Hello, and welcome back to our monthly newsletter!

It’s getting colder, and the nights are drawing longer. Inflatable neon monsters are poking their heads around Manchester’s iconic buildings, and pumpkins are appearing on the streets. It can only mean one thing: October is here!

For the Digital Strategy team, this means celebrating Digitober - a month-long festival showcasing the incredible work of Manchester’s digital sector in ensuring that everybody benefits from the advantages of technology, and that nobody is left behind.

With over 1 in 5 people lacking the basic digital literacy skills needed for everyday life, it’s more important than ever to provide opportunities for communities to gain access to the skills, resources and training needed to get online. To build a better future for everyone in Manchester, we need to make sure that everyone can benefit from advances in technology. 

As part of the festivities, our incredible Digital Inclusion team will be hosting a Digital Skills Event at Newton Heath Library, helping residents to develop the skills and confidence needed to get online and make the most of the opportunities the Internet offers. Over the next few weeks, we’ll also be sharing resources and case studies that highlight the incredible digital inclusion initiatives transforming lives in Manchester.

In this month's newsletter, we're also sharing more information on how to apply for our CommuniCity challenges; revealing where you can find us at the Smart City World Expo; and revealing the winners of the Let's Get Digital poster competition!

Happy reading, and see you next month!

This month, we're excited to be taking part in Digitober, a month-long celebration highlighting the incredible work happening across Greater Manchester's digital sector.

We've got plenty of plans in store for this year to showcase Manchester City Council's pioneering people-centric approach to digital, and raise the profile of Greater Manchester's inspiring digital sector.

Our upcoming Digital Skills Event at Newton Heath Library, hosted by the Let's Get Digital team, will offer families the chance to explore Manchester's fantastic digital inclusion initiatives. Working alongside colleagues in Work & Skills and inspiring partners from across the tech community, the event will welcome residents to a day packed with training opportunities, one-to-one support, and plenty of exciting activities.

Every week, we'll also be sharing stories celebrating how Manchester City Council has been working with partners across the city to help more people benefit from the opportunities that digital has to offer. Our Digitober Stories series kicked off in style with an inspiring case study from the Digital Inclusion team, exploring how their work has helped Manchester Youth Zone's members to develop high aspirations and expand their sense of the possible. 

If you're interested in learning more about the Digitober campaign, and the ways in which people, businesses, and organisations are working together to ensure that everyone in Greater Manchester can benefit from the opportunities digital can bring, head over to the GMCA website to explore events, blogs, and ways to get involved!

Manchester is one of the most diverse cities in the world, but many of our residents face disproportionate barriers to basic services, economic and cultural opportunities, and overall well-being. 

Last month, we unveiled our three CommuniCity challenges, inviting Manchester’s tech community to develop solutions that tackle some of the problems faced by underserved communities in in our city.

We're interested in discovering great ideas that could make arts and culture more accessible to everyone, collate the overload of information available to people experiencing poverty, or use technology to solve social challenges.

The CommuniCity initiative is open to anyone passionate about using technology to make a real difference to people’s lives, including businesses, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs with big ideas. Successful pilot teams will each receive a grant of up to €12,500 to help engage local communities and bring their solutions to life. 

CommuniCity are hosting an online information event in October to provide more information about the project. During the session, you’ll have the chance to hear from city representatives about their unique challenges, explore how the CommuniCity Technical Framework supports innovation, and gain valuable insights into the application process.

To register for your free ticket for CommuniCity's second information event on the 17th October, click on the link below.

This November, a delegation led by Manchester's Digital Strategy team will attend Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. The Expo is a world-leading event centred around how digital technologies can enable cities of the future and improve city processes. Attracting international visitors from across the globe, the Expo is a great opportunity for Manchester to showcase its own 'smart' projects and to broker international partnerships.

The Manchester delegation includes senior council officers across transport, development and net zero, plus colleagues from Transport for Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Combined Authority. 

As part of the UK Pavilion, led and organised by Connected Places Catapult, members of the panel will contribute to a number of key conversations on innovation and digital twins, plus during a city spotlight Manchester will highlight the potential for Wythenshawe to become a sustainable regeneration neighbourhood. 

If you're interested in finding out more about the Expo, head over to the website by clicking on the link below.