North Manchester Youth Collective

Comedy & Alternative Performance

Multi-Disciplinary

Music & Sound

Performance & Dance

The North Manchester Youth Collective is a group of under-30s living and creating in North Manchester.

Founded in March 2025 by Malandra Jacks, this has been a passion project, bridging the gap between our community and the cultural centres and activities in the city centre.

We have met as a group every week on Moston Lane at the Simpson Memorial Hall, pushing ourselves to create new pieces of work, discuss local issues, and harness audacity as a creative force.

We are made up of visual artists, poets, musician, dancers and theatre makers but are always open to trying new things.

Do you feel artists in North Manchester are visible and valued across the city?

Our experience through the North Manchester Youth Collective has made it clear that while there is enormous talent and creative ambition in North Manchester, visibility and value across the wider city remain inconsistent and, at times, limited.

The young people we’ve worked with have demonstrated remarkable creativity, curiosity, and leadership, yet many of them entered this space without any prior access to the cultural life happening just a few miles away in central Manchester. Several participants had never set foot in a theatre before our visits to see theatre in Manchester, not because of a lack of interest, but because no one had ever opened the door for them.

This lack of visibility isn’t a reflection of ability; it’s a reflection of infrastructure, access, and perception. North Manchester has historically been overlooked in city-wide cultural narratives, and young artists often don’t see themselves represented, invited, or celebrated.

What our sessions have shown, however, is that when given space, trust, and resources, these young creatives don’t just participate, they lead, innovate, and redefine what artistic contribution looks like. The participant who began as quiet and uncertain and is now preparing for his first paid commission as our event photographer is a perfect example of this untapped potential. Partnerships such as the one with HOME have been crucial in shifting this dynamic.

Their support didn’t just give participants access to professional artists and performance spaces; it signalled that the creative voices of North Manchester belong in these environments. The informal conversations, masterclasses, and gallery discussions helped the group feel seen and taken seriously, demonstrating that visibility isn’t just about showcasing work, it’s about being welcomed into the cultural conversation. That said, barriers persist.

Travel costs, lack of local creative infrastructure, and a long-standing cultural divide between the city centre and North Manchester still impact who gets to be noticed. Visibility requires investment, not only in opportunities within central institutions, but in sustained, grassroots creative ecosystems where young people can develop their practice close to home.

In short: North Manchester artists are present, what they lack is visibility that matches their talent. When pathways are created, they take them. When space is offered, they fill it. The challenge now is ensuring these opportunities aren’t occasional or exceptional but embedded, equitable, and ongoing. If that happens, the city won’t just notice North Manchester creatives, it will depend on them.

"At the heart of the North Manchester Youth Collective is the belief that young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but can also be the decision makers of today."

Chloe

Co-Founder

What makes you proud of your local community?

What makes us most proud of our local creative community is its resilience, generosity, and refusal to wait for permission.

North Manchester is full of young people who are carving out their own creative identities despite limited resources, historical underinvestment, and a cultural landscape that hasn’t always recognised their potential.

Yet rather than being deterred, they are using these challenges as fuel. We are proud of the way our community shows up week after week with curiosity, humour, honesty, and ambition.

We’ve watched young people who once doubted their creativity now lead sessions, share their art, and take bold artistic risks. I’ve seen them support one another without competition, celebrate each other’s achievements, and offer encouragement where it’s needed most. They are building something that feels not only culturally exciting, but emotionally and socially vital.

There’s a rawness and authenticity here that you don’t always find in more established creative centres. Ideas aren’t over polished or shaped to fit existing expectation. They’re driven by lived experience, urgency, and a desire to speak truthfully about the world. That makes North Manchester’s creative voice powerful and distinct!

What piece of creative work are you most proud of?

The project we are most proud of was our first public event, Dare to Be Bored, which explored boredom and the benefits of being bored in a non-stop world.

Dare to Be Bored was an intimate, vibrant exploration of class, opportunity, and creativity, imagined and performed by some of the most ambitious and fiercely talented young artists in North Manchester. These 17–27-year-olds weren’t waiting for permission, they claimed space, asked bold questions, and used audacity as a creative force.

The work became a powerful statement: boredom as protest, creativity as survival, and a provocation to consider what might happen when we dared to do… nothing.

Throughout the process, we asked questions that resonated deeply with our audience: If you had free time – real free time – what would you do with it? What are the perfect conditions to be creative? In a world of endless distraction, responsibility, AI, and rising inequality… how do we allow ourselves to pause? And what might happen when we dare to do… nothing?

The project challenged assumptions, sparked conversations, and opened up space for reflection in a culture obsessed with productivity. It wasn’t just a performance, it was a moment of collective permission to pause. It was also the first time most of the collective had performed in front of a crowd which made it more special!

North Manchester Youth Collective

Do you feel artists in North Manchester are visible and valued across the city?

Want to know more about North Manchester Youth Collective?

A celebration of Moston's vibrant creative scene