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Society Science + Tech World Podcasts Local Sibrapid/Shutterstock How young people make their politics heard
in Manchester Published: July 22, 2026 8:49am EDT
https://theconversation.com/how-young-people-make-their-politics-heard-in-manchester-287223
https://theconversation.com/how-young-people-make-their-politics-heard-in-manchester-287223 Link copied Share article
Share article Copy link Email Bluesky Facebook WhatsApp Messenger LinkedIn X (Twitter) Print article Back in early 2017,
Greater Manchester was preparing to hold the inaugural elections for its first directly elected mayor. At the time, we
were part of an EU funded research project exploring youth participation in politics. We attended mayoral youth hustings
organised by members of local youth councils. Candidates for the position – including Andy Burnham – answered
questions put to them by the young people of Manchester. We saw how young people used tactics similar to those used by
the suffragettes in Manchester’s Free Trade Hall during the 1905 general election campaign. They repeatedly lobbied
every mayoral candidate for the creation of a Youth Assembly. The northern English city of Manchester has played a
critical role in the development of Andy Burnham’s political and social outlook. This series considers what some have
dubbed Manchesterism and what it might mean for the future of the UK. Samuel Remi Akinwale, now the CEO of Young
Manchester – a non-profit connecting youth services in the city – was then studying for his GCSEs. He challenged
Burnham, explaining how many of his peers felt left behind and disconnected from politics. Burnham gave a powerful reply
with a message that still resonates through his speeches today. Westminster must change and things cannot go on as they
are, he said. He emphasised that listening to young people must be at the forefront of reimagining democracy. When
Burnham was elected as Mayor, he committed to the creation of the Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority (GMYCA).
The establishment of the GMYCA was supported by an already existing local community and voluntary sector organisation,
Youth Focus North West which has a strong track record of supporting youth voice, participation and advocacy work. This
unique approach to devolution aimed to put youth at the heart of city-region policy. Developing policy Many of the
current youth initiatives in Manchester have emerged from an established dialogue between GMYCA and Burnham. These
include the creation of Our Pass, the city-region’s free bus travel scheme for 16 to 18-year-olds, and the strong
advocacy for a green agenda through the contribution of young people at Greater Manchester’s annual Green Summits.
They also include the ongoing development of the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate, an educational pathway focusing on
technical education. The young people who act as representatives from a variety of community and voluntary organisations
to form GMYCA are from diverse identities and backgrounds. However, although GMYCA is now an established route that
young people can use to influence youth initiatives and feel politically engaged, not all may feel seen and heard.
Manchester has become the fastest growing economy in the UK, yet the city has the third highest proportion of children
living in poverty across the country. Campaigners have highlighted the disparities that affect young people from ethnic
minority backgrounds in the city in particular. Our study showed that narrow understandings of what counts as political
engagement, through formalised structures such as GMYCA, can limit levels of participation. Read more: Manchester
Baccalaureate: how the proposed vocational GCSE route would work – and the pitfalls it must avoid However, Manchester
is also home to various community arts organisations such as The Agency. Projects like these enable young people to
initiate creative projects to reinvent how their communities are represented and understood, which can build other paths
for political engagement. For example, in its play Census, theatre company Malandra Jacks – made up of former members
of The Agency – reinvents harmful portrayals of working-class communities to show the importance of youth and
community spaces. In such attempts, young people momentarily experience a kind of hope that their lives might be
understood and represented differently. If “hope in every heart” – as promised by Burnham recently – is to
become a reality, then we must demand new ways of thinking and responding to the challenge of racialised and class-based
stereotypes. This starts by engaging with young people’s everyday struggles, and creating opportunities for them to
work with youth and community workers who can support their efforts to be at the forefront of reimagining democracy.
Manchester Youth politics Andy Burnham Manchesterism Harriet Rowley, Janet Batsleer, Manchester Metropolitan University
Authors Harriet Rowley Senior Lecturer in Education, Youth and Community, Manchester Metropolitan University Janet
Batsleer Emeritus Reader in Youth and Community Work, Manchester Metropolitan University Disclosure statement The
authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit
from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners Manchester
Metropolitan University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. View all partners DOI
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