Stockport’s Violence Reduction Alliance Confirmed
The community-led approach to violence reduction, means the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) works closely with communities to understand the strengths, challenges, and needs of the community and determine how local investments will be made.
The Community-Led Programme in Stockport started with a period of community engagement from August 2023 to March 2024 to understand what the community felt the underlying causes of violence were. Five priorities were chosen and voluntary & community organisations were invited to submit expressions of interest to receive funding to be part of the alliance delivering on the priorities.
Five organisations progressed to Stage 2 of the application process, and we are pleased to announce that Stockport County Community Trust, PIE: Pursuing Individual Excellence, Make a Difference (Stockport Women and Girls’ Network), Rising Stars NW and TLC: Talk, Listen, Change will form the Violence Reduction Alliance.
Stockport County Community Trust
Stockport County Community Trust, a community organisation providing socially inclusive community sport and engagement programmes, will deliver three evening football sessions a week. One of these sessions will be a girls-only group designed to give girls a voice and choice, allowing players to input into the session’s structure, and ensuring their needs and preferences are catered for. In the winter months, they will deliver a twelve-week social action project, bringing together the community to design a project which will have a benefit for young people living in Adswood and Bridge Hall.
PIE: Pursuing Individual Excellence
PIE, an educational social enterprise working to ensure people of all backgrounds are future ready, will deliver transition projects supporting cohorts of young people at risk of becoming NEET as they transition from primary to secondary school or from secondary school to further education/ employment/ training.
Make A Difference- Stockport Women and Girls’ Network
Make a difference, who run Stockport Women and Girl’s Network, will deliver targeted workshops for women and girls in the area. Each of the workshops will focus on a different theme and activity. They will engage women and girls in activities that interest them, building peer connections and tackling the prevalence of bullying, peer on peer violence and intolerance, fostering community cohesion and a safe space.
Rising Stars NW
Rising Stars NW is an established music, arts, and creative media organisation who will provide universal youth work in the area, engaging young people in street dance, DJ and music production and art workshops.
Additionally, they will also provide targeted youth work with weekly detached, outreach engagement work and mentoring.
TLC: Talk Listen Change
Talk Listen and Change are an organisation with over 40 years’ experience of enabling people of all ages to benefit from safe, healthy and happy relationships and enjoy good emotional wellbeing and personal resilience in all areas of their lives.
They will engage a CYP Using Harm Worker who will run the Respect Young People’s Programme, the TLC: Encouraging Healthy Relationships Programme, as well as offering counselling.
To find out more about Greater Manchester’s approach to Violence Reduction, click here