Powered by People Toolkit: Thrive Manchester

7/30/2019 Powered by People Toolkit: Thrive Manchester

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Thrive Greater Manchester was first establishedin 2008 by charity Church Action on Poverty(CAP). Through their work with disadvantagedcommunities across the city, CAP had realisedthat people needed support to access power.

They decided community organising was thebest way to give people the knowledge andconfidence to improve their neighbourhoods.

The group now have around 40 members fromacross Salford and Manchester.

Thrive Greater Manchester supports people to

collectively solve problems in their communities.

They train groups to understand how to bring a

problem to the table, research the background,

and find out exactly what the possible issues and

barriers are.

They then help those groups form relationships with

power brokers, so they can negotiate solutions.

Community organising began in Manchester 2004.

Dozens of small refugee organisations came

together from across the city to establish a Refugee

and Migrant Charter, backed by civic leaders, which

for the first time established their rights and

responsibilities as citizens.

From there, Thrive in Greater Manchester worked

alongside asylum seekers to improve both their

housing and the way they receive benefits.

They have campaigned alongside tenants groups inCollyhurst for significant improvements to

dilapidated and rundown housing. They have helped

prevent a mosque in Moss Side from being closed by

the council, instead working with the authority to

ensure planning regulations were fulfilled and

residents concerns addressed.

Working with the National Endowment for Science,

Technology and the Arts (NESTA), Thrive in Greater

Manchester have pioneered the use of participatory

budgeting as a tool for community organising. They

engaged over 550 local people from three of the

most deprived areas of the city in the directallocation of 45,000 to 37 community groups.

Three action groups including one around school

exclusions have emerged.

Now, with support from the Young Foundations

Building Local Activism programme, they are

expanding the use of community organising into

new areas of the city. They are beginning to tackle

issues around rogue landlords, and the shoddy

treatment of unemployed young people.

Thrive Greater Manchester3rd Floor, Dale House35 Dale StreetManchesterM1 2HF

Telephone: 0161 236 9321Email: [email protected]: www.church-poverty.org.uk

THRIVE Greater Manchester


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Mum-of-four Jackie Burton, 48, was first inspiredto set up Three As (Action for AcademicAchievement) in 1993 after her own son wasunfairly threatened with exclusion. The grouphas since helped hundreds of children acrossGreater Manchester get back to school. They arenow working with Thrive Greater Manchester ona range of issues around school exclusions

African-caribbean boys are four times more likely to

be excluded but are much more vulnerable than

others to the impact of leaving education.

For expelled boys living in inner-city areas like

Manchesters Moss Side, where gang-related crime is

a huge problem, the risk of criminalisation is high.

When Jackie Burtons son was first threatened with

exclusion, she decided to stand up to the decision.

An active member of Moss Sides Jamaican Societyand a local youth worker, Jackie was able to call on

influential community representatives at short

notice to support her case. But, she realised, many

other parents may not have that help.

So she set up Three As to assist parents in the same

way that she was.

As well as negotiating with head teachers to get

children reinstated, Three As also work to tackle the

root causes of exclusion.

They are currently working alongside Thrive Greater

Manchester (GM) to encourage fathers to get more

involved in school life, breaking down the barriers

that may stop them being engaged.

Members of Three As and Thrive GM have met with

the Childrens Commissioner, who has published a

damning report about school exclusions across

the country.

The Commissioner has agreed to work with Three As

to challenge unfair and illegal exclusions, and build a

culture of good practice in which issues are resolvedbefore they reach crisis point.

JACKIE BURTON, SECRETARY, THREE As

It started when my own son was at school; Ireceived a phone call to say he had been accusedof extortion and bullying. They were words thatforever stick in my mind.

When I went into the room, there were chairs in a

semi-circle and one chair in the middle for me. But

when I came in with my entourage, people startedto rearrange the chairs and the power of joining with

others just changed the dynamics.

The whole thing got dropped. But what it made me

realise is that there are a lot of parents who may

have been in that situation who would have just

fallen to pieces.

So from that day I vowed I would get a group

together to support parents. Thats where Three As

came from.

We dont turn anyone away. And we still dont now.Its very difficult because were running with no

funding, as volunteers. It is like full-time job. But

someones got to do it. And each time I think Im

School ExclusionsIt is a massive problem. If youre excluded from school as a young blackchild youre eight times more likely to be locked up, dead, or in a gang.


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tired or I cant be bothered, I think of that day when I

got called into school and those people who gave

up time for me. So I always go.

It is a massive problem. And it doesnt seem to be

going away. The statistics say if youre excluded from

school as a young black child youre eight times

more likely to be locked up, dead, or in a gang.

Your whole social development is deferred because

of this exclusion.

Schools need to be more culturally aware. Ive seen

children get in trouble for things that are not

necessarily bad-mannered within their culture, but

the school has seen it as that.

