About us

I have the pleasure of working in a well-established team of youth workers and volunteers who, through their expertise and dedication, are able to inspire young people in Moss Side to believe they can achieve anything they set their minds to. Building confidence and heightening young people’s self-esteem is one of the reasons why young people love Hideaway. My role as Director is to develop and encourage the team in their work. Behind the scenes, I am also busy looking for funding to keep this longstanding project alive.

I facilitate during Girl Talk and the mixed group sessions, using arts and crafts to engage with young people and challenge or explore curriculum issues, and to encourage emotional relaxation. I also do juicing to promote healthy food choices and I coach the female football sessions.

I have a diverse history of working with young people across Manchester, specifically encouraging the participation and engagement of young people in decision making structures. I am committed to promoting equality and diversity and I’m passionate about improving the lives of young people through empowerment.

I have over 25 years’ experience of providing leadership and encouraging young people to develop their own voice to improve their life opportunities, participation and representation at all levels. I have extensive skills in youth work, youth engagement, partnership work, fundraising, service/project delivery, and team management. I am driven by the need to provide young people with the opportunities and skills to positively contribute to society. I am always ready to embrace new challenges and opportunities to develop myself and others.

Kemoy is a music teacher and youth worker in Moss Side, who was the youngest qualified Teaching Assistant in Britain, and received a special award from the Prime Minister in July 2016.. Kemoy works at Hideaway youth project taking the lead of creative arts and performances, one of his highlights is organizing events where young people can perform. He loves helping young people to develop any skills they may have to increase their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Basketball has been a great passion of mine for many years. I started as a player, then moved on to coach basketball to all ages. Hideaway and Moss Side have been a part of my life for many years. I will continue to coach young people and ensure that they grow and develop into positive young people who learn to mix and grow together.

Courtney came to Hideaway as a young man. He then progressed through to become a volunteer. From there he was employed as a youth worker and not only continues to develop himself but also the young people he works with. He feels he is a good role model as he has come through Hideaway and understands young people from the community.

I have a degree in Applied Studies in Youth and Community Work gained from University of Manchester. In addition, I have a level 3 in Mentoring and a level 1 FA Coaching badge. I believe that I am a youth worker that is approachable to any young person and offers tailored advice if a young person comes to me with any concerns. I can deal with any challenging situation such as conflict and one of the most important things which I believe I can offer is a smile to the young people whom I work with and fun. These two factors are essential to me as sometimes a smile and a laugh is just what’s needed.

I have worked in youth work and as a sports coach, for over 10 years. I completed a Sport Science degree at the University of Central Lancashire and from there I coached different sports in the UK and abroad. When I returned to England the sports coaching lead me into youth work in different parts of Manchester. Working with young people and being able to offer them new challenges, experiences and opening up new opportunities for them is an important aspect of youth work. The part of youth work I enjoy the most is supporting young people to try different activities, visit new places and accomplish challenges, which increases their awareness, knowledge, and experiences and shows there personal growth.