PROGRAMME COORDINATOR (SOCIAL CLUBS)

Salary: £25,000 (plus travel)

ABOUT MANCHESTER CARES

Manchester Cares is a community network of young professionals and older neighbours hanging
out and helping one another in our rapidly changing city.

Our objectives are to tackle the growing plight of isolation and loneliness not just amongst older
people but also amongst young Mancunians; to help improve the connection, skills, belonging,
purpose and power of all participants so that older and younger neighbours alike can better
navigate our rapidly changing world; and to bring people together to bridge social,
generational, digital, cultural and attitudinal divides.

We do this because while Manchester is one of the most amazing cities in the world – a place
of influence, innovation and integrity – it can sometimes also feel anonymous, lonely and
isolating. Globalisation, gentrification, digitisation, transience and rapid community change have
made our city a place of social extremes – one in which some of the best connected people live
alongside some of the most isolated, with particular challenges to do with loneliness and
disconnection.

The result is that many older people (over 65) have deep roots in their communities – from
Ancoats to Ardwick, Longsight to Levenshulme – but few connections, while many young
professionals (aged 21-35) can have hundreds of connections across the world but fewer roots
in their communities. This disconnect wastes human potential, perpetuates social division,
entrenches isolation and is ultimately corrosive for our society.

In an ever-changing city like ours, these two groups, living side-by-side but seldom
interacting, have so much to gain from one another in shared time, laughter, new
experiences and friendship.

Manchester Cares seeks to mobilise a new generation of young professionals to build

relationships and share experiences with our older neighbours in a variety of authentic ways. We
speak the language of younger and older people alike – and make interaction on a personal level
mutually accessible, sociable, enjoyable and fun.

As part of the wider ‘Cares Family’ of local branches that includes Liverpool Cares, North London
Cares and South London Cares – with additional arms to follow – Manchester Cares is built on a
strong national model, infrastructure, experience and funding. We have secured investment
from Nesta, The Big Lottery and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to grow Manchester Cares over at
least the next three years.

But Manchester Cares is also uniquely Mancunian. Our programmes centre on the inspiring past,
present and future of our great city – and the history, music, industry, innovation and solidarity
that make this place so special. From Chorlton to the City Centre, we are building a network that
helps older and younger people to feel part of their changing world, rather than left behind by
it.
We work with Manchester City Council, and other local community groups, businesses and
individuals to identify isolation where it occurs and to create new opportunities for older and
younger neighbours to share time. Our model attracts many people who may live on their own,
may not naturally have wide or deep social networks, and look forward to new experiences with a
different generation.

ABOUT OUR PROGRAMMES

Manchester Cares operates four core programmes. Our Social Clubs are group activities bringing
older and younger neighbours together in community centres, parks, cafes, pubs and local
businesses to share time, laughter and new experiences. Events several times a week, during
evenings and weekends as well as on weekdays, include dances, new technology workshops,
‘back to work’ business visits and themed get-togethers like summer barbeques.

Meanwhile, our Love Your Neighbour programme matches young professionals and older
neighbours to spend quality time together one-to-one, often in people's homes, to improve the life
experiences of all participants. Neighbours build meaningful relationships and often become long-
lasting friends bringing new experiences, interaction and perspectives to one another. The
programme helps bring a little of the changing world in for those who can struggle to get out.

Third, our unique Outreach work identifies people at risk of isolation through ongoing pro-active
community engagement. Our annual Winter Wellbeing project, for example, supports older
neighbours through interactions and interventions to stay warm, active and connected through the
most isolating time of the year. We work in local supermarkets, betting shops, chemists, GP
surgeries and other groups at the heart of communities to help bring neighbours into Manchester
Cares.

Finally, our Community Fundraising offers another exciting way for younger and older neighbours
to contribute to Manchester Cares together. From individual challenges including marathons and
triathlons, to building a network of corporate supporters, to creating engaging digital campaigns,
local people are able to support Manchester Cares in a variety of engaging ways.

Each of these programmes is integrated and fundamental to the Cares approach. We will often
meet older people through a conversation in a local supermarket, invite them along to the next
social club in their neighbourhood and then introduce them to younger neighbours with whom they
can develop an ongoing friendship through our Love Your Neighbour programme. Sometimes,
those friends will then raise money together to sustain the network that can give them so much.

Each of these programmes is developed according to our national policy framework and structures
while harnessing local knowledge and experience to make this network uniquely Mancunian.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

Opening in November 2017, Manchester Cares is just over a year old. In that time, we’ve mobilised
almost 800 older and younger people to be part of the community, through 140 social clubs, 26
Love Your Neighbour friendships, two Winter Wellbeing projects and various community
fundraising activities. Our current Programme Coordinator for Social Clubs is moving into a new
role, leading the team as our Head of Programmes. We’re therefore looking for a new colleague to
build on our exciting programme of social clubs – to design and deliver exciting and engaging
events, and to ensure they are safe, well promoted and well attended.
All of that requires a broad skillset including the ability to lead a room of older and younger
people; good organisation to create a range of clubs in partnership with other local voluntary
groups and businesses; patience in abundance; and characteristics including an outgoing
personality, personal warmth and determination.

You will work closely with our Head of Programmes and the local Manchester Cares team, a full-
time team of five in total. You will meet hundreds of older people and young professionals all
across Manchester – helping them to enjoy diverse experiences that connect neighbours to their
ever-changing city.

