ANNUAL REVIEW 2011 - 2012 Registered Charity No. 1117843

WHO ARE WE AND WHAT DO WE DO?

N-Gage is a Manchester based charity that gives young people at risk of educational or social exclusion opportunities and skills to achieve their full potential.

Working in partnership with schools, the police and the city council we provide highly successful, flexible and targeted approaches to anti social behaviour and educational exclusion.

Founded by Christie Spurling in response to his own experiences of educational exclusion N-Gage is now staffed by a growing team of passionate youth workers who combine creative skills and a commitment to young people with a range of projects and programmes across Greater Manchester.

N-Gage Annual Review 2011/12 Page 2

Contact Details Benchill Community Centre, Benchill Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester, M22 8EJ Tel: 0161 637 1302 Email: admin@n-gage.org.uk Web: www.n-gage.org.uk

WITH THANKS TO...

And our many supporters and donors - thanks for standing with us!

WHY IS N-GAGE NEEDED?

A recent survey of 15 to 18 year olds held in custody found that 90% of the young men and 75% of the young women had been excluded from school, and more than 7 in 10 had truanted from school No Excuses: A review of educational exclusion © The Centre for Social Justice, 2011

The majority of gang members either self-excluded (truanted) or were officially

excluded from school.

Dying to Belong: An In-depth Review of Street Gangs in Britain. © The Centre for Social Justice,

2009

The facts

In 2008 there were fewer than 6,000 18-24 year olds who had been on Jobseekers' Allowance for more than a year. That number is now 55,000 - nearly ten times as many. ONS Labour Market Statistics, April 2012.

Our focus is on keeping young people in school, out of trouble, giving them opportunities to unlock their full potential. We do this through: Step Up School Inclusion Programme Catalyst Detached Youth Work Transform Community Action Projects The Beats Revolution Activity Weeks The Young Leader ’s programme

N-Gage Annual Review 2011/12 Page 3

As I sat down to write this my mind flipped back to last summer. I was on a residential with 13 young people from Manchester. We were about to go gorge walking and no one including me was that keen to do it. Why would you want to walk up a cold waterfall for fun?! As we arrived at the spot all the young

people’s phones were beeping with texts and calls. I asked what was happening and was told that Manchester was experiencing riots. Some of the young people seemed disappointed that they were away from Manchester. I remember feeling a deep sense of satisfaction that once again the work of N-Gage was having an unexpected beneficial impact, stopping young people from potentially getting involved in rioting in the city. At N-Gage the whole team is passionate about helping young people to achieve as much as they can. We actively encourage them to engage with positive role models, some who have experienced challenges of their own. All our programmes and activities are designed to foster a belief in young people that they can do more. Another key theme is our commitment to consistency. We are committed to having the same teams working in the same areas, schools and communities where possible so we can really develop deep and meaningful relationships with young people. With so much youth service being cut we see this as critical to avoid having a generation of young people who feel deserted.

I hope we can continue to be a positive voice in the lives of hundreds of young people over the coming year. I would also like to thank all the amazing staff, trustees, and fundraising team plus our faithful supporters who help make the dream of N-Gage remain possible. Who would have thought that my exclusion from school would lead to you reading all the amazing things in this our 5

th annual review?!

CHRISTIE SPURLING, CEO

“We are committed to having the same teams working in the same areas, schools, communities where possible so we can really develop deep and meaningful relationships with young people”

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ANDY EADIE, CHAIR What an incredible journey we have been on this year so far. We have seen so many new opportunities and so many new challenges sent our way. The development of N-Gage over the last twelve months is remarkable and we are thankful for the opportunities

these developments are going to give to young people across the city in the coming months and years. As ever it is an honour to serve a charity that is at the cutting edge of youth work in Manchester and is really showing the way to other agencies. Catalyst is still growing and showing how N-Gage can impact specific areas of the city for good. Urbis, the parks work and other projects are continuing to be given rave reviews by the police and council. Within schools N-Gage continues to be seen as a charity that actually does what it says on the tin and many, many young people are being transformed in their attitudes and aspirations due to the relationships being developed. The

work continues to grow with new schools always interested and having our new schools worker will ensure that more have the chance to fulfil their potential. The above are only a few of many, many new areas of growth. This is due in no small part to the amazing staff team; each and every one plays a crucial role in the team, and it is a privilege to see a team that works together for the greater good! Thanks must also go to the board of trustees in particular to Sarah Rudd who stepped down this year for all her support and valuable advice. Also welcome to Ruth Bromley who joined the team. Thanks also to the fundraising team as they seek to bring in support and funds. However, I do want to highlight the man at the helm, on the coal face day to day – Christie has shown incredible resilience, commitment and drive over the last year. We should never forget where N-Gage is now and where it has come from, and be very excited about the journey ahead!

