the Help Files....

currently up to a quarter of young people do not take part in any form of positive activities,
most often because they are not interested in what is available.
Youth Matters - DfES

Two-thirds of 9 - 11 year-olds in the UK are dissatisfied with the quality of outdoor play facilities where they live.
For 15 - 16 yearolds this rose to 81%, higher than any other European country.
No Particular Place To Go? - Groundwork

6 out of 10 teenagers and 8 out of 10 adults think that there is not enough for teenagers
to do in the area where they live
8 out of 10 15-16 year olds are dissatisfied with the quality of outdoor play facilities where they live
79% of people agree that 'Life for children is more dangerous than it used to be'
Passing Time - IPPR

This Report Card provides a comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and young people
in 21 nations of the industrialized world.....The United Kingdom and the United States find themselves
in the bottom third of the rankings for five of the six dimensions reviewed.
Child poverty in perspective - UNICEF
(These dimensions were: 5.Behaviors and Risks, 4.Relationships and 6. Subjective Well-being,
in each of which the United Kingdom scored lowest of the 21 Developed Nations,
also 1.Material Well-Being, 2.Health and Safety, and 3.Educational Well-being,
in each of which the United Kingdom was in the bottom half of the league)

It is clear that what happens in and around our city centre is not unique to Manchester. It is difficult to speak in detail about other cities as each has a unique physical and cultural geography that can only be understood after prolonged engagement. However, the Peer Youth Workers have visited 3 of the Core Cities and found that each has very similar social spaces, created by young people themselves. Their research has identified common needs underlying these spaces, and their work suggest that successful solutions can be found to the common problems arising from them.

Newcastle

Eldon Square in Newcastle has been used by generations of young 'alternatives' as a place to meet up and to socialise. Enlargement of the adjoining shopping centre has reduced the size of the square in recent years - something the young people bitterly oppose.

The Cathedral Gardens Project has twice taken its Peer Youth Workers to Newcastle for their training as it allows them to see a space that is similar to Cathedral Gardens, but as outsiders. They then prepare and conduct an issue-based survey with young people in Eldon Square. The Peer Youth Workers have found them friendly and welcoming, similar in most respects to those who use Cathedral Gardens.

Liverpool

Liverpool has several areas that are used in similar ways to Manchester's Cathedral Gardens. This seems to have led to factionalisation, with alternative young people who wish to drink heavily using separate areas from those who don't. This reduces positive peer influences and seems likely to exacerbate problems.

In 2006, TATE Gallery Liverpool was investigating the possibility of its Young TATE group running events and activities for young alternatives gathering in Liverpool city centre. We strongly recommended that they involve their target audience in the design and running of these activities. They invited our Peer Youth Workers over to give a presentation about how they worked. The young people there were impressed by the methods of the Cathedral Gardens Project but to our knowledge they were never able to create a similar scheme.

We have recently been in touch again with Young TATE as well as some of Liverpool's alternative young people. It seems the police and council are seeking a Dispersal Order for one area of the city, but there is still no mechanism for consultation or engagement.

Birmingham

- NEWS - From April 2008 we have funding to develop as sister project in Birmingham to deliver volunteering opportunities to young people aged 16-25. We'll be looking for ideas and involvement from young people, other agencies, neighbours, etc. More on this soon!

For their appraisal weekend in 2006 the Peer Youth Workers were keen to visit another city and enlarge their experience of urban social spaces. Birmingham was chosen because we were already aware of a similar space their through the Depaul Trust's activities in that city.

Despite poor weather the Peer Youth Workers found 2-300 alternative young people gathered around Birmingham Cathedral, socialisng peacefully. They spent some time in engaging and discussion, but in a single afternoon could really only establish that young people were using the space for similar reasons, but did not seem to have had a negative response from the city council, police or surrounding businesses.

The Peer Youth Workers also visited an under 18s night which was based around young unsigned bands playing live to their peers. There is clear demand for similar provision in Manchester and they are currently working on providing this in partnership with the Sprout project.

Leeds

While the Cathedral Gardens Project has not visited Leeds we have been contacted by young people there who arranged a protest march when the area they meet in was threatened with a Dispersal Order.