The Phoenix Way - Global Fund for Children - Supports MAV's Youth Enrichment Programme
MAV is pleased to have secured funding from The Phoenix Way – Global Fund for Children in October 2025. The funding enabled MAV to deliver several projects locally, MAV extended our reach to communities beyond our usual areas, which included sessions across Tameside. By working with youth workers who knew the area, MAV increased engagement with young people and families, particularly those from Global Minority Communities, in line with a key funding criterion.
As we moved into 2026, work continued across the MAV Youth Enrichment Programme, with a strong focus on one-to-one support, creative enrichment and partnerships with local schools. Since November, young people have been receiving tailored mentoring through the programme. Students diagnosed as neurodiverse were a keen focus for support with exam preparation, confidence-building and structured coaching. Other young people received support with GCSE studies. In addition, MAV helped parents cover the cost of monthly dance membership for young people who would benefit from improved social connection while learning new skills. MAV also covered the cost of costumes, which remove financial barriers for local parents, allowing young people to engage fully.
Alongside individual mentoring, the programme has expanded its school-based
delivery. Dance workshops, carnival-inspired movement sessions, and vegan
Caribbean cooking workshops have taken place at Trinity High School and
Chorlton High School. These activities are reaching our target group of children
and young people from Black and racially marginalised backgrounds, while also
creating paid opportunities for creative freelancers from within our own local community.
The programme met the aims of the fund by supporting early engagement, confidence-building and positive pathways for young people, while strengthening Black-led charitable work and community partnerships. Activities continued through the summer half term and including creative, cultural and wellbeing sessions.
Collaborative Working
The funding enabled collaboration with local services supporting people both within and beyond our immediate community. As a result, MAV worked with 68 additional young people. The project partners included Jet Black Dance Academy, Arts & Wellbeing with Amina, Coach Peza and Dana’s Vegan Kitchen. Young people reported that the activities helped them feel empowered to try things they had previously found daunting, including DJing, playing a new sport and attending mindfulness art sessions. The project helped them develop essential skills and a stronger sense of identity and independence. Sessions involved cooking healthy meals, and one young person said the experience helped build their social skills.
The project also gave young people opportunities to engage with the wider community, including travelling to London to learn African dance and watch the South African production of INALA, a Grammy-nominated musical.
Working in Schools
A key aim was to improve educational outcomes. Some sessions delivered in local high schools helped children and young people increase their chances of achieving their full potential. Overall, the project fostered community engagement, helped young people understand their place in society and demonstrated the value of youth work in supporting their personal and social development.
Counselling support was also provided, with 18 young people accessing counselling or one-to-one mentoring during the project.
The project allowed regular music sessions, led by facilitators Coach Peza, he introduced students to studio production using Logic Pro, where they learned the foundations of building a track by exploring sounds from drums, bass, synth and guitar, then recording and creating their own, using instruments, loops and digital effects.
They also tried booth work such as rapping and singing and shared feedback on
each other’s work, helping build confidence and creative skills. A key highlight
has been seeing students become more expressive and engaged through
music.
Service Support
MAV also received management and service support, including valuable assistance from Global Fund for Children with writing funding applications.
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