By Fay Pretty | PeaceJam UK Coordinator & Youth Team Leader
We are so excited to announce that with the support of our GlobalGiving donors, we have just held our FIRST PeaceJam Slam in Manchester! On the 21st of February at Manchester Communication Academy (MCA), youth from across Manchester and the surrounding areas gathered for a day of near-peer mentoring sessions, community-driven workshops and powerful social action discussions.
The theme of the event, chosen by the students at MCA, was ‘Brave: Celebrating Collective Individuality’. This theme was chosen to recognise the bravery it takes to step forward and create positive social change and how every individual can make a difference.
A key component of any PeaceJam event is our trained near-peer mentors, who are positive role models for students and, in small group sessions, they create safe spaces for youth to discuss their concerns and thoughts. In doing so, they help build confidence and support youth to find peaceful solutions to issue areas. One 14-year-old male said, “I got to meet new friends and mentors to help me in certain problems.” As a result of the Slam, over 96% of participants agreed that the family group sessions with our mentors made them feel more confident to share their thoughts and feelings with others. One 13-year-old-female said, “I began to feel more confident throughout the day and I was able to notice it.”
Additionally, our PeaceJam Manchester Slam featured peer-peer role models with Year 11 students from MCA leading impactful change with their social action project. This academic year, through a series of PeaceJam-facilitated workshops and discussions around how to take action, and after witnessing the impact of consistent social media exposure on their peers, the group were passionate about educating others on the negative effects of social media and promoting thoughtful interactions in online spaces.
Launched at the Slam, the students have created an acronym for being BRAVE online that encourages users to be thoughtful, kind and careful and are asking people to use the hashtag, #BeMCABrave, when they post after considering this acronym and applying what they have learnt.
BRAVE:
Developing their confidence and communication skills, the students presented their project to all participants at the Slam and then joined our Q&A panel of social action experts to share their experiences and inspire other youth to take action. Our other youth attendees could also ask a question to the panel and then take a turn in our ‘youth hot seat’. This allowed for a deep and varied youth-led discussion on not just social media but fake news, the changing nature of education and concern over different global threats. Participants respectfully challenged each other's perspectives and reflected on the perceived stereotypes they came across as a result of these discussions.
A fifteen-year-old female agreed strongly that attending the slam inspired her to make positive changes in herself, her community and the world. This included being committed to being a peacemaker, learning how to problem solve without resorting to violence and feeling able to tackle big issues and keep going. When asked why, she said, “the panel’s passion about the topic which has given me the motivation.”
Going forward, the youth at MCA created a three-page informational insert in our log books for the event, for youth to take home and research further. Additionally, they aim to run educational presentations to their peers, younger students and parents around online awareness and social media use while encouraging the use of the acronym going forwards and the hashtag to spread awareness. To measure their impact, they plan to collect data through the use of surveys and share their findings with the community to inspire further change.
As a result of their work, a fourteen-year-old male, when asked what he would take back to his school/community, answered I will “spend less time on social media.” Likewise, a fifteen-year-old male said, “I will be more thoughtful about how I use social media to connect and interact with others”.
The release of the new Netflix series Adolescence has sparked global conversations around social media and toxic masculinity. However, despite the show's recent release, these issues are not new, as MCA’s social action project showcases, and when we address these calls for radical action and fulfill the demand for positive role models, we cannot forget that sustainable change will only be possible if we empower youth and include their voice in finding a solution. Supporting youth to take action and be the change they want to see in the world.
None of this would be possible without the support of our GlobalGiving donors, because of you we already have a date bookmarked for next year's PeaceJam Manchester Slam, the 21st of March 2026. We also have plans to work with more local schools to empower young leaders to develop and run their own social action projects. Thank you for making this possible.
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