|
Live Well is Greater Manchester's commitment to everyday support in every neighbourhood, changing how we work with communities and in public services to grow opportunities for everyone to Live Well.
GM Live Well event: Growing community power and decision making to tackle inequalities
Nearly 500 people from across Greater Manchester came together to talk about growing community power and decision making at the third event in the Live Well movement building series. The event harnessed the strength and creativity of the GM Live Well movement as public services move towards a powerful ambition to further transform neighbourhood working towards prevention.
With 12 breakout sessions, panel debates, lightening talks, a choir, youth band, walking tours, legislative theatre, a power map and community reporting, even the living room themed furniture was community-powered (thanks to Mustard Tree).
It’s not a coincidence that this event was our biggest, and bravest, yet. Hundreds of people and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations were involved in the co-design and all 10 Local Authorities were represented.
|
All conversations focused on the power of communities to tackle health, social and economic inequalities, and how we can radically re-think how our public services collaborate with communities.
Thank you to GM Shapers and GM Systems Changers, Elephants Trail, Disability Stockport, Open Data Manchester, GM Jokers, Mama Health Poverty Partnership, Middleton Co-op, SAWN Choir, Afrocats, Wai Yin, Poverty Action Networks, Resolve Poverty, Bee Counted – Young Inspectors, Keeping Our Girls Safe (KOGS), Salford Youth Council, Kashmir Youth Project, Citizens UK, Young Manchester, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU), We're Right Here, Youth Alliance GM, #BeeWell, GM Ageing in Place, 10GM, A Brilliant Thing CIC, GM Moving, Legislative Theatre, Shared Future, Innovation Unit, Inspiring Communities Together and more.
|
As co-host Folashade Alonge said: ‘GM - let’s turn this community power into action!’
|
The Elephants Trail community reporting team, with support from Unlimited Potential, set out to discover what community power means to people. They saw people coming together and shifting things for the better, and said:
"The more we go out, we realise there's something really special happening in Greater Manchester. We want you to believe, and we want you to come and be a part of it as well."
They created a film called 'Able' which you can watch here: Able – building community power to Live Well (youtube.com)
|
Community leaders talked about ‘systems making decisions that don’t fit us’; that communities should have the right to shape services and how local organisations should be resourced to do local support.
There was a call for more seats at ‘the table’ and to build new relationships away from ‘tables’ and in neighbourhoods; to de-centre risk or change how we think about it post the horrors of Grenfell; to build collective accountability through shared knowledge, data and insights; to continue to acknowledge the devastating impact of the recent racist riots on communities; and a call to action for all public servants and systems leaders to not 'just listen to communities, go one step further and be a part of them'.
|
Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, gave a keynote address, talking about the importance of joining up work, health, and skills to support people into good work. And how working with Mayors, local areas and community groups is essential to delivering this. She said:
"You always start with people. What do they want and need? What are their hopes and sometimes fears? And how can you change the way things work to help people do what they want to do, which is to live a better life."
“You’re pioneering in Greater Manchester. We want to learn and unleash the huge potential.”
|
Greater Manchester leaders highlighted their collective call for the devolution of power out of Westminster, across our systems and into the hands of neighbourhoods and communities.
Our political and systems leaders recognised that we’re trying to tackle decades of structural inequalities, and that doing things differently with communities isn’t a nice to have; it’s a fundamental.
Alison McKensie-Folan, GM CEO portfolio lead for Live Well, opened the day by setting out Greater Manchester's ambition to:
"Large scale, ambitious work that really changes, radically changes, the way we do some of our public services, but with communities and our voluntary sector leading the way."
There is so much learning from the day that we are still compiling. However, a small summary is below, and we will share full details in the next newsletter and through the development of our Live Well framework. As we heard at the event, 'it is not enough to listen, we need to act', and we will continue to act on what we have heard and encourage others to do the same.
|
Thank you to everyone who took the time to feed back;
"It truly and genuinely felt totally different from all other events, in a way that is so much easier for people who don’t wear suits to connect to."
"The positive energy in the room was inspiring, and I truly appreciate the connections we made. Together, we are driving meaningful change!"
|
"I do go to quite a lot of these things and have to say the energy and buzz was something else. Also such a good mix between practical doing things, being inspired and listening and being entertained. Loved it!"
And the movement is growing:
"We need more than just our voices being heard – we need to see tangible results in the reduction of inequalities across the boroughs of GM – and we will be here to support and lead this with you and for you."
|
A Brilliant Thing CIC created an installation in the foyer of the building, and asked people to contribute to the ‘Power Map’, having conversations with attendees about power and listening to workshops, talks and conversations on the theme.
They captured the collection of wisdom, ideas and insights, which will be fed into the learning.
|
 Selva, a member of GM Shapers, did some great visual harvesting from the day which we will continue to share with colleagues across public services and use to influence future work.
In the latest in our series of shorter online webinars, Live Well Lives, we came together to talk about how addressing the root causes of ill-health can enable people to Live Well and thrive; what's happening in Greater Manchester; and how effective partnerships between the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector and primary care can create the conditions for good health.
We heard from inspiring Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise groups who offer community-led health and wellbeing services which play a crucial role in preventing ill-health, reducing inequalities, and supporting strong and resilient communities. And talked about how as public services we are supporting communities that experience more barriers to support and who are less likely to have illnesses detected and treated early.