When you come into teacher training college you

come in with your own attitudes and stereotypes.

And youre bringing those into your teaching. I think

that at teacher training college there should be

modules that are ongoing around race and equality.

There are several teachers who do really well.

They see those young people as individuals; not by

the colour of their skin. Until you get to that place,

where every teacher thinks like that, then were going

to have problems.

Weve had parents do courses, weve had parents

become school governors. Weve had children who

have been reinstated back into school who had been

thrown out and told theyre never going back. Weve

managed to negotiate with head teachers. Weveheld conferences with hundreds of parents.

Particularly with young black boys, if their fathers

arent involved, the risk of them being excluded is

far higher. Its about working with those men and

getting them involved.

Community knows what community needs.

And too often with policy makers, they have no

clues about how people live, think, eat and sleep.

So how can they make a decision or policy that

affects their lives?

Every child has a right to a decent education. Every

child has a right to be in school. And I will fight for

that until theres no breath left. G

Every child has a right toa decent education. And Iwill fight for that untiltheres no breath left.

Mental HealthI feel as though we are listened to more now whenwe go to meetings. You get the feeling that they

dont really want you there, because we speak uptoo much. But thats what we are about.

With a suicide rate twice thenational average, Manchester hasa huge mental health problem.Many of those suffering frompsychological conditions self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.

Their carers are often left aloneto deal with the chaos that theirloved ones conditions can cause.But now carers have cometogether to offer each othersupport and demand better care.

In 2009, the Greater Manchester

Alcohol and Drugs Carers Group

was formed by those with mentally

ill and addicted relatives and friends.

After contacting Thrive GreaterManchester in May, they organised a

carers hearing in Manchester; more

than 200 carers and senior

representatives from Manchester

Mental Health and Social Care

Trust attended.

At the hearing, carers shared their

powerful and often shocking stories.

Many are forced to buy alcohol

and drugs from street dealers for

their relatives; many had beenattacked by those they love.

The hearing had the effect of

galvanising the group, empowering

them whilst having an impact on

those in positions of power.

The group now regularly attends

official Trust and NHS meetings,

scrutinising their decisions. They

fight for the rights of their relatives,

representing their interests at official

level. They have set up a help linefor other carers. And, crucially, they

provide support for one another.

PAT WHEELDON, FOUNDER,GREATER MANCHESTER ALCOHOLAND DRUGS CARERS FOCUS GROUP

Mother-of-three Pat Wheeldon,62, lives in Fallowfield,Manchester. She is the main carerfor her 33-year-old son, who isparanoid schizophrenic andalcohol dependent. He lives in24-hour supported accommodationin nearby Moss Side.

Pat herself suffers from mobilityproblems after having a strokein 2009.

The problem is not being able to get

the right treatment and care for our

loved ones. The service has not been

joined up and the drug and alcohol

services, they dont understand the

problems; they dont want to know.

So we are constantly being passed

around from one to the other, trying

to find the right service.

Its very, very stressful; it makes us

ill. One of the carers, on the day of

the hearing, was attacked by her son

whilst she had a broken foot and

was on crutches. Carers will also paythe drug dealers for drugs for their

loved ones.

My son took fiveoverdoses in 19months. Thats adisgrace really,isnt it?


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The carers hearing madeus feel empowered tochallenge the services.And we will not give upno matter what, becauseits our loved ones werefighting for.

Its so stressful what we have to go through, and we

dont get any help or support from the services.Our loved ones are just basically thrown into the

community and left to get on with it themselves.

My son took five overdoses in 19 months, and thats

a disgrace really isnt it? Theres a big shortage of

psychiatric beds in Manchester, and people are out

there suffering who need to be in hospital. Its just

a nightmare.

Weve founded this group, which is the Greater

Manchester Alcohol and Drugs Carers Focus Group.

Weve got 60-odd members, and we go to all the

meetings. Every one we can go to, we go to. Itshelped a lot and we all speak to each other, we all

help each other.

I feel as though we are listened to more now when

we go to meetings. You get the feeling that they

dont really want you there, because we speak up

too much. But thats what we are about.

Were fighting at the moment for locked doors in

psychiatric wards because they just let them come

and go as they please. They go out and they get

drugs and they take them onto the wards. We dont

want our kids to be going to hospital and taking

more drugs and alcohol.

So many people commit suicides on the wards as

well as off the wards. People are being left out in the

communities to just get ill, get really ill and get worse.

There were over 200 people at the carers hearing;

and all the important people that we needed to be

there, they did make us some promises. The hearing

made us feel empowered to challenge the services.

All the services know that were not going away.

And we will not give up no matter what, because its

our loved ones were fighting for. G

Pat Wheeldon, Founder, Greater Manchester Alcohol And Drugs Carers Focus Group

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