Unity project - youth inclusion programme

The Unity project is part Catch22's Youth Inclusion Programme in Nottingham.

Unity works with young people aged between 11 and 25 years old who are seen to be at risk of social exclusion and who are involved with gangs.

We work in young people’s homes, on the streets of Nottingham, in schools, youth clubs, colleges, police stations, youth offending services and in supported accommodation.

The difference we make

The project uses football as a way to engage and bring together young people from different inner city areas of Nottingham and aims to:

• Encourage young people to play sport together, breaking geographical and ethnic barriers.
• Provide activities that support young people to increase their aspirations and educational attainment. 
• Encourage young people, particularly those in black and minority ethnic communities to engage in volunteering within their communities.
• Tackle anti-social behaviour and reduce crime.

'I realise now that there's more to life than fighting. I resist trouble, let it go over my head.'
Unity project member.

How we help

We use fun, physical activities, like football, combined with social education. The young people work within a framework that promotes unity.

Eight young people from the Catch22 Unity project took part in Talent Studio, a national filmmaking project, created and led by young people who want to tell positive stories about issues that matter to them. Watch their Talent Studio film.

The Unity project encourages young people who have been through the project to apply for a post as a volunteer, so they become role models to the others.