Our annual VCSE conference and AGM returned after a short Covid-induced hiatus on Tuesday 19th October 2021 at the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford.
The event saw over 100 delegates from across the Salford VCSE sector join us to explore, the importance of identity and place for communities, particularly as the pandemic has shone a spotlight on the deep inequalities and social fractures that impact both place and communities of identity. As always we were not alone at the event, with a variety of speakers joining us to inspire, motivate and inform our attendees. You can find the biographies for all of our speakers here.
After the traditional introduction by our CEO Alison Page the day kicked off with our facilitator for the morning (Dr Katya Pursall) setting the scene and sharing her own story of ‘Belonging’ from Lake Como to Greater Manchester via Penny Lane. Although, as her opening slide pictured above indicates, she didn’t pull any punches regarding Brexit and the impact on communities and individuals. Katya also shared her hope for the next generation to reconnect with EU nations and ended on a positive note reflecting that “our response to the Covid crisis and the Afghanistan crisis has shown just how flipping gorgeous our sector is”!
Our first speaker of the day was Jermain Jackman (Steering Group member, Baobab Foundation), who had an eventful trip to Salford with an overnight encounter with a newt at his hotel (as featured in the Manchester Evening News). Jermain shared the important work that the Baobab Foundation was doing and challenged delegates with reflections on the current political and policy environment; “Who are we building back better for?” as well as a challenge to us as individuals and organisations to take real practical action.
Next up was Kirit Patel (Development Worker, Voluntary Sector North West) who gave a fabulous presentation taking delegates on a journey through his own story whilst exploring the diverse range of things that impact our identity. Featuring everything from feisty grandmothers through to bad sitcoms! View Kirit's slide deck.
Closing the morning session was Kamran Mallik (CEO, Disability Rights UK). Kamran shared hard-hitting stats and the harsh realities faced by disabled people during Covid and beyond. He demonstrated how the pandemic had exacerbated injustices and systematic prejudices and shared the impact that had on the everyday lives of disabled people. Kamran also shared the role Disability Rights UK had played in constantly speaking up and speaking out for the rights of disabled people. You can read more about Disability Rights' work through the We Belong Report and the We Belong Campaign.
Exploring Belonging and what Salford means to you
Following a passionate question and answer session, we moved into the first tabletop exercise exploring the concept of belonging and identity or what being from Salford meant to delegates. You can view the contributions via our virtual whiteboard.
View the key themes from the discussion here.
Voices from Our Sector
Throughout our conference, we featured some videos of voices from our sector on the topic of Belonging: Exploring Identity & Place. You can watch all of the brilliant contributions via our YouTube channel.
Our AGM
Our lunchtime AGM included a quick run through of our Salford CVS Annual Report as well as the highlights from the Salford State of the Sector 2021 alongside the usual business. We also undertook the latest round of the Salford CVS Pulse Check and you can now read the findings from that survey.
Afternoon Plenary
The afternoon session was kicked off by our facilitator Jessica Pathak (EDI Lead, Salford City Council) who shared her own story as well as her family's, exploring how being multicultural and having a dual heritage shaped her identity. Jessica finished with some wise words for delegates - "Be open and aware of the people around you". View Jessica's slide deck here.
Maryam Taher's (Coordinator, City of Sanctuary) talk of her journey from Iraq to the UK via Libya left a lot of the audience moved. She shared how volunteering played an important role in helping her feel included in the community (including winning our Heart of Salford Young Volunteer of the Year a few years ago!). Maryam highlighted the importance of access to education and how the Equal Access Scholarship enabled her to graduate from university and detailed her current role as a Coordinator with the City of Sanctuary. View Maryam's slide deck here.
Leslie Holmes (Projects Manager, Salford Lads and Girls Club) shared the story of a Salford cultural institution exploring both its history and how it has made a difference in Salford. He highlighted how multiculturalism isn’t a new thing for Salford with the club's members coming from a range of cultures and backgrounds as demonstrated through the history of the club's membership records. View Leslie's slide deck here.
Gulwali Passarlay (Speaker, Activist and Afghan Nomad) closed this section of the day sharing his own powerful story of being an activist and Afghan nomad, his challenging journey and the opportunities he found in Greater Manchester. For those interested in hearing more about his own personal experience his book The Lightless Sky is available from all good retailers. As he ended his talk he challenged attendees by calling for action including support for campaigns such as #RefugeesWelcome ultimately asking "What is the legacy you want to leave behind?". View Gulwali's slide deck here.
Jonny Wineberg (Director of Operations, We Stand Together) shared the details of his organisation's work to tackle discrimination as well as celebrate our diverse communities. Jonny covered some of the practical actions and programmes they undertake including difficult dialogues, anti-discrimination workshops and the organisation's Affiliate Awards. You can find out more and get involved in the initiative by heading to We Stand Together.
Taking practical action together
The final session of the day explored what practical action we could take together as a sector to make Salford a welcoming and inclusive place for those longstanding communities and also for newer communities. The feedback collected was anonymous and has been summarised via a virtual whiteboard. Over the next few months, Salford CVS through its VOCAL Networks and other activities will begin to look at how we can make this happen. View the key themes from the discussion here.