The Community Explorers forum, which sits with the Policy and Influence team at Macc, is designed to connect and uplift the voices of the VCSE sector in Manchester.
By bringing together frontline, grassroots, emerging and established organisations, we create opportunities for meaningful conversations about the successes and challenges you encounter in your work and in the communities you represent, allowing us to gather valuable insights and knowledge to advocate for the needs of the sector in decision-making arenas we are involved in and influencing policy development within Manchester and beyond.
The Community Explorers network not only links you with fellow VCSE groups in your area but also fosters cross-sector collaboration with key stakeholders, including the NHS, Manchester City Council and GMP. It also serves as a vital space to share information about your current activities, learn about the broader initiatives in your locality and explore opportunities for engagement.
This platform is particularly focused on connecting with grassroots and smaller organisations deeply embedded in diverse and underserved communities throughout Manchester, to ensure that their voices and priorities, things that matter to them, are reflected in our workstreams.
We hold monthly Zoom meetings separately for North, Central and South, as well as quarterly, themed events for all of Manchester. Each group also has its own mailing list, which members can use to share and receive information and updates with the wider network in their area.
The Zoom meetings provide an informal, friendly space for people to come and share updates/ talk about the work of their organisation and connect with other groups and statutory bodies.
Our quarterly in-person events are themed around a topic of current interest. These bring together all three North, Central and South groups to provide a valuable networking space along side facilitating important discussions about collaborating to address specific issues.
For more information and to sign up to our upcoming Zoom meetings and events, visit Macc’s event’s page here.
Previous in-person meetings have explored themes such as mental health in the VCSE sector, the Real Living Wage, Manchester's journey to becoming a Health Determinants Research Collaborative, and building safer communities through collaboration. If you would like to view the write-ups of these events, please be in touch.
Get involved
To find out more or how you can get involved, please email [email protected] from our Policy and Influence Team.