A groundbreaking joint report by Local Trust, #Beewell (The University of Manchester) and the Centre for Education and Youth highlights the experiences of young people living in areas with both high levels of deprivation and low levels of social infrastructure in Greater Manchester
The report, Young people’s wellbeing in doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester, identifies a lack of community trust and higher levels of fear as key features of these local areas. It looks at the experiences of thousands of young people growing up in some of Greater Manchester’s most deprived communities, particularly those living in ‘doubly disadvantaged’ neighbourhoods (those with high deprivation and a lack of social infrastructure) over the last three years.
Overall, its findings paint a bleak picture for the future of young people from those areas, however young people also reported positive aspects of their communities:
Some young people reported having good access to transport links and taking part in community festivals and activities that improved their community.
However, almost a quarter of young people in Greater Manchester’s doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods feel they can’t trust people in their local area.
40% of children are likely to live in low-income families.
Around 1 in 5 young people say their area is detrimental to their wellbeing and crucially that they don’t feel safe in their local area. This particularly affects girls and those from ethnic minorities.
One young person who took part in the survey said:
“I won’t get the Metrolink because the Metrolink has a weird foresty part on the way out and people have thrown rocks at a Metrolink and smashed the windows.”
Commenting on the findings policy and Parliamentary Officer Natasha Meldrum from Local Trust said:
“This report shows the stark reality of what it’s like to grow up in a doubly disadvantaged area in Greater Manchester. Sadly, young people in these areas have worse educational outcomes, fewer employment prospects, higher school absences, lower academic attainment, as well as higher levels of poverty. Perhaps most importantly there is a feeling of disconnect between young people and their communities. The social fabric of young people is coming apart at the seams. These issues need to be urgently addressed.”
What needs to be done to fix this
The good news is that, while there are no quick fixes, we know the solution has to start with investing in and giving young people access to social infrastructure. This is a vital first step to tackle social and economic decline and is something that can be done relatively easily.
Local Trust has years of experience of empowering communities to tackle social and economic decline at a neighbourhood level. Young people need a ‘third space’, a place away from their homes and schools says Natasha: “We need to provide young people with places where they can meet, engage, and build the relationships and trust that underpin any successful community. To do this we need to work with young people to create the spaces that they actually want to use, whether that be in community centres, parks or sports grounds.”
She added:
“Targeted investment is needed to address many of the issues. Doubly disadvantaged neighbourhoods need investment to improve their local environments and to safeguard essential community spaces. Importantly these decisions must be made by listening to what young people say they need. Thats why this report is so important. It gives young people a voice and empowers them to shape the future of their communities.”
Dr Jose Marquez, Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Manchester and the #BeeWell programme said:
“This report demonstrates the importance and great potential of listening to young people’s voices and measuring what’s important to them for their wellbeing. Our findings have highlighted aspects of their communities which young people feel positive about, and those which they feel less positive about. Listening to what young people tell us is key to better understanding how to act in these communities to support young people’s wellbeing and ensure they have the opportunity to thrive.”
