Over the past year, the Make a Difference (M.A.D) team has continued to grow its reach and impact across Birmingham.
The team has created opportunities for young people to build confidence, develop new skills and access positive experiences. This has included mentoring, sport, youth provision, leadership, employability and holiday programmes. View and download the M.A.D Impact Report here.
A key part of this M.A.D’s work has been the SAFE programme, delivered across five schools, providing young people with tailored 1:1 mentoring and Social Skills interventions. The programme has supported young people to develop confidence, resilience, communication skills and positive relationships. Access the full SAFE Impact Report here.
Alongside SAFE, the M.A.D team has delivered a wide range of projects and opportunities throughout the year, including:
- Youth leadership pathways, including Go Lead and Sports Leadership qualifications, delivered in conjunction with the Leadership Skills Foundation.
- Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) provision at Ark Victoria Academy and Archbishop Ilsley School, providing young people with opportunities to stay active, socialise and develop new skills during the school holidays.
- A dedicated Careers Week at University College Birmingham, helping young people explore future pathways and develop employability skills.
- Stockfield Youth Club, providing a safe, welcoming space for young people within their local community.
- Rockwood Transition Camps, supporting young people as they prepare for the transition into secondary school.
- A range of community events and engagement activities throughout the year.
Making a measurable difference
The scale of M.A.D’s work is reflected in some impressive figures:
- 700+ young people directly engaged across the year.
- 150+ structured sessions delivered.
- 54+ postcodes reached through HAF provision.
- 119 young people supported through the SAFE programme.
- 797 session attendances recorded through SAFE.
- 97% reported that SAFE helped them overall.
- 84% reported increased confidence.
- 100% of surveyed participants said they would recommend the programme.
Beyond the headline figures, the programme is also creating meaningful progression opportunities, with young people moving from participants into volunteering, youth leadership, qualifications and, in some cases, paid employment.
Continuing to make a difference
Since the impact report was published, the M.A.D team has continued to build on this work, including supporting the Sport Birmingham Corporate and Community Padel Championship. The event raised vital additional funds for the project, while also providing an opportunity to showcase the important work M.A.D delivers with young people. Watch the full Padel Championship video here. To find out more about M.A.D, explore the project’s dedicated webpage here, where you can also view and download the full impact report.