City Ready, which sits under the ‘Healthy Communities’ pillar, is delivered in HMP Hindley on a weekly basis with further targeted mentoring sessions taking place on release.
A non-judgemental approach is taken to help build strong, trusted relationships with young adults.
CITC’s City Ready sessions utilise a blended approach to support, delivering a combination of classroom-based group workshops and outdoor physical activity sessions to educate participants in areas such as mental wellbeing and employability.
Alongside this provision inside the prison, participants are also offered 12-weeks of bespoke mentoring with our specialist mentors, which aims to support their reintegration into communities across Greater Manchester.
The mentors support individuals with re-settling into the community, as well as helping to guide them towards employment opportunities, providing a platform to build on.
One participant, who was in Hindley since 2020, has recently been released.
He joined the City Ready programme following a referral from a prison staff member, who believed he would benefit from such sessions.
After attending weekly sessions with CITC coaches, the participant was able to better manage his negative behaviour and change his own attitudes.
One prison staff member said: “I was there for the first classroom session, where we could see he was nervous and out of his comfort zone.
“It was touch and go whether he would stay on the course after two weeks, but with the help, guidance, and advice from a CITC coach, he settled down and there began the change of him.”
CITC coaches are still in contact with the participant, who has requested not to be identified, helping to mentor him in his settlement.
Commenting on his time on the course, the participant said: “If I didn’t do the course with CITC I feel like I would have come home and things might have been different.
“Since being out, City in the Community have supported me a lot and made me realise that even though I have been to prison anything is possible. I know where I want to go in the
future, and it’s opened my eyes to possibilities that I didn’t think were possible.”
Community Mentoring Manager, Jason El-Kaleh, commented on the programme, saying: “CITC is proud of the considerable impact that the sessions have had so far, with many participants reporting physical and mental health improvements over the duration of the course.
“98% of participants who participated in the City Ready programme have improved their physical wellbeing, with 91% of participants having improved their mental wellbeing.
“During our time delivering in HMP Hindley, our staff have supported three cohorts of participants, and have made a considerable impact on their lives, both pre and post release.
“We are extremely passionate about this programme because we understand the power football can have. We hope that, by leveraging the inmates’ interest in sport, we can help to empower them towards a healthier life and reduce the risk of reoffending.”
If you would like to support CITC and their work, you can this Christmas through Manchester City’s ‘The Greatest Season of All’ campaign.
For every purchase a fan makes for a range of selected Christmas retail clothing items, available online and in the City Store, the Club will donate £5 to its charity, City in the
Community.
Fans can also make additional donations at the tills in the stadium store, when checking out during their purchase journey for match tickets and via www.mancity.com/CITC.
City in the Community empowers healthier lives with city youth through football.
To find out more, visit www.mancity.com/CITC or follow the charity on social media @CITCmancity.
City in the Community would like to thank SOCIOS for its support of the City Ready Programme.
