ensuring young people have a seat at the table.

    In Megan's spare-time she enjoys reading, illustrating and spending time with her family golden retriever Heidi.

  • Brigitta Appiah Darko
    Brigitta Appiah Darko
    Grants and Partnerships Officer

    Bri is a dedicated advocate for change and empowerment. As a recent graduate with a degree in French and Italian, her journey in making a difference began as a Displaced Person Liaison Manager for a small charity. Here, Bri wholeheartedly supported refugees and asylum seekers, driven by her belief that no one should ever feel alone in their struggles.

    Fluency in five languages has allowed Bri to connect with diverse communities and bridge cultural gaps, underlining her commitment to understanding and celebrating differences.

    Passionate about inclusion and representation, in 2020, Bri launched BreahhCreates, a creative platform that champions Black women in the card industry. It's a reflection of Bri's deep-seated commitment to amplifying voices that deserve recognition.

    In her role in grants and partnerships, Bri is excited to bring my diverse experiences to the table, working collaboratively to create opportunities and drive meaningful change.

  • Liv Clarke
    Liv Clarke
    Youth Engagement and Communications Officer

    Liv is a young changemaker from Fallowfield, Manchester. Before joining Young Manchester, Liv has worked with both local and international organisations. In her most recent role at Ashoka, Liv worked to connect international organisations with young people across Greater Manchester. Alongside her role at Young Manchester, Liv is also reading Education at Manchester Metropolitan University - motivated by a passion to change the education system.

    Outside of Young Manchester, Liv is an award-winning young changemaker and has influenced local and national policy. This has included working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to create OurPass, a free bus pass for 16-18-year-olds in Greater Manchester. More recently, Liv was appointed trustee of RECLAIM in July 2022, an organisation she has been working with for 10 years.

    Liv is excited to bring her wealth of experience and passion to build a fairer system for young people and young Mancunians. She is passionate about delivering change and addressing the systemic inequalities that disadvantage young people.

  • Hasaan Mohammad Amin
    Hasaan Mohammad Amin
    Project Coordinator

    Hasaan is a born-and-bred Mancunian raised in South Manchester. Before joining Young Manchester, he held various positions in small charities and large membership organisations. He has a wealth of experience from these positions and is excited to use this knowledge to build a more equal Manchester.

    In his role with Young Manchester, Hasaan is working to deliver our flagship Young Ambassador programme and embed youth voices within our projects and funding streams. Most recently, Hasaan has worked on the Keeping Children and Young People Safe Project, in which he distributed funding with Children In Need to local community youth-led safety initiatives.

    Hasaan's professional experience is extensive, with links to multiple partnership organisations nationwide. Alongside his work at Young Manchester, Hasaan has published research on youth work, COVID-19 and young people's participation. He will bring a wealth of experience to enrich, engage and ensure young people in Manchester have access to opportunities regardless of their background.

  • Josiah Hyacinth
    Josiah Hyacinth
    Business Development Manager

    Josiah is a creator, writer and entrepreneur, Josiah brings a wealth of experience in business development and a track record of building successful partnerships. He will be working to establish new and/or grow our existing development projects such as our consulting projects and corporate engagement activities.

  • Chelsea Sarkwah
    Chelsea Sarkwah
    Business Operations Officer

    Chelsea originally moved to Manchester to attend university, where she graduated with a degree in International Business and Marketing. Captivated by the city, she decided to make it her permanent home. Before joining Young Manchester, Chels worked as an administrator at an investment company, bringing with her a wealth of experience in organisational management and operational efficiency. Passionate about empowering young people, she is dedicated to providing them with opportunities that unlock their full potential without boundaries. Outside of work, Chels enjoys expressing her creativity through dancing, acting, and singing.