DEAR MANCHESTER,

My letter to Manchester as a new Co-CEO (November 2022)

Dear Manchester,

I'm Samuel, I'm 22 years old and the new Co-CEO of Young Manchester - a youth-led organisation that funds and convenes organisations supporting children and young people across our city

I feel incredibly privileged to be at the helm of this amazing organisation with an even more amazing team that is dedicated to making Manchester a great city for young people to grow up in. Today I am writing directly to my peers; to children and young people in our city - to introduce myself in this new role and share my hopes for our city.

I know there are wild things happening in our city, right in your ends. There are barriers hindering your opportunities to grow, you or your friends might be living under the threat of deportation, people are getting jumped, chased and stabbed by other kids. This doesn't even involve the hunger so many are facing, nor the cost of living crisis.

I want you to know I took on this role to ensure young people in Manchester don't have to rely on being lucky to get by in life.

With this position, I plan to create opportunities and spaces which elevate you and amplify your voices; have difficult conversations with stakeholders and challenge decision makers. And I want to do this with you. Young Manchester actively creates transformational opportunities for children and young people in Manchester. We do this by supporting organisations and programmes in your community that serve you. We help these organisations collaborate and evolve their programmes, we celebrate theirs and your journeys.

It’s not a responsibility I take lightly. I see, know and immensely respect organisations like Kids of Colour defending young people, like the Manchester 10, experiencing injustice at the hands of the police and the so called justice system; I see Greater Manchester Coalition Of Disabled People and Greater Manchester Youth Network supporting young people with additional needs being overlooked by the systems and institutions around them; and Manchester Youth Zone - a youth club I attended - and countless others, offering young people a space to go, something to do and people to talk to.

When you look at those around you, you’ll find most people care about you and want the best for you. But we are all participating in structures that are powered by greed. Our stewards have become saboteurs. We are being failed by the systems and people we are meant to trust.

Now, it's time to act.

I'm inspired by our city's young people standing up, acting out, campaigning and voting. It will be you, and the organisations and people who support you, who will help us achieve our goal.

So now, a message to the readers (young or not). Join me, and us, invest in our shared vision - only together can we make Manchester a city where every child and young person can thrive and realise their full potential; a Manchester where our children and young people, finally, don't have to rely on luck.

With hope and love,

Samuel

You can follow Samuel on Twitter @akinwale_remi