Greater Manchester Youth Network

Young people have been cleaning up Eccles this month on a programme with the Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN).

A group of young people aged 13-25 took to Liverpool Street and gathered five full bags of rubbish in an hour.

The group managed to completely clear a passage by the fire station as well as crossings and footpaths in the area.

GMYN is a youth charity that enables young people to have a positive impact on both their own lives and the wider community.

GMYN’s Care Experienced Programme in Salford, funded by Salford CVS, supports looked after children and care leavers across the region and encourages them to take part in weekly activities within the local community.

They hold a range of activities such as animal therapy, gardening, sport and cooking. These can help to build social skills, encourage health and positive well-being, develop self esteem and provide skills for the future.

Nick Rogers, programme coordinator at GMYN, said: “The group wanted to make the area more appealing and safer for the people to use, so they planned where we would go and worked together to clean it up.

“Care experienced young people can be some of the most vulnerable young people in society and can be stigmatised, leading to social isolation.

“It was great to help them out, spend time chatting, making friends and having a real impact on the local area.”

A young person who wished to remain anonymous said: “GMYN has changed my life around. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know where I would be right now- they are like my family.”

Since joining GMYN, he is determined to turn other young people away from crime. He’s also taking part in peer-mentoring courses, and is now a GMYN Ambassador, helping to change the lives of other young people in Greater Manchester.

The 23-year-old went into care aged four and has been taking part in GMYN’s Care Experienced Programme for the past year.

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GMYN currently support care experienced young people aged 13-25 in Salford, Bury, Oldham, Manchester and Trafford. For more information click here.

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