OutsideIN

Reclaim is a charity that supports young working-class people to change the country today and lead it tomorrow. The OutsideIN project has seen Reclaim work with young people aged 13-21 in Greater Manchester to help channel their hopes for the future into practical action by way of creating personal narratives that can be shared with local public and private sector stakeholders.

Too often, young people are asked for their opinion and asked to feed into projects but aren’t shown what changes as a result of their consultation. As a result, they feel there is no reward for their input. OutsideIN has provided opportunities to influence change and speak truth to power. For instance, Reclaim held hustings with Greater Manchester mayoral election candidates, where each candidate had to commit to being held to account by the young people.

Key areas of concern for the young people include the environment (and climate change, in particular), education and employment pathways. They also expressed optimism that the pandemic could have a positive disruptive effect on society and help to create a better future.