James Ofarrell

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT JAMES OFARRELL

I am a youth work leader with over twenty years’ experience supporting young people and strengthening the organisations and communities around them. My work is built on simple but powerful values: building trust, listening carefully, and creating opportunities where young people feel safe, respected, and able to shape their own futures.Throughout my career, I’ve focused on championing young people’s voices and helping them take an active role in the decisions that affect their lives. I work with youth organisations, schools, arts partners, local services, and businesses to build stronger, more connected support for young people across Manchester.As Head of Operations & Youth Programmes at Young Manchester, I lead citywide initiatives that put young people at the centre. This includes the Manchester Movement and the Ambassadors/Changemakers Programme, which give young people real ways to participate, influence change, and take on leadership roles in their communities.I also collaborate with W/Youth, Young Manchester’s youth‑powered consultancy. W/Youth helps organisations understand how young people experience their services, ideas, and environments, providing practical insight and strategies to make them more youth‑friendly. It connects organisations with diverse groups of young people — including those who don’t usually step forward — ensuring the feedback and solutions are more representative and meaningful.Alongside this, I champion youth‑led creativity through projects like Hacks for Humanity, where young people come together to explore challenges, design solutions, and take positive action on issues they care about.My work focuses on- Supporting young people to share their views and step into leadership- Bringing partners together to build stronger support for young people- Strengthening safeguarding and safe cultures across the sector- Expanding opportunities for young people who face the most barriers- Encouraging youth‑led creativity, problem‑solving, and community action- Helping organisations better engage young people through W/YouthI believe that when young people feel heard, supported, and involved, we build stronger communities and a fairer future for everyone.If you’d like to collaborate, build partnerships, or support youth leadership and opportunity across Manchester, I’d love to connect.