You’ll need to build strong relationships, applying good judgement as well as proven guidelines,
and ensuring safeguarding, records and storytelling procedures are upheld to the highest
standards.

You will meet older neighbours in various circumstances – from the most active, outgoing fun-
loving 90-somethings to people with huge and complex challenges navigating a complicated
world. You will be able to confidently and clearly articulate Manchester Cares’ vision and the
aims and objectives of the charity and the Social Clubs programme so that all participants and
stakeholders – including older and younger neighbours, family members, local authorities and
other business and community partners – understand the unique role we play.

And you will represent Manchester Cares and its values, ethos, and unique community network
model with surety, skill and a belief in and passion for better connected communities.

To do this, you will work partly from our office in the Northern Quarter, and partly from the
communities across the city in which Manchester Cares delivers its social clubs.

ABOUT YOU

We are looking for an exceptional colleague to build our Social Clubs programme: you will need
to be full of ideas, versatile, determined, confident and with a strong sense of responsibility.

You will be a powerful storyteller, in writing and in person, and someone who can talk to and
relate to people from all backgrounds, no matter their circumstances – someone equally
comfortable discussing illness and isolation with a housebound 95-year old neighbour in Longsight
as you are talking about work and weddings with a 25-year-old volunteer in Spinningfields.

You will be outgoing and tenacious; with an organised approach and an intrinsic understanding
of the power of networks including through digital media. Crucially, we need a people-person:
someone who can build trusted partnerships from scratch including with other voluntary groups as
well as older and younger people in the city. We also need a numbers-person – someone
methodical, target focused and strategic. And we need a self-starter: someone committed, tough
and focused working alone as well as collaboratively.

Finally, we need someone who understands and is motivated by the demographics and social
challenges of our city and the issues we work on – and in particular who is passionate about and
can clearly promote our vision for building close community networks in order to tackle loneliness
in Manchester as the city continues to change at pace. So the stand out candidate will have deep
knowledge of and passion for the unique communities and cultures of Manchester’s various
neighbourhoods, alongside experience managing creative projects.
This is a wonderful opportunity to build something special in Manchester. The wider Cares Family
team and board will therefore support you with everything we have: proven staff induction, access
to training and guidance, and the autonomy and responsibility of working to your own initiative.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

You will:

• Be responsible for Manchester Cares’ Social Clubs programme, planning and delivering
up to 15 social clubs – like dances, pub quizzes and seasonal parties – every month,
including during evenings and weekends;
• Build and manage relationships with younger and older neighbours, other community
organisations, businesses and venues;
• Lead on the many details and considerations that make Manchester Cares’ social clubs a
success – from finding suitable venues to welcoming older and younger neighbours and
facilitating conversations between them, to making tea, to operating projection
equipment, to running creative sessions, and taking groups to local businesses – as well as
adhering to our core policies and best practice guidelines;
• Design and distribute a monthly programme of clubs and a newsletter every month.
• Work with our Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator to communicate regularly with younger
and older neighbours – by email, post, telephone and text – to inspire, enable and
organise people to participate in Manchester Cares’ social clubs and thank them for
their contribution;
• Create vivid, powerful, fun communications – including blogs, videos, Instagram images,
Facebook and Twitter posts, and case studies to tell the story of your social clubs and the
neighbours who are part of them;
• Administer registers and CRM records which track the number of attendances,
interactions, relationships and group activities Manchester Cares creates as well as
demographic forms – and report back to the rest of the Manchester Cares team including
the national Director of Programmes;
• Create and analyse data to offer insights into the value of your social clubs;
• Talk passionately about our social clubs and the rest of our work at induction evenings
for new volunteers and to build strong partnerships in the community;
• Be agile to the dynamism required of a young charity, seizing new opportunities to further
our reach and impact as they arise;
• Represent Manchester Cares and our values and vision with the highest standards of
quality, professionalism, creativity and integrity.

REQUIRED

• You are ambitious, outgoing, hard-working, fun, approachable, self-starting, reliable,

confident, creative, empathetic, determined, methodical, agile, resilient, discreet and
organised;
• You are happy working alone as well as in a team;
• You have high standards and aspirations for your work and want to make a lasting
contribution to your city on some of the defining issues of our time;
• You have a good understanding of the culture and socio-economic context in
Manchester and can build relationships with people from all backgrounds;
 • You’re an authentic, high-quality communicator and storyteller – with the ability to build
relationships with diverse groups and individuals effectively and appropriately (through
design, and written as well as verbal communications);
• You have the flexibility to work during evenings and weekends in order to deliver your
work, with time off provided in lieu;
• You are able to obtain good references and a clear DBS certification (provided).

ROLE FEATURES

• 26 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays

• Flexible working hours
• Staff counselling service
• Travel covered

TO APPLY

To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter explaining why you are right for this role to
Rosa Friend at rosa.friend@manchestercares.org.uk .

• Application deadline: 12pm on Friday 22nd March 2019.

• First round interviews will take place during the week beginning March 25th.
• Second round interviews will take place on April 3rd.
• Starting date as soon as possible thereafter.

Manchester Cares seeks to live our values in everything we do. We are committed to
inclusion in our programmes and diversity in our teams.