Shahbash was founded in 2003 and is a not for profit organization. Shahbash was set up due to a lack of service provision for Muslim youngsters in one of the most deprived wards of the city of Preston, Lancashire.

Our aim is to promote & foster racial, religious and community harmony. Working with some of the most vulnerable children, Shahbash addresses sensitive areas such as racism in BME communities, social inclusion, community cohesion & more recently the Preventing Violent Extremism agenda.

Utilizing varying engagement techniques which include sporting activities, youth advocacy & leadership courses, youth clubs & out reach work we bring together youngsters from varying backgrounds of faith & race. These engagement strategies allow us to work closely with young people to provide “safe spaces” for them to air their grievances & provide safeguarding support to them where and when necessary.

Capacity building & empowering the youngsters we work with is a key component to our work. Working with our accreditation partners we support identified youngsters through accredited courses so that they can build on their chosen areas of development whether it be youth work, sports coaching or community leadership.

The majority of Shahbash’s workforce are volunteers who have come to us via this process & who are now supporting other vulnerable youngsters who they know in their communities.