Young people from Manchester United Foundation’s partner high schools have been celebrating inclusion among the LGBTQ+ community in a special event at Old Trafford.

Participants recognised as LGBTQ+ allies from our partner school network were invited to the Theatre of Dreams to take part in educational workshops with the Foundation, Manchester’s United LGBTQ+ Supporters’ Club, Rainbow Devils, and other LGBTQ+ organisations, including The Proud Trust and Manchester Laces.

The young people immersed themselves in creative storytelling and creating designs for football flags, tote bags badges and more – with the creative freedom to express themselves through their artwork.

Pupils also had the chance to put their questions to a panel of representatives from the different organisations present on the day, learning about their experiences in sport and wider life.

Alex Wilson, the Foundation’s Inclusion Manager, said: “The young people have been taking part in workshops to help them challenge prejudices and stereotypes and have also moved into some social art activities.

“It’s giving the young people an opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment where they can express themselves. It means they can chat to other students they’ve maybe not spoke to before, maybe from another school, and do that in a creative way.

“It’s vital for us to try to educate young people and give them the opportunity to become allies and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Jess Stringer, a member of the Rainbow Devils Supporters’ Club, added: “I think this is amazing – we didn’t have anything like this when we were growing up. For me, I couldn’t talk to anybody about who I was and wanted to be for a long, long time. Seeing these kids being open and authentic, it’s amazing – I absolutely love it.

“The work we’ve done today is really important. To show the young people that there are communities out there that can support them and be there for them, that’s the difference it might make today.”