THRIVE Greater Manchester

Thrive Greater Manchester was first established in 2008 by charity Church Action on Poverty (CAP). Through their work with disadvantaged communities across the city, CAP had realised that people needed support to access power. They decided community organising was the best way to give people the knowledge and confidence to improve their neighbourhoods. The group now have around 40 members from across 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 in Collyhurst 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 direct allocation 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 Manchester 3rd Floor, Dale House 35 Dale Street Manchester M1 2HF Telephone: 0161 236 9321 Email: mail@thrive-gm.org.uk Web: www.church-poverty.org.uk

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

Mum-of-four Jackie Burton, 48, was first inspired to set up Three As (Action for Academic Achievement) in 1993 after her own son was unfairly threatened with exclusion. The group has since helped hundreds of children across Greater Manchester get back to school. They are now working with Thrive Greater Manchester on a 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 Society and 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 resolved before they reach crisis point.

JACKIE BURTON, SECRETARY, THREE As

It started when my own son was at school; I received a phone call to say he had been accused of extortion and bullying. They were words that forever 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 started to 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

Mental Health
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.

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.

With a suicide rate twice the national average, Manchester has a huge mental health problem. Many of those suffering from psychological conditions selfmedicate with drugs and alcohol. Their carers are often left alone to deal with the chaos that their loved ones conditions can cause. But now carers have come together to offer each other support 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 Greater Manchester 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 been attacked 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 line for other carers. And, crucially, they provide support for one another.

PAT WHEELDON, FOUNDER, GREATER MANCHESTER ALCOHOL AND DRUGS CARERS FOCUS GROUP

Every child has a right to a decent education. And I will fight for that until theres no breath left.
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. Weve held 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

Mother-of-three Pat Wheeldon, 62, lives in Fallowfield, Manchester. She is the main carer for her 33-year-old son, who is paranoid schizophrenic and alcohol dependent. He lives in 24-hour supported accommodation in nearby Moss Side. Pat herself suffers from mobility problems after having a stroke in 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.

My son took five overdoses in 19 months. Thats a disgrace really, isnt it?
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 pay the drug dealers for drugs for their loved ones.

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

The carers hearing made us feel empowered to challenge the services. And we will not give up no matter what, because its our loved ones were fighting 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. Its helped 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