Passion, lived experience, in-depth local knowledge, loyalty, relatability and genuine concern for children’s welfare are all part of the project's success. Sport is their key engagement tool.
Founded in 1997, the project has just received a vital donation from the Children in Need Inspiring Futures programme and have joined Levelling the Playing Field’s stable of Local Delivery Partners in South Yorkshire.
Ellesmere is a hugely diverse but deprived area within Burngreave, just north of Sheffield city centre. It contains Somali, Yemeni, Pakistani and Roma communities, amongst others.
The vast majority of the area's young people are flourishing, but the area has serious, long-standing issues with crime and violence.
“The other day someone sent me a photo of this youth club taken over 20 years ago,” says Imran. “I would estimate the group of youngsters in that picture have now served over 200 years in prison between them. Some of them are dead.
"On the other hand, when some young people start attending our sessions they are extremely shy, inhibited and lack confidence - but the project soon brings them out of their shells.
“Our staff here are part of the community, born and bred. We represent the diverse racial, cultural and religious backgrounds of this area. We understand what they’re going through and the barriers they face. What we’re doing is not guesswork.”
Every Sunday, three sessions take place for 8-16-year-old girls and 8-13- and 13-18-year-olds boys. On the sidelines, youth workers buzz around catching up with participants, listening to their concerns, and signposting them to other sessions.
Monday is youth club for nearby schools and different age groups. As well as sports, there are volunteering opportunities, education and training, mentoring sessions and motivational talks. Tuesdays is for the Roma community, Thursdays are girls-only.
In the school holidays, there are clubs with football, cricket and dodgeball activities plus trips, projects, training and qualifications. Numbers of attendees across all these programmes are between 200 and 300.
There are only three members of staff; Imran, Sahra Ahmed and the manager Beverley Nunn, plus a legion of Level 1 and 2 youth workers and internally-trained young volunteers.
“We’re well known, well respected and in tune with this community,” says Imran. “We understand turf wars. When there’s been a shooting or a stabbing, we are the first to know. We know the victim and most likely the perpetrator.
“What we have in our favour is trusting relationships with young people, their parents and the police. The young people are flourishing under us, getting challenged, developing, exploring, thinking outside the box. We’re like a Mr Miyagi figure - “wax on, wax off”. They don’t realise why they’re doing it, then six months later, the penny drops!”
Imran describes the relationship with some participants as “tough love” and draws parallels between his role and that of a sporting icon who made his name just across the Pennines.
“I like to think of myself as a Roy Keane figure,” he says. “It’s discipline, setting boundaries and standards for them to follow, but showing them loyalty in return to establish crucial long-term relationships. We like to challenge them by doing things that make them feel a bit uncomfortable, but in a comfortable setting.
“The message we send to young people in our area is ‘this is a winning team’. We give them fantastic activities and a sense of fulfilment and belonging. We don’t sell it. We’re not on social media. This is raw. We’re on the ground and in tune with all local networks.”
‘Raw’ is the right word. A few years ago, a youngster was stabbed during a session. Participants are open with staff about dealing and using drugs. They call Imran, sometimes through the night, when they get into scrapes, apologising for mistakes and offloading their problems.
“They ring me and say, ‘Imran, I screwed up!’” he says. “I tell them, ‘Don’t give me that crap! Let’s talk about what you’re going to do next’. It’s unconditional love.
“I know what school or college they go to, who their parents and friends are. I love learning about them. I won’t always condone what they do, but they know I’m going to back them. We’re there through the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Ellesmere Youth Project has a symbiotic relationship with the local police force. Officers come into sessions and engage with young participants to try to soften animosity in the community.
“If there’s been an incident involving one of our young people, I can pick up the phone and say to an officer, ‘What the hell happened?’” says Imran. “Sometimes we’ve been given some info and challenged the police by advocating for one of our participants. Equally I have respect for the job they do and we provide value in return by addressing negative attitudes towards them.”
Joining Levelling the Playing Field provides multiple benefits to the organisation. Not only can they contribute to a national project which will be a force for positive change in policy and practice, but it will also strengthen their offering long-term.
“As a project we’re really good at delivering, but we’re so engrossed in delivery that we can lose sight of strategic leadership. I like Levelling the Playing Field’s vision,” comments Imran.
“I can ‘sell’ what we do in a face-to-face conversation, but funders are looking for more than that. We need to prove our impact better for the sake of our young people and Levelling the Playing Field will help us do that.
“We will also benefit from the mentoring training because our young people will be able to go through an accredited process in-house. We’ll have that skillset and no-one can take it away from us. Hopefully our volunteers can go through that learning and qualifications process too and it will carry on as a long-term legacy.”