Manchester Youth Zone relaunches following £1.6m transformation

Manchester Youth Zone (MYZ) has officially relaunched following a significant £1.6 million investment and months of transformation.

Designed in collaboration with the young people of Harpurhey, the new state-of-the-art facility offers an exciting range of opportunities and experiences for young people to enjoy, including football, basketball, podcasting, music, cooking, boxing, dance, and dedicated wellbeing spaces.

It also offers space and facilities for meaningful support, with one-to-one navigators and youth workers working closely with the children and families who need it most to help break down barriers and unlock potential.

The refurbishment is a major milestone for MYZ and its renewed mission to help young people discover their purpose, passion, and pathway in life – led by the voices and ideas of Harpurhey’s youth.

Manchester Youth Zone is one of 140 youth centres in England to benefit from a Youth Investment Fund grant, announced by the funder, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the charity Social Investment Business, which is delivering the grant programme in partnership with Key Fund, National Youth Agency and Resonance.

The Youth Investment Fund was granted to MYZ as part of the Government’s National Youth Guarantee to transform and level up opportunities for young people in England. The fund, of over £300 million, aims to build, renovate, or extend youth services in the parts of the country where new spaces and new opportunities are most needed.

Heather Etheridge, CEO of Manchester Youth Zone, said: “We’re delighted to unveil our newly transformed Manchester Youth Zone. It’s a significant milestone for MYZ and we’re extremely proud of the new space and what it has to offer the young people of Harpurhey. From its state-of-the-art facilities to dedicated wellbeing spaces we are a shining example of how investment, vision, and youth-led design can create lasting impact, and how truly transformational spaces can change lives. We can’t wait to see it develop as a thriving hub of activity, creativity, and opportunity,  for young people and the wider community.”