George House Trust: Positive Ambition Manchester – Free and Accessible Training for the VCSE Sector
What is Positive Ambition Manchester?
Positive Ambition Manchester is an ambitious new project, aimed at eradicating HIV stigma and discrimination in Manchester. The project will combine a programme of external education and training for the VCSE sector, alongside activism and campaigning, to create a fairer and stigma-free Manchester.
Why is this work important?
Today, HIV is classified as a manageable, long-term health condition. Despite significant advances in HIV treatment, people living with HIV are not necessarily living well. HIV stigma and discrimination continue to perpetuate inequality and diminish overall quality of life for people living with HIV. As long as HIV stigma and discrimination exist, people living with HIV cannot thrive.
Why are we doing this in Manchester?
We need to challenge HIV stigma in Manchester, as Manchester has the largest population of people living with HIV outside of London. Here at George House Trust, we see first-hand the very real effects of HIV stigma in Manchester and the devastating impact it has on the lives of people living with HIV.
Through this project, we believe we can put Manchester at the forefront of tackling HIV stigma and discrimination in the UK. Manchester has a strong history of activism and challenging inequality, and we want to draw upon this tradition to gain support for the project and make it a success.
Why are we wanting to involve the VCSE sector in this work?
The VCSE sector’s role is essential in tackling HIV stigma and discrimination in Manchester as it offers crucial support beyond the doors of George House Trust to help people living with HIV truly thrive. Working with the sector to bolster HIV inclusion will send a powerful message of support for everyone living with HIV and show that Manchester is committed to a world where HIV holds no one back.
What is our offer for the VCSE sector?
We will provide a blended approach of free face-to-face training and e-learning for VCSE organisations to increase their HIV awareness and empower them to be fully supportive and inclusive organisations for people living with HIV (including their service users, volunteers, staff and trustees).
Post training, VCSE organisations will be able to gain a recognition mark that shows they are part of the Positive Ambition Manchester movement.
There will also be opportunities to be involved in our activism and campaign efforts too.
Where are we at with the project so far?
We have been working on designing our training offer and we are now at a stage where we want to hear from VCSE organisations about their needs, wants and challenges in terms of supporting people living with HIV.
Join our Focus Groups
We will be running 2 focus groups to review what we have planned for our training and to get much needed input from VCSE organisations as to what they would like to gain from it.
This is a great opportunity to help us shape what this training will look like and make a real difference to the quality of life of people living with HIV.
Focus groups will be held on the following dates:
- Tuesday 25th August – 13:15 -14:15 (in-person)
- Tuesday 2nd September – 13:15 – 14:15 (Online)
The in-person focus group will take place at St. Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester, M12 6FZ
Spaces on each focus group are limited to 8 people.
If you are interested in taking part, please complete the short Expression of Interest form by clicking here before 1pm on Tuesday 18 August and we will follow up with you on next steps for the sessions.
For more information, please contact nick@ght.org.uk
This project has been funded for 3 years by Manchester City Council (April 2026 – Mar 2029)