Pop Recs Teen Market will be more than a market. Covid-19 has seen an increase in young people struggling with their mental health, so this is an ambitious, exciting and bold project co-produced with Washington Minds Young People Project to help young people affected by social isolation and to impact positively on young peoples mental health and connectedness. At Pop Recs we have a wonderfully diverse community who we encourage and support. We'll nurture young entrepreneurial talent by having a Teenage Market. Integral to our market will be a live music stage where local musicians can book performance slots. We'll have a music mentoring program encouraging new routes into work. We need money for the infrastructure costs to pay for our ambitious plans. We need to buy tables and benches, storage space, lighting and outdoor heating. We need the crowd to pay for the training and staff that will help us enable to develop local talent.

What we'll deliver:

• Provide free room hire for a Teenage Market to nurture young entrepreneurial talent
• Engage the community and have regular markets to ensure creative and collective thinking
• Develop a music mentoring programme
• Buy folding tables and chairs for market stall holders to use
• Buy ambient lighting suitable for each market stall
• Impact positively on young peoples mental health and connectedness
• Set up a Young People's Steering Group who we will pay to advise on Market development
• 'Young Advisors' will support the development of a business plan to ensure sustainability
• Pay for a counsellor from Washington Mind Young People Project to provide "drop-in" support at each market

Why it's a great idea:

Pop Recs Teenage Market will be more than a market, transforming our new space into a bustling hive of activity, by regenerating the area, making it a 'go to' destination. We want our market to be filled with amazing produce, a space that unites the community, we want our market to be an event that our young people are proud of. This whole vision is instigated by Pop Recs and the Young People Project and we're committed to improving the life of our community. It's a wonderfully diverse community that we want to support and encourage. Our plan for an innovative Teenage Market will strengthen the character of Pop Recs. Together we want to celebrate all the energies of our community and make it an exciting place to be again, bringing economic growth economic and social benefit to the area. We will create pathways into work, support local teenage makers and producers and be an exciting new place for the community to come together and connect and build civic pride.

Steps to get it done:

• Establish young people steering group
• Purchase tables, chairs and lighting
• Purchase marketing materials
• Advertise for teenagers makers for market stall in schools, across social media and on local radio
• Advertise for young people to provide live entertainment
• Provide music mentoring
• Launch the first teenage market

Since developing our vision of Pop Recs Teenage Markets we've had an overwhelmingly positive response by our community. This will be an innovative project that has our community at it's heart. We want to support and nurture our young people. Our aim is for activities and events that happen at Pop Recs Teenage Market to be broad, varied and exciting, and will clearly benefit our community. The market is a monthly opportunity for the community to gather in this community space. This will be a market that puts the offer of local, creative and innovative products produced by teenagers at a central theme. We want the market to work collectively, be innovative and continually in conversation with our community. Pop Recs also offers POP project, which is to provide practical, hands-on training, and mentoring opportunities to disadvantaged people who are keen about making a fresh start, so that they can develop life skills, and live with self-worth. We ask the community to support us.