This year’s John Lewis Christmas advert is encouraging more people to give young people in care the help that they need. North-West charity Greater Manchester Youth Network is hoping that the ad will lead to more businesses from across the region getting in touch to support its work in the region.
Over the past 12 months GMYN has directly supported more than 160 people with experience of the care system in Greater Manchester. GMYN’s vision is that Young People Can and the charity focuses on supporting young people aged 13 to 25 including those with experience of the care system, young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and unaccompanied asylum seeker children/new arrivals.
The charity delivers a range of development programmes and drop-in activities to help young people transition to adulthood feeling skilled, supported and positive. GMYN’s services spread across many of Greater Manchester’s local authorities including Bury, Oldham, Tameside, Salford and Manchester.
Calling for more businesses to get in touch and find out more about the work the charity does with care-experience young people, Alex Fairweather, Founder and CEO of GMYN, says: “It is vital we get support from businesses to ensure we can provide the young people we help the best opportunities we can. We want to expand our services to be able to support more young people across Greater Manchester, and by launching our #YoungPeopleCanThrive campaign, we hope to attract new businesses eager to support the work we’re doing.”
GMYN want to raise awareness of the challenges young people in care and care-leavers face, but also how much potential they have too. They can only showcase the talent they have and gain the experience necessary to thrive if they are given the opportunity, and that’s where GMYN wants business support to come in.
Many of our care experienced young people come to GMYN as a safe space. It is important that we continue to support them so they can thrive, highlighted by one of our young people. “Sometimes I miss my family and that makes me sad, but when I came to GMYN I met many people and made many friends – I found my new family and I thank you for that.”
Ways businesses can help include naming GMYN as their firm’s charity of the year, holding a fundraising event or simply by making a collection or donation.
