Locations
Nominated by our people, Manchester Youth Zone (MYZ) has become an integral part of Manchester's culture. From TV-style gameshow fundraisers to work safaris at Fieldfisher, 2022 was a busy year with Manchester's official charity partner.
If anyone is local to Harpurhey, you will recognise the big yellow building on top of the hill. Located in one of the most deprived areas of England, MYZ ensures that children and young people have a safe place to go when schools are shut whilst supporting them to navigate the challenges of growing up.
As leads of the charity partnership with MYZ, Linh Hoang (CR Officer) and Lizzy Brunt (ESG Officer) have taken a trip down memory lane to mark one year of impact.
Most memorable event
Linh Hoang: The TV-style gameshow back in April 2022 has to be my most memorable event. It was our first fundraising event for MYZ and the room was buzzing with excitement, laughter, and cheating (all in the name of fundraising, of course). The gameshow was co-hosted by Fieldfisher and MYZ at No.1 Spinningfields, and we had six Fieldfisher teams from legal and business services departments competing against 11 children from MYZ. It was important that the children were able to experience a glimpse of working life and interact with our people so that they can raise their aspirations - even if it was to compete and guess MYZ's favourite Harry, crisp flavour, or superhero (no surprise that the young people won).
Elizabeth Brunt: For me, the most memorable event from the last year was the Work Safari, where six young people from MYZ came to our office for a series of employability workshops. The young people heard from a Partner about Fieldfisher and careers in law, learnt all about apprenticeships from a member of our HR team, and took a deep dive into business etiquette and commercial awareness. We were thrilled to receive fantastic feedback from the young people about the day; many now want to pursue apprenticeships and they were chatting about possible career avenues all the way home in the taxi. Best of all, they said the sessions encouraged them to be confident and they would love to visit us again!
Pinch me moment
Elizabeth Brunt: The real 'pinch me moment' of the year has to be the Just Purpose Awards. We were lucky enough to be joined by MYZ's very own quiz master, Joseph Mendy, who came into our office to deliver an interactive quiz spanning four of our offices: Belfast, Brussels, London, and Manchester. As always, Joseph's professionalism and attention to detail came together with his quick wit and charisma to make this element of the Awards a true success. All four rooms were filled with laughter; it was the perfect start to our largest, firm-wide event of the year.
A stand out moment
Linh Hoang: The festive initiatives were a stand out moment because of the difference we were able to make during a particularly challenging winter. Over 10 departments got involved with the MYZ Festive Family Hamper initiative, supporting 21 families to receive vital supplies and that all-important festive magic.
We also organised a scratch card fundraiser, raising £2,000 for MYZ's Emergency Winter Campaign. The cold weather can bring significant hardship to many families so the fund allows MYZ to offer responsive support where necessary. The funds are also being used to give every young person a free hot meal at every session.
The one by our people
Linh Hoang: In April 2022, the Manchester Dispute Resolution team climbed Snowdon and raised over £10,000. The team hike is a great example of collective pro-activeness and team spirit. This was our largest fundraiser of 2022 with all funds being allocated to the MYZ sessions and projects that needed it most.
James Hampson, Head of Fundraising, at MYZ said: "Since January 2022, the teams at Fieldfisher have been some of our most committed and vocal supporters. Their fundraising efforts have helped us to provide a safe space for young people in North Manchester to flourish and experience new opportunities at a time when they can seem limited. The team have also been active and added value to our young people by hosting quizzes at the Manchester office, attending our events and volunteering at the centre. We can't thank you all enough and we’re excited about the coming year!"
Ian Austin, Manchester Office Managing Partner said: "Our partnership with Manchester Youth Zone ensures that upcoming generations in local Manchester gain experiences, support, and skills to pursue their talents and aspirations. This year, we're aiming to have even more impact through our firm-wide fundraising initiative, One Firm Action."