Goal 16: Learning and students
The University’s learning and student activities play a key role in our approach to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Here’s a wider showcase of our work addressing Goal 16.
Our University is one of two pilot institutions for ‘The Staying Safe Programme’ (TSSP), a new drug education initiative designed to educate students about drug use and minimise associated harms. This program marks a shift from a zero-tolerance approach to student drug use, favouring harm reduction policies and procedures instead. The harm reduction approach acknowledges that young people may use controlled drugs and aims to help them reduce the associated risks. In contrast, the zero-tolerance approach can create stigma and hinder access to support. Our approach is grounded in harm reduction principles, ensuring that students who engage in drug use are informed about the risks, equipped to make informed choices, and confident in seeking support without facing penalties. The University’s adoption of harm reduction policies aligns with the recent call by Universities UK (UUK) for universities to implement such practices.
Each year our Manchester China Institute teams up with the Manchester China Forum (MCF) and The University’s International Office to integrate new Chinese students into campus life, while simultaneously enriching the campus experience for local students. The Manchester-China Friendship Programme (MCFP) further seeks to develop mutual understanding and friendships between British and Chinese students which is particularly important at a time when anti-Asian prejudice, discrimination, and aggression has increased in the UK and around the world.
As part of our Justice Hub, The Manchester Innocence Project (MIP) is one of only 13 organisations outside of the US to join the Innocence Network.
Law students volunteering with MIP have the opportunity to take on live criminal appeals for those who maintain their innocence.
Our students started a Misogyny Is Hate campaign, leading to the government directing police to record crimes motivated by a person’s sex or gender for the first time.
Our Students’ Union also runs Reclaim the Night, resulting in around 2,000 women marching in the streets each year to raise awareness of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.