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Our History

OUR HISTORY

TAP began in December 2015 as a simple WhatsApp group—an informal space for conversation that quickly grew into something deeper. As more voices, particularly women’s, joined the dialogue, the tone shifted toward collective purpose and community impact. From small meetups to early events focused on Black love, mental health, and economics, TAP organically evolved into a space for action.
By 2017, TAP became a registered non-profit, moving from casual conversations to delivering impactful, community-driven projects. Over the years, TAP has launched events, youth programmes, and entrepreneurial initiatives, including business pitch competitions, cultural gatherings, and skills-based training for women and young people. Through international youth worker exchanges, public consultations, and targeted projects like Women in Limbo and Active Youth, TAP continued to grow—building partnerships, responding to community needs, and shaping inclusive platforms.
Now operating as a CIC, TAP has solidified its role as a one-stop hub, grounded in PanAfrican values and committed to providing holistic support for individuals and communities alike.
Black Business Stall
A monthly event created in November 2021, specifically designed to provide a space for black businesses to sell and promote their products and services aligned with Black Pound day.
To date we have worked with over 30 different local black businesses vendors and welcomed over 200 people through the doors! Each market builds upon the last one with active commerce, good vibes, music, smiles!
Since then we have created a consortium of Manchester Black Markets organisers who have come together to promote, build & and embed this cultural and economic endeavour.
An Instagram account was created that posts daily inspiration, facts, updates & education on reducing and mitigating racial trauma amongst black and brown youth. Weekly Black History Talks Q&A live sessions, are delivered to young and old, from around the world, with BlackHistoryInspires, an black history educator, historian and genealogist.
The give me my flowers now event was a fund raising event we held for a young beautiful woman in our community we found out was losing her battle with cervical cancer. Her name was Jessica Fairweather-Brown she was 31 with 2 beautiful children, this event was headed by myself Alexa Lea. Jess had been a childhood friend of mine we dance together at the Zion centre when we were young, modelled and fashion show and from time to time could be found on a night out together, so when I heard the news about Jess’s medical condition I wanted to help in anyway I could. I consulted the other members of T.A.P and it was agreed that we would help. The idea of the event was to include some of the things I knew Jess loved and some of the ways I had gotten to know her over the years which was through music and dance and fashion. The event had African drummers and dancers, a local choir, poetry, song a fashion show and vendors which their stall fee went towards the donations.
There was also a raffle and live band. We managed to raise £320 for her and her family which we are very proud of given that organising this event was time sensitive and was not advertised as well as we would of liked but some of her close friends and family and members of the community showed their support her. This event was successfully and we are proud of what we achieved for Jess.
A fully funded programme, through Greater Manchester Combined Authority, that gave 16 women a Linux technical qualification and support then to turn that skill into a career within the digital workforce.
Also in collaboration with Youth Focus North West and Lancashire BME to create the North West BAME youth work network, now known as Montage. Through this we have also garnered places for members to train in youth work up to level 2 and 3, in order to increase the local/regional work force of culturally competent youth work practitioners & professionals.
We grow and sell food from our volunteer allotment which will generate a small income, partnering with local businesses to deliver healthy and ethical products to the community. We will also work closely with old people’s homes and other groups to promote allotment visits and volunteering, encouraging our elders to plant crops which they will also be able either donate and/or take home with them.
MONTAGE – Through the work with BTTF2, we created the ‘Black Youth Worker Network’, a group of youth work staff and professionals who support, share and encourage each other to become better practitioners.
Exclusively for those that self-identified as women, non-binary/gender fluid people and to under employed or un-employed candidates. welcome applicants from an ethnic minority background. Whilst priority was given to candidates from Hulme, Moss Side, Whalley Range, Fallowfield and surrounding neighbourhoods.
Linux is one of the building blocks of the internet. Just like Windows, iOS, and Mac, Linux is an operating system that makes computers work. In fact, it’s one of the most popular platforms on the planet. Android phones, for example, are powered by Linux.
Tap delivered workshops based on Confidence building, self esteem, mindfulness and mindset as part of the soft skills to accompany the training programme, as well as offering culturally competent pastoral care and mentor ship throughout the programme.

2022

Manchester Employability Day

The Manchester Employability Day is an inspirational event which aims to address the underachievement of young people, especially Black boys and young men. The event provides an opportunity for young people (aged 9 to 19) and their parents/guardians to interact with professionals from the Black community and a cohort of exhibitors from the public and private sectors, to discover pathways to success and develop their talents to make viable transitions into adult life.

This event was in partnership with the Reach Society.

2020

HIKE YOUTH VIOLENCE from a BLACK PERSPECTIVE WORKSHOPS -

We were commissioned by Hideaway youth project in early 2020 to deliver a workshop to counter violent behaviour and knife crime amongst young people.
The project sought to gain insight on how the ‘hardest to engage young people’ could be reached. As well as helping Hideaway and their partners understand better why youth violence is on the increase and how it is changing.
Due to the pandemic, we moved the 2nd part online to Instagram and led a successful virtual workshop to young people.

