Manchester’s Lord Mayor Meets ReachOut Mentees

On Thursday 10^th March the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Paul Murphy OBE, paid a visit to the Year 7 and Year 8 ReachOut Academy at Our Lady’s RC High School in Higher Blackley, Manchester.

During his visit, the Lord Mayor got to see our mentees using their staying power and self-control  to make mini parachutes:  an activity designed to test team-working skills. The Lord Mayor chipped in with some sage advice for the groups (he was an aerospace engineer once upon a time don’t you know?)  and chatted to the mentees about their time with ReachOut.

Before he left for the day, he had to answer some tough questions from our mentees. What is it like being the Lord Mayor? What does the Lord Mayor do each day? And is that chain made of real gold? His final words of advice for the group were that the key to success is perseverance, determination and the desire to succeed.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Paul Murphy OBE, for taking the time to visit our project and to chat with our mentees and mentors. 

ReachOut… towards university

One of ReachOut’s key goals is to raise the aspirations of our young people, helping to ensure that every one of them has the chance to reach their full potential.  This term, our year 8's at Our Lady's Catholic High School have been working with their mentors to learn all about university life: from courses and lectures, to societies and independent living.

Last Thursday, the the University of Manchester's widening participation team popped up to see the year 8's and to run an activity about university life in Manchester. The widening participation team's main purpose is to attract talented students to Manchester from all educational backgrounds, making sure the university is rich in both diversity and opportunity.

During the session, the mentees and mentors took part in the Star Student board game, an exciting activity that introduces young people to  key facts about higher education and university life. 

The students acted as human counters moving around a giant game board as each team was challenged to answer a series of questions relating to higher education.   The game was a great opportunity for mentees and mentors to use their staying power to answer some tricky questions, while getting creative with how they answered. Miming, drawing, and spelling out answers were all acceptable ways to progress.

The session finished with a graduation ceremony for the winning team and students enjoyed the chance to try on graduation robes a few years early.  Many thanks to Hannah and Quassim from the Manchester’s widening participation team for an excellent and enjoyable workshop and to Our Lady’s school for hosting the event.