Online at 2pm, join the GM Live Well team to collaborate on the next GM Live Well event taking place in March 2025. The 4th in-person event will focus on ‘everyday support in every neighbourhood’ for health creation, social connection and economic inclusion.
This session is an opportunity to shape that event right from the beginning. We want it to event to elevate the work you are already leading around everyday support across GM, as well as looking at solutions to some of the systems barriers you are facing in growing your approaches.
Please bring with you any ideas you have for the event; from how we can make it inclusive, important topics to be addressed, projects or programmes that may wish to share their learning, what has worked well or what could be improved from previous events, and much more.
GM Live Well: co-designing our ‘everyday support in neighbourhoods’ event Tickets, Tue, Nov 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite
|
GMCA announced taking a step towards closing the digital divide with a new Digital Champion volunteer training programme that has been developed and delivered by current Digital Champions. Digital Champions support residents to develop essential digital skills and confidence to 'access everyday support in every neighbourhood to live well'.
The training programme offers tools and training to new and existing volunteers, providing long-term sustainable support for volunteers.
GMCA’s Digital Inclusion Action Network, has brought community training provider Starting Point together with local authorities to provide the training. Nicola Wallace Dean, Co-Founder of Starting Point said:
"We have 20 years of experience supporting residents, we understand the evolving needs of our communities.
"This programme is a game-changer, addressing the realities faced by those unable to access technology or the internet."
A recent Kings Fund report talks about GM being 'the ‘poster child’ for devolution in England, and alongside it, in the health world, the leading light in efforts to improve population health at scale'.
This report shares the details of that journey, explores how GM has approached improving population health, and looks at both its successes and challenges. It says:
'We know from a wide range of evidence that what is most important for a population’s health is action on the four pillars: the wider determinants of health (that is, the social, economic and environmental conditions in which we live, high‑quality and secure housing, a good job and a healthy environment); our health behaviours (whether we smoke, drink alcohol to excess, maintain a healthy diet and are physically active); and high-quality co-ordinated access to health and care services. All of these take place in the context of the fourth pillar: the communities we live in and the social relationships we have which help us stay resilient and to recover well from health problems. A population health approach is one that recognises these four key pillars and the complexity of how they interact, and shifts resources and effort to where they will have the greatest impact.'
Population Health In Greater Manchester | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)
The Coalition for Personalised Care brought together a group of people and organisations to explore how to create the conditions whereby community strengthening can flourish.
They found that the path to a healthier, cohesive and inclusive nation lies in it communities. You can read the full report here: Stronger-Communities-Full-paper-V1.4.pdf (communitycatalysts.co.uk)
The Prime Minister has made it a priority to reset the relationship with civil society and build a new partnership that can harness civil society’s full potential to rebuild our country and deliver against the government’s five missions. A relationship that recognises all that civil society does for us - at home and abroad - and aims to realise the enormous potential that exists in organisations like our charities and community groups.
Government partners with civil society to transform lives across the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Living good lives in the place we call home – An outline programme for the next government
#SocialCareFuture is sharing an outline programme for the next government, and for local government, to ignite the transformation of social care.
This blogpost outlines their proposal for action at every level, via a partnership involving national and local government, public services, voluntary groups, local communities and individual citizens, to: Early action – from crisis management to acting “upstream”, sharing power – doing with people, not to people, and unlocking all resources – harnessing, growing and making best use of all available resources: https://socialcarefuture.org.uk/noticeboard/living-good-lives-in-the-place-we-call-home-an-outline-programme-for-the-next-government/
Patrick Tierney at the The Elephants Trail Project has written a blog about his personal experience of coming back from a place where he could see little hope:
"I was sitting in a prison cell, with three charges, a psychosis diagnosis, depression, anxiety and three long term substance addictions. Whatever vantage point I searched from, the future did not look bright.
"If we want someone to push through the insecurities, over the barriers and up to new heights we have to find the thing that excites them.
"I work for The Elephants Trail and we use the hard things we’ve been through to change the difficult things for others. That’s what gets us going and that’s what drives us on. We’ve come through adversity and it sparked an energy in us to help those still in the fight. We believe our relevant experience can place us in a good position to do that."
Road of Restoration - A way of redemption | Medium
As part of the GM Moving Systems Leadership Programme there are three storytelling sessions. Systems Leadership sessions are on the website here. Please take a look, sign up.
22 January 2025, 9.30-11.30am. Macc invites you to participate in an important conversation aimed at fostering communities where everyone feels safe, valued and connected. This event will bring together a diverse group of participants, including community leaders, frontline staff, volunteers, statutory colleagues and representatives from across various sectors, to share insights and explore best practices. To reserve your spot, please register here: https://manchestercommunitycentral.org/civicrm/event/info?id=8864&reset=1
Taking place on Zoom on 3 and 4 December, this Kings Fund conference aims to offer real insights into how health and care leaders can truly listen to people and communities and enact meaningful change within the system and improve patient experience and outcomes.
GM Live Well will be speaking in the ‘Hearing vs listening; is change happening?’ session 10-11am on 3 December.
Find out more here: Listening To People And Communities – The Change We Need | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)
As community power rises the national agenda, Stronger Things will return in 2025 on 3 June at London’s Guildhall.
The day will be about how we reimagine the future of public services and unleash the potential in our places. If you'd like to be part of this growing festival of community power, secure your tickets now: STRONGER THINGS - New Local
|