2019

CAHN International Women's Day

In March 2019, celebration of international woman’s day, CAHN (Caribbean African Health Network) & T.A.P., facilitated an event called ‘Caribbean & African Single Parents & Mental Health: A Lived Experience’.

The aim of the day was to inform, explore, share & empower black single parents about Mental Health & promote health & wellbeing. Several speakers from mental health, perinatal and psychiatric health spoke on the day to generational mix of local community members.

2019

Black To The Future

A transnational practitioner project using a Sankofa Approach to Youth Work Practices in the African Diaspora Community that contributed to building a self-sustaining system that encompasses the intergenerational cultural specificities of the African Diaspora in Europe. It identified and documented youth work practices in the four additional cities of Munich, Rotterdam, Lisbon and Manchester.

2018

Black Achievers Dinner Dance

Aurora Promotions in partnership with T.A.P. PROJECT presented.

Black Achievers Dinner Dance
Hilton Manchester Deansgate Hotel on Saturday 20th October 2018 from 6pm – Late.
This event was hosted by Judi Love & Kamilah RedButterfly Francis
Guest speakers on the evening were Ashley Walters aka Asher D and Dean Okai
Entertainment on the evening was from DJ Drizz and Dj Silva as well as Hercules productions, Julie E Gordon, Jet Black Dance School, WeR1 Mas band.
This event was to highlight the local black achievers in Greater Manchester. Areas of acknowledgement in the following fields Business, Technology, Health & Wellbeing, Culture (Fashion, Hair & Beauty), Media, Sport.
We raised money for a host of local charities such as Sickle Cell Care Manchester, Manchester Active Voices Yep, Mothers Against Violence, Fathers Against Violence CIC, Accg Manchester, Globe Commune, G.R.E.A.T. , ULAF, Dimobi Children Disability Trust.

2018

WindRush

TAP Project have been funded by Voice4change to raise awareness about the Windrush Compensation Scheme. We’ll do this by creating an animation short series and hosting some community consultations. If you think you may be eligible for compensation please reach out to either of the organisations below for assistance in your application.

The Windrush Scheme was launched in May 2018 to help people who were not able to prove their right to live and work in the UK, to get a document to prove their lawful status. Members of the Windrush generation can apply free of charge for documentation confirming their lawful status, including British citizenship if eligible, under the Windrush Scheme.
The Windrush Compensation Scheme was launched in April 2019. It ensures that members of the Windrush generation and their families are properly compensated for the losses and impacts they have suffered as a result of not being able to demonstrate their lawful status. On December 14th 2020, the minimum award was raised from £250 to £10,000 for anyone who can show an impact on their life under the terms of the scheme. The maximum award an individual can receive for an impact on their life was also raised from £10,000 to £100,000 (with options for even higher awards in exceptional circumstances).

2018

Queen Neith

Who’s still sleeping in your womb event with international speaker Queen Neith.

The who’s still sleeping in your womb event was an event for black women to address emotional healing though connecting with our womb space in meditation, sound healing and aromatherapy. A safe space was created so women felt free to open up and talk about some very sensitive and personal things which then gave permission for others to do the same.

Discussions included radical self love, setting boundaries and reinforcing them if they were crossed and what that looked like. Releasing and letting go of sexual assault, termination, abusive relationship and much more. Over the course of 3 day the women participants showed such courage in facing some really heavy stuff and acknowledging and taking ownership of their own part they played in some of their own stories. The event was catered for by the lazy vegan so all participants were looked after both physically, spiritually and emotionally. The event was full to capacity with a demand for more events of this nature in the future.

2017

Sunday Solutions

From September 2017 TAP Project presented a series of monthly events. Those events covered community business event where community members could promotes and sell products at a stall. They could partake in workshops to assist them in setting up a social enterprise and they could present a pitch dragon’s den style where the winners would receive consultation which usually cost over £1,000.
Our next event was based on Black and British for Black History month. Our guest speakers for this event were Paul Obinna and Linford Sweeney. They delivered some insightful presentations which evoked thought provoking conversations.

The next event was themed around community assets. We facilitated a mapping exercise of all the African Diaspora buildings within local proximity. This event birthed the Moss Side and Hulme Community Forum voice. The facebook page has over 700 members now.

Our December event was themed around raising awareness of Kwanzaa. We done a presentation on the origins of Kwanzaa and how we can implement the principles in our day to day activities.
Our final event to round up the programme was a youth weekend event split into 2 days. The first day was aimed at 6-13 year olds and the 2nd day 14-25. These days were filled with a plethora of discussions and activities such as performances of music, dance and poetry.

These event is funded by profits generated from Project Mali Manchester in partnership with the Ubele Initiative.