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Hello, and welcome to the first edition of our monthly newsletter!
If you're not familiar with who we are and the work we do, we're Sherelle, Megan, Stuart and Becky: a small team working to create a fair future where everyone can benefit from the advances of digital technology.
Our Digital Strategy sets out an aspirational vision for us to realise our ambitions of becoming a world-leading digital city by 2026. We work collaboratively with people, organisations, and businesses across Manchester to build a future where we have digitally skilled residents, future-proofed infrastructure, a thriving digital economy, and a digitally enabled transition to a sustainable and resilient city. We invite a diverse range of voices to mould and strengthen our Strategy, and always put people at the heart of our plans.
Through our monthly updates, we'll be sharing our progress towards realising our aims of creating a pioneering, inclusive, and equitable digital future for Manchester; celebrating our successes; and uplifting the work of those that share our vision. Together, we want to make Manchester a better city for everyone.
This month, we're excited to be announcing the start of our AI Community Roadshows; sharing the next steps from our digital sustainability think tank session; celebrating our website refresh and the launch of our public-facing Delivery Plan; and highlighting the incredible work of the Let's Get Digital team in supporting digital inclusion in Manchester.
We hope you enjoy it!
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We're kicking off our first newsletter in style by launching our public-facing Delivery Plan for 2024!
While the Digital Strategy lays the foundations for our vision over a five-year period, the Delivery Plan drives execution, offering actionable steps forwards. Within the context of the wider strategy, we've designed our Delivery Plan to map the key objectives for each year, our current projects, and progress towards achieving the goals outlined in our four thematic priority areas.
Simply put, our Delivery Plan ensures that we are driven by meaningful, real-world outcomes that positively impact the lives of people in Manchester.
To learn more, you can view the slidedeck here or by clicking on the image above.
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How can Manchester communities drive AI initiatives that address challenges in their local area?
In March, we were excited to announce the launch of the People's Panel for AI, one of several projects being carried out by the Digital Strategy team to address the challenges of digital exclusion and increase representation of public voices in shaping the future of public services.
You can find out more about the rationale behind the project, our collaboration with researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University, and what we hope to achieve, by exploring the full story as covered by Smart Cities World.
This month, we're thrilled to announce the rollout of a series of free AI Roadshows, held in areas of Manchester identified through the Digital Exclusion Risk Index (DERI) as facing a greater likelihood of digital exclusion. The programme will aim to provide residents with access to education and training on AI, enabling local people to shape the use of AI in frontline service delivery.
If you're interested in taking part in a roadshow, you can explore the full list of events on our website, or sign up using the link below.
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For our work to make a meaningful, positive difference to people in our city, it's important that our projects are informed by the people they impact, and by professionals with expertise in the field.
Last summer, we partnered with Creative Concern to deliver a series of workshops uniting stakeholders from a range of industries to generate ideas for sustainable digital projects in our city.
To enhance climate resilience, and realise our goals of making Manchester zero-carbon by 2038, we wanted to understand the problems of the sustainability and digital space from the people working in these areas.
In collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders, including Manchester Climate Change Agency, Creative Concern co-developed a set of recommendations based on workshop findings. This included prioritising activities and themes identified as most important by the stakeholders consulted.
We're now excited to share a summary of the final list of projects, tailored to Manchester's specific needs, that we hope to bring to life within the coming year.
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We've recently been making a lot of noise about our website revamp!
We were thrilled to open our refreshed site to the public in early March. To capture the breadth, scale, and momentum of our Strategy in 2024, we needed our online presence to reflect who we are, what we stand for, and the actions we're taking to make a meaningful difference to people in our city.
Alongside updating our look - and improving accessibility - visitors can expect to find:
- Early insights into the projects we're working on this year.
- Events and networking opportunities.
- Celebrations of the successes we’ve had working to make a positive difference to local communities.
If you’re interested in finding out how we can use digital and technology to make Manchester a more inclusive, ethical, and sustainable city, we'd love for you to take a look at the new site at manchesterdigitalstrategy.com.
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 Cyber Bridge
Are you interested in exploring different approaches to disruptive innovation in cyber security?
We're excited to share a great new opportunity from our friends at Barclay's Eagle Labs and Code Base Tech, confronting the worrying rise of ransomware attacks.
Through monthly workshops, the course unites promising start-ups with leading UK corporations to share best cyber-security practice. Each of the seven modules is delivered by experts with lived industry experience and aim to pave the way for innovative partnerships surrounding defence against ransomware.
Applications for the programme are open now, and are likely to fill up quickly.
If you're interested in finding out more, click the link below for more information and details on how to apply.
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Good News
We don’t believe that anyone should be denied the opportunity to fulfil their potential through a lack of access to digital resources.
Last month, our Digital Inclusion team was proud to facilitate the handover of 10 Macbook Pro computers to staff and students at the Digital Independent Specialist College (DISC) Manchester , supporting DISC in their mission to help talented young people fulfil their potential and to provide alternative pathways into the tech sector.
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Every month, we'll be sharing updates, news, and opportunities from the Digital Strategy Team, our partners, and the wider digital ecosystem. Whether you're interested in collaborating, have questions, or simply want to learn more about our ambitious vision for Manchester's digital future, we'd love to hear from you!
Find out about the different ways you can reach us below:
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