Vulnerable young people who are expelled from school are often left to fend for themselves, with no qualifications, no help and little hope.
Christie Spurling was one of these youngsters, who has turned his life around and is determined to lend a hand to other struggling young people.
N-Gage is a Manchester-based charity which aims to help young people at risk of educational or social exclusion to achieve their full potential.
The charity was founded in 2006, by Christie, who draws on his own experiences to help young people from primary school age up to 18 years old.
The 37-year-old was permanently excluded from high school which led to struggles in later life, including periods of unemployment.
He said: “I got excluded when I was 14, it stopped me from working out what I wanted to do with my life.”
Christie said he sees an image of himself in some of the young people that he works with today.
“It’s all about trying to prevent them from making the mistakes I did,” he said.
As well as experiencing some of the same issues these young people do, Christie also has 15 years of experience through being a qualified youth worker.
N-Gage offers many projects, including ‘transform days’, where youngsters take on community initiatives and are rewarded with trips or activities.
The aim of these days is to promote a sense of citizenship and also give them the opportunity to work with strong positive role models.
Another project the charity offers is The Beats; a multimedia project that uses the latest music software to help people express themselves creatively.
Keen drummer Christie said: “I got into music to help me channel some of my aggression, which was part of the thinking behind The Beats.
“It’s about trying to get the youngsters to take a bit of pride in their work, and enjoy making an effort to complete something – it’s something positive.”
N-Gage is strongly-inspired by the Christian faith, and Christie said it was his faith that gave him the belief to launch the charity.
He gained a lot of support from his church – Ivy Manchester Church in Didsbury – from the start.
However Christie is keen to stress that the group is inclusive of those of different, or even no, religious beliefs.
He said: “We don’t do anything to ram what we believe down people’s throats. We try to let our faith do the talking by the way we are with the young people.
“We don’t give up on people.”
Chief Constable, Sir Peter Fahy, said: “It is difficult not to be impressed by the way in which N-Gage has transformed the lives of school pupils.”
Sarah Small, who is the operations manager for the charity, described Christie as an inspirational figure.
“He is a great leader and he is very passionate about helping young people.
“The way he turned his own life around when the odds were against him is inspiring,” she said.
For more information about N-gage visit www.n-gage.org.uk
Picture courtesy of Simon Chesterson via Facebook, with thanks
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
