At Micah Liverpool, we often want to change the world, making it a fairer, more just place to be. We dream and hope, then reality hits. Social injustices, whether global, national or local, are so great that we know it will take more than ourselves to make the change required. It is always encouraging to find allies who share our dreams and hopes, or have expertise in a particular area, that we don’t possess. One of the highlights of my time at Micah has been working with such individuals and organisations who generously share of themselves and their skills to enhance the work that we do, helping us to move from transactional services that are traditionally associated with social action to establish more holistic community hubs where root causes are addressed and social justice pursued.
This week, as I write, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is celebrating the graduations of its many students. Micah Liverpool is extremely proud to be one of LJMU’s chosen corporate charity partners. I would like to celebrate the work of LJMU and its many dedicated staff, academics and students who have worked with us since this partnership began. Thank you for your curiosity, