Using co-creation methods and tools STAF has tested out in arts settings, we worked 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 engaged 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 was 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.

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.

You can read more about the thinking behind STAF’s anti-poverty work in our earlier blog, Connecting the Dots: Cultural Justice and Anti-Poverty Work.