More than 1200 children upskilled in media around Greater Manchester this Summer

Media Cubs has worked with more than 1200 children across Greater Manchester in the 2023 summer holidays.

Our media crew have been visiting HAF (council-funded ‘Holiday Activity and Food programme’) clubs and camps across the region, delivering a range of unique workshops such as reporting, stop-motion filmmaking, photography and comic book creation.

This year we partnered once again with Manchester Libraries to offer a series of drop-in sessions across the city, as well as hosting extra workshops to celebrate the Ancoats, Beswick, Clayton and Openshaw ‘Week Of Culture’, and other boroughs – including for the first time working in Rochdale in partnership with Lancashire Cricket Club.

Feedback from the sessions, all of which were free to attend, included “very creative” and “lots of fun” – encouraging new skills, new friends and a boost of confidence.

Older children were also given the chance to work with film equipment and get to grips with cameras and studio kit, inspiring new hobbies and potential future study or career paths.

Kirsty Day, Media Cubs co-founder, said: “We’re really proud to be able to run a diverse set of activities that support young people to grow in confidence and increase their skill set and understand that their views and opinions matter.

“It is also important to us to work with young people to increase their aspirations, by giving them an understanding that they can grow up to be anything they want to be by having a taste of what a newsroom and TV studio entails, where previously it may have felt out of their reach.

“We believe that children from all backgrounds have a place in the newsroom and should feel confident that their views matter and voices will be heard.”

With thanks to this year’s partners, Manchester City Council, Manchester Libraries, Wigan Council, Wigan Minis, Wigan Athletic, Computer Xplorers, Sale Sharks, Rees Sports, Premier Education, Lancashire Cricket Club, LifeCentre Salford, Smart Body Sports, Northern Heart and Soul CIC, and Fit 2 Play.

Would your organisation or community club like to find out more about Media Cubs workshops for young people aged 4-18, or professional video commissions? Please get in touch.