“N-Gage continues to be seen as a charity that actually does what it says on the tin and many, many young people are being transformed”

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Since beginning our schools work in 2006 we have worked with 563 young people!

X 100!

This year we have run programmes in:

We have also been busy writing up our Step Up Programme so we can train others to use and deliver it, making our work more widely available. Just before Christmas we received the fantastic news that we have been awarded funding for a new schools worker for 3 years which will provide a much needed opportunity to expand our capacity and work in even more schools. The Barlow LIFE programme has also been a great way to showcase the workshops that N-Gage have to offer. Rachel Strafford has been involved in managing this project, in which Barlow RC High School have collapsed their school timetable on a Wednesday afternoon, to involve Year 7's in enrichment activities. N-Gage have so far provided 8 different workshop sessions on a weekly basis since the start of the school year. We are hoping that this will become a regular part of the school life and will continue after this first pilot year.

SCHOOL INCLUSION

I have found the working ethos behind N-Gage to be creative and placing the young person at the centre of their delivery. Their work has been a major factor in our school's success, helping us to get students who have given up on education back on track and to focus on their chosen educational pathway pre & post-16. Abraham Moss High School and N-Gage have worked together for a number of years successfully re-integrating students back into the classroom, in order to offer the best quality support programmes to our students Mr G George, Head of Inclusion, Abraham Moss High School

What our schools say about us:

Abraham Moss High School St Matthews RC High School

The Barlow RC High School Broomwood Primary School

Ringway Primary School Newall Green Primary School

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Well! What an amazing year it has been! Getting married, meeting the Queen, jumping out of a plane!!! And that's before I even think of all the amazing work we have been able to do with the young people. The most obvious change is with our detached youth work, now called 'Catalyst' (previously 'Shift'), I went from taking the youth bus out fortnightly with a loyal team of volunteers to managing an amazing team of 10 sessional workers taking the bus out 6 nights a week to hotspots of antisocial behaviour (ASB) in South Manchester. Since October when Catalyst started we have met and engaged with over

425 different young people on a regular basis through the youth bus. The police are really happy with how the project is developing and the ASB figures are reducing. Due to our success in South Manchester I was approached by City Centre Police and the Council's Crime and Disorder unit to manage a second Catalyst project (Catalyst in the City) around the Urbis/Cathedral Gardens area, where large groups of alternative young people congregate and become a target for criminal activity. Here we were able to showcase N-Gage's new marquee which was a great place for the young people to hang out, listen to music, and feel safe. We also had some staff from Projekts skate park working with us, which was a real asset in terms of engaging with some of the young people who were skateboarding/BMXing. We saw over 600 young people in a 9 week pilot period which was astounding! In February half term 3 of us braved the cold to take 7 teenage boys on a residential in the lake district. We had an amazing time doing outdoor activities such as rock climbing, archery, and even kayaking (yes it was freezing)! But we managed to dodge the snow and everyone had a great time. I was so proud of all the young people, particularly how kind and welcoming they were to a group of adults with learning difficulties who came to stay at the centre during our time there.

RACHEL STRAFFORD

I like going on the bus, I get to play Fifa and see

my mates, It keeps us out of trouble, giving us

something to do! Feedback from one

young person who regularly uses the bus

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COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION

During the school holidays we run activity days and weeks for groups of young people that we have worked with either through school or met through Catalyst. Over the past year we have taken 49 Young People. Many of them rarely leave Manchester or spend time with adults outside of school so these are great opportunities to expand Young People’s horizons, enable them to be around great role models, and to have fun! These weeks have included: Climbing, DJ workshops, Graffiti workshops, Walking and visits to Alton Towers, Crocky Trail, Lake Windermere, Llandudno. We also received funding from Happy Days Charity to take a group of students to the Pantomime at Christmas.

As part of our community transformation programme we worked with 35 young people from Newall Green Primary School to do litter picks, make bird feeders and to create 2 mosaics to decorate the school.

These projects gave young people the opportunity to positively and practically make a difference in their own communities.

ACTIVITY WEEKS

One young person recently wrote to us:

“Dear N-Gage, Thank you for all the fun! I

love Crocky Trail. You ’re the best. I just love N-Gage, hope I can come

again.”

