Building a Better Future in Burnage
We are excited to announce that in a few weeks’ time an empty youth centre in Burnage will become a new home to N-Gage’s youth work programmes.
From our years of working with young people in this area we know that many living in Burnage are discouraged, disadvantaged and de-motivated about school and life. They have very little in the way of youth services but we‘re committed to seeing this - and as a consequence their lives - change for the better.
We are planning to offer a range of services from the youth centre to young people in this area under a phased approach including:
Youth Drop In · Youth Advisors Panel · Homework clubs · Community cafe · Food Bank · Clothes Bank · Craft sessions · Offices · Internet Cafe · Counselling rooms · Advice/Guidance services · Business Support · Back to work support · Training/meeting rooms · Mediation rooms · Family contact rooms · Apprenticeships and qualifications.
However, before we can move into the building to roll out our youth provision it needs
£20,000 of repairs. We've got off to a flying start with 10% of our fundraising target already raised but we're asking our supporters to get alongside us in this venture by sponsoring a brick at the youth centre.
For more information and to make a donation now please click here.
Introducing two new members of our team....
First up, meet Jason King our new Schools Worker who joined the team in June shortly after completing his degree in Applied Community and Youth Work. He has actively been involved in youth work for 5 years, helping young people engage with the community. Jason grew up spending most of his time on the streets and engaging in anti-social behaviour before one team of youth workers spent time engaging him in the community, working with him to give him a hope and a future. This empowered him to go on to do youth work, where he is passionate to see young people grow in confidence, ability and for them to reach their full potential.
Zoe Ridsdill has also joined the N-Gage office staff as Catalyst Project Worker. She is originally from Leeds but moved to Manchester in 2007 to study Theology, Youth Work and Ministry at Nazarene Theological College. Before joining N-Gage Zoe worked for an Outdoor Centre in Scotland and a summer project caled NCS - a government scheme aimed at 16 year old school leavers. She started working as part of the Catalyst Team when it first took off in 2011 and became a Team Leader two years later. Zoe's role includes overseeing and administrating the growing number of sessions and teams around the city.
Coming to a bookshop near you soon
You can expect to hear more about N-Gage's beginnings very soon, as Christie has finished the final draft of his first book. In it he charts the journey from his childhood to the steps which led him to founding N-Gage seven years ago and his vision for the charity's future. Watch this space for details of how to get your hands on a copy soon.
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