STAF centre co-creation in all our work. Though we are used to acting as conduit and translator for artists and arts organisations, the impacts of COVID and the cost-of-living crisis on the people we work with are impossible to ignore. Without addressing and mitigating these impacts, the situation will only worsen - and it’s crucial that the people who are most effected are involved in decision-making and solution-finding processes.

Using methods and tools STAF has tested out in arts settings, we are now working with Manchester Central Foodbank and Get It Done to mobilise communities in Manchester. In collaboration with the Barlow Moor Community Centre and the Dandelion Community, we are engaging service users, community organisers, frontline staff, NHS providers, cultural and educational institutions, creative practitioners, policymakers, trade unions, worship groups, and others invested in change to test out how an Anti-Poverty Community might work. This is seed funded by UKRI Innovate UK, who are supporting the development of a Community Research Network, which can unlock the potential of genuine community centred research. More information on Community Research Networks can be found here.

Held during July 2023, the Building an Anti-Poverty Community Summit brought together people from across Manchester to create a shared vision of what an anti-poverty city looks like, and build the partnerships to make it happen.

Website: Coming soon

PERFORMING LEADERSHIP DIFFERENTLY →

THE SICK OF THE FRINGE →