On 18-21 March, Contact and a group of young people, took over and transformed a disused building in Moston, in a unique project to help build creativity and community for young people in the area.
The project saw a group of young people, not in education, employment or training (NEET), transform the disused Co-Op building on Moston Lane into a creative space which hosted a variety of free workshops for 4 days. The young people were aged 13 to 19 years, and have worked with Contact before through projects with Detached Youth Teams and Youth Offending Teams in Moston.
The creative workshops, including film-making, photography, MCing and DJing, performance and spoken word, were open for young people to drop-in and join-in for free from Wednesday 18 to Saturday 21 March, as part of an ongoing creativity drive funded by Manchester City Council.
Team members from Contact, Mancunian artists and North Manchester's Regeneration Team worked closely to create this unique and innovative opportunity for young people from the Moston area to take part in on-site workshops to gain valuable new skills.
The project also offered an opportunity to consult with the local young people about the cultural activities and opportunities that interest them most and what they would like access to in the future. This research will be used in the planning and development of future cultural work in North Manchester both by Contact and other cultural organisations.
Project leader and Head of Creative Development at Contact, Suzie Henderson, said: “We deliberately chose to hold these workshops in a disused building in the area because we wanted to help the young people look at the possibilities beyond the immediate and obvious. This former shop offered a chance for young people to think about the space around us in a different way and be creative.
“We hope this project will open doors for young people to get involved in what Contact and culture in Manchester has to offer in the way of opportunity and learning, and there's a lot on offer!”
For many of the young people, this was a first step into a world of new opportunities.
