National company IMPOWER has joined forces with Manchester City Council to launch a brand new “Our Year Legacy Fund” to provide ongoing opportunities for children and young people in the city.
The Fund has been set up as an ongoing legacy from the Council’s year-long “2022 – Our Year” campaign- a year where the whole city has been asked to put children and young people first.
The year has already seen the Council invest an extra half a million pounds into additional youth and play services and expand activities across the city including Manchester’s first ever Baby Week and a bumper National Play Day. It has also seen expanded opportunities for work experience for young people and mentoring from businesses across the city.
The Our Year Legacy Fund will give children and young people access to social, cultural, and educational experiences which they might otherwise miss out on due to lack of resources. Applications for support from the fund can be made by any Manchester based not-for-profit organisations or education settings, on behalf of individual young people or groups they work with.
IMPOWER’s own work focuses on making a difference for children and young people by helping local areas to meet their needs whilst also improving their opportunities and life chances.
Sean Hanson, Chief Executive of IMPOWER, said: “Delivering better outcomes and life chances for children and young people is a key driver for IMPOWER which is why we are delighted to sponsor Manchester City Council’s Our Year Legacy Fund.
“The Our Year campaign has had a real impact on children’s lives throughout the year and we are excited to see it continue. Everyone who shares this vision across the city – from large businesses to community groups or passionate individuals – has an opportunity to play a part and make a difference and we are proud to be doing our part to help.”
The launch of the Our Year Legacy Fund comes as the city prepares to start its journey with UNICEF UK to become recognised globally as a Child Friendly City.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People, Manchester City Council, said: “2022 Our Year has been a huge success with more activities for young people across the city than for many years. Young people told us what they wanted to see, and we have started to make that happen.
“Our ambitions don’t end here. It has always been important for us that there is a legacy from Our Year, and I’m delighted to be able to launch the Our Year Legacy Fund with the generous support of IMPOWER.
“For too many young people, it is difficult to access the opportunities and experiences the city has to offer. We have a thriving business community, and we know that lots of businesses in our city want to contribute to making our city a better place. We’re grateful to IMPOWER for their support helping us to launch this fund and want to see other businesses follow their lead and get involved and help Manchester’s children have a brighter future.”
The Our Year Legacy Fund is being hosted and administered by the We Love MCR charity and the application process will be open to eligible settings from 7 November.
Marie O’Neill-Steinegger, Grants Manager, We Love MCR, said: “We Love MCR are excited to be part of the Legacy Fund and encourage people to get their applications in. We’re standing ready as ever to award this money where it will make immediate differences to our young people.” Organisations or individuals who are interested in supporting the Our Year Legacy Fund should email ouryear@manchester.gov.uk or visit ouryear.uk to find out more about the year-long campaign.
