About Tuf*C
Generations of the Tuf*C family, together to remember our Gaffa, Mike McKenzie.
BUILT AROUND YOUNG PEOPLE.
BUILT TO CREATE OPPORTUNITY.
The Urban Fitness Collective CIC — (Tuf*C) is a Manchester-based community sport and leisure organisation creating opportunities for young people to participate, develop and progress.
We use sport, leisure and youth culture as a vehicle for development, helping young people build confidence, develop skills, gain experience and take their next step.
MORE THAN A SPORTS ORGANISATION.
WE’RE A COLLECTIVE.
About Tuf*C
Since 2003, Tuf*C has worked alongside young people and communities across Manchester, using sport and leisure as a way to connect, build relationships and create opportunity.
But Tuf*C has never just been about delivering sessions.
Young people come through our doors as participants and become part of something bigger. They meet coaches and leaders they can relate to, gain confidence, take on responsibility and discover opportunities they may not have known were open to them.
For some, that means finding an activity they enjoy and somewhere they belong. For others, it becomes volunteering, qualifications, paid work, coaching or eventually leading and mentoring other young people.
That is what Collective means to us.
People developing together, supporting one another and using what they have gained to create opportunities for those coming next.
Why we exist
OPPORTUNITY
SHOULDN’T
DEPEND ON WHERE YOU START.
Not every young person has equal access to positive activities, trusted relationships, training, work experience or routes into employment.
Tuf*C creates environments where young people can get involved, discover their strengths and access opportunities that help them move forward.
Sport gets people through the door. What happens next can go much further.
What we do
SPORT IS THE VEHICLE.
PROGRESSION IS THE PURPOSE.
Tuf*C uses sport and leisure as a starting point to engage young people, build relationships and create opportunities for development.
Our work creates routes through:
COMMUNITY SPORT
Accessible opportunities for young people to participate, get active, build confidence and connect with others.
MENTORING
Providing guidance, encouragement and trusted support as young people develop and make decisions about their next steps.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Using positive activities and relationships to support confidence, personal development and transferable skills.
EMPLOYMENT & PROGRESSION
Helping young people turn skills and experience into paid work, leadership and future opportunities.
LEADERSHIP & TRAINING
Creating routes into volunteering, qualifications, practical experience, coaching and leadership.
How it Works
FROM PARTICIPATION TO PROGRESSION.
There is no single route through Tuf*C.
A young person might first come to a session, begin volunteering, gain training or qualifications, support other participants and eventually move into paid work or leadership.
The pathway can grow with them — creating opportunities to develop skills, gain experience and take greater responsibility at their own pace.
OUR APPROACH
WITH YOUNG PEOPLE.
NOT JUST FOR THEM.
Young people have always been part of shaping Tuf*C.
Their interests, ideas and experiences influence the opportunities we create and how they are delivered.
As young people develop, they can take greater responsibility — volunteering, training, coaching, working and helping to create opportunities for others.
That is what makes Tuf*C a collective.
OUR AIMS
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES THAT LEAD SOMEWHERE.
Tuf*C aims to:
Engage young people through relevant and accessible sport, leisure and youth activity.
Create opportunities for personal, social and professional development.
Support young people to build confidence, skills and experience.
Provide routes into volunteering, training, qualifications, employment and leadership.
Give young people meaningful opportunities to contribute to their communities.
Develop young people who can go on to create opportunities for others.
OUR objectives
CREATE ACCESSIBLE OPPORTUNITIES
Provide sport, physical activity and youth-led opportunities that young people can connect with, regardless of background, previous experience or starting point.
Provide Role Models & Mentoring
Create trusted relationships with coaches, mentors and leaders who can challenge, encourage and support young people as they make decisions about their future.
Build Confidence & Life Skills
Support young people to develop communication, resilience, teamwork, self-belief, discipline and the ability to take responsibility for their own progress.
Keep Young People at the Centre
Listen to young people and involve them in shaping opportunities so that activities remain relevant to their interests, communities and ambitions.
Develop Young Leaders
Give young people opportunities to volunteer, gain experience, achieve recognised qualifications and develop the skills needed to coach, lead and support others.
Grow Community Leadership
Support young people to use what they have learned to give something back — creating activities, supporting others and becoming positive influences within the communities they come from.
Create Routes Into Employment & Progression
Help young people turn experience and development into practical next steps — including paid work, further training, education, coaching, leadership and wider employment.
Create a Cycle of Opportunity
Develop young people not only to benefit from Tuf*C, but to become the people who create opportunities for the next generation.
our values
WHAT WE STAND FOR.
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM OURSELVES. WHAT WE BUILD IN OTHERS.
Tuf*C has always been about more than activity. The way we work matters just as much as what we deliver.
RESPECT
We treat people properly, listen to them and expect the same in return. Respect is the starting point for trust, teamwork and development.
COMMUNITY
We are rooted in the communities we work alongside. Strong relationships, local knowledge and people looking out for one another are central to how Tuf*C works.
RESPONSIBILITY
We give young people real responsibility and support them to grow into it. Taking ownership, learning from mistakes and showing up for others are all part of progression.
DEVELOPMENT
We believe people should keep moving forward. That means building confidence, skills, experience and the ability to take on more over time.
OPPORTUNITY
Potential means little without somewhere to use it. We create opportunities for young people to take part, learn, gain experience and move forward.
COLLECTIVE
Nobody develops alone. Tuf*C is built on people supporting one another, sharing what they have learned and creating opportunities for those coming next.
These values are not something we put on a wall. They are how Tuf*C has always been built.
our mission & vision
our purpose
OUR MISSION
To develop young people through sport and leisure, create pathways into opportunity, and enable them to create opportunities for others.
We do this by combining participation with relationships, responsibility, skills, experience and progression.
OUR VISION
A future where young people have the opportunity, confidence and support to shape their own lives, contribute to their communities and create opportunities for the next generation.
WORK WITH US
LET’S CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES TOGETHER.
Tuf*C works with funders, partners, schools, community organisations and local services to create meaningful opportunities for young people.
If your organisation shares our commitment to youth development, community opportunity and progression, we want to hear from you.