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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

In April 2011 we were awarded a contract by Willow Park Housing Trust to run The Hub Youth Centre in Benchill. Over the course of 10 months we met, and in many cases far exceeded all the targets that we were working towards. This was a great opportunity to get involved in centre based youth work and meet regularly with young people from one local area.

This year we ran 2 Young Leaders’ Programmes with groups of older young people. The course is something of an ’urban Duke of Edinburgh - without the camping!’ The course involves running and taking part in community action projects, fundraising events and volunteering. A highlight of the year was presenting awards to our Wythenshawe YLP group at our Christmas Quiz.

STUDENTS 8 placement students from Manchester University and Moorlands Theological College have joined us over the course of this year. They have all been amazingly helpful and hardworking and a real asset to the team despite their short stays. Below left Ben and Becks from Moorlands take part in an assembly at Newall Green High School. Below right Sammy and Vicky from Manchester Uni run an N-Gage information stand at their Uni showcase day.

THE HUB

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This year our major success came just before Christmas as we secured three year funding from Peter Kershaw Trust for our new schools worker! As well as this large donation we have also been successful with smaller donations which have enabled us to take a group of young people to the Lake District thanks to North Face. Happy Days Holiday Trust funded a trip to the pantomime. Skipton Building Society provided us with a grant for an Instant Marquee and Manchester Guardian Society have provided money for corporate clothing. So on a Saturday afternoon at Urbis we are not only ‘outstanding’ but we are ‘standing out’! To aid our search we have taken a new direction by acquiring the services of a ‘Professional Fund Raising’ organisation whose directive is to make three applications to obtain continuation core funding. It is a trial but if successful than we can explore funding for larger capital projects. In the meantime I will continue to explore all areas of available grants and trust that as in the past our needs will be met.

Rodger Spurling, Development Co-ordinator

FUNDING AND FUNDRAISING

We are very grateful to the many people who ran, attended and got involved in fundraising events over the past year. Our fantastic fundraising team put on a number of events including: One Night Out - Band Night Sing a Long Mamma Mia Christmas Quiz We also had 6 Parachute Jumpers who took part in tandem sponsored jumps raising over £3000 between them - some having to attempt many times due to bad weather! Thanks to all who support us - please keep an eye on the website for upcoming events and challenges:

www.n-gage.org.uk

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THE MONEY STUFF

The headlines... The year to 05/04/12 showed an increase in total income of over 70% to £143,802 As ever thanks to our increasing number of personal donations which totalled just over £23,500 (16% of total income) Var ious fundraising efforts throughout the year raised over £5,800 On the expense side the main increase was in salary costs to fund Catalyst For next year income

received from donations,

fundraising and gift aid

remains key to funding

o p e r a t i o n a l t y p e

expense.

Dave Thorpe, Treasurer

Project Costs 90%

Fundraising 2%

Travel 3%

Office Costs 5%

Schools/Workshops 20%

Grants 18%

Catalyst 14%

Contracts 26%

Fundraising & Gift Aid 6%

Donations 16%

INCOME EXPENDITURE

At N-Gage we are committed to make sure all monies donated are spent to benefit young people, we do this through employing talented and passionate staff, running cost effective programmes and prioritising interventions that put young people first.

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New Vehicle For many years we have been dreaming about how to expand the work that we do. This year we have managed to buy and found funding to run and staff our very own vehicle. It has just come back to us after having it’s graphics printed and will be in schools and on estates from Autumn 2012. We are incredibly excited about this new step but we still require more funding in place to keep the vehicle going. If you would like to support us in this new stage of our journey you can donate online via www.justgiving.com/goingmobile or see the form below! Also keep your eyes on our website for details of an exciting fundraising campaign coming soon...

WHAT NEXT?

Account Name: N-Gage Bank Details: Barclays Bank, Didsbury branch. Account Number: 90647233 Sort Code: 20-26-20

Can you stand with us and support the work of N-Gage? Name:

Address:

Telephone Number:

Email:

I enclose a cheque made payable to N-Gage for the sum of £______________ I have made a donation of £_____________ direct into N-Gage’s bank account I have set up a standing order for £______________a month to N-Gage’s bank account. I would like to Gift Aid this donation and all future donations until I notify otherwise

Signature: Date: / / To qualify for Gift Aid, you must pay an amount of UK Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaims on your donations in the appropriate tax year. Tax year is 6 April one year to 5 April the next.

Please return this form to: N-Gage, Benchill Community Centre, Benchill Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester, M22 8EJ

Charity number: 1117843

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