Hello 🙂
A year and a bit ago… a few of us met to chat about why MASH needed an advisory panel of women who had used the service in the past, to shape the service of the future.
We aimed to create a small diverse group of women that represented the women we strive to keep safe. What we didn’t want was just another knit & natter group that just sat around complaining. We wanted to change stuff, and that’s exactly what we did: despite being in the middle of a global pandemic! Since the centre was closed due to Covid, we moved our meetings online.
The fortnightly Zoom call was a welcome break from the monotony of lockdown 1. It was a chance to see some friendly faces and have a bit of fun. Yup, you heard me right: our meetings are not dry and boring: we actually laugh a lot!
What have we done?
One of the first things on our list was to make a rather long document about The Manchester Sex Work Strategy into a snappy little pamphlet with just the information women need to know. That one was easy!
As we started to grow in numbers, we got involved in more things. Members choose what they want to do depending on what they are passionate about.
To date, the panel has had a role in trustee and staff recruitment: branding & comms work and we’ve also been part of groups working outside of MASH to influence how homeless services for women across Greater Manchester are delivered in the future. Plus lots more!
If you fancy joining us or popping along as a guest we’d love to hear from you! Please get in touch with Lou Shaw louises@mash.org.uk