Page 3 - ManchesterMind_Strategy2023

Introduction from the Chief Executive and Chair
Manchester Mind believes in the power of listening and being heard.
Tackling/challenging inequality, promoting social justice and supporting people to access their rights and entitlements is a crucial part of our history, our present and our future. Over the years a lot has changed with regard to how we view mental health – it has a much higher profile and people are more comfortable talking about it. However, we know from people’s experiences that services and support are harder to find and to access. We want to contribute to making that easier, so that people are able to get the help and support that they need at the time they need it. This plan will help us do that.
Our key strategic focus is on people – who work and volunteer for us – they are the people that make things happen.
The last few years have taken their toll on all of us but in different ways. During the pandemic we did our best, like many others in our sector, to keep things going. We did that and more - we grew and adapted to different ways of working. At the same time, more people were asking for help and what they wanted help with was often more complex.
Everyone was affected by the events of the last few years, but those from already minoritised communities, those with existing health issues and dealing with the impact of poverty and deprivation have been most affected.
As a charity working to support and alleviate the impact of poor mental health we need to ensure that Manchester Mind is resilient enough and has the staff with the values, experiences and skills
to be at the forefront of what we do. We have excellent staff and volunteers, and we want to make sure we are an organisation people want to work for, where they feel safe and able to develop.
We want to build on our whole person approach as we know that things work better when we recognise and build on connections, such as between mental and physical health, and with practical stressors such as poor housing, debt, isolation and loneliness.
We also want to influence more, as a way of bringing about change. We want to support people with lived experience amplify their voices.
Finally, underpinning our work is a focus on
governance and financial sustainability.
This strategy will be our guide over the next three years.
Elizabeth Simpson, CEO Rachel Pearson, Chair
Strategic Plan: 2023 – 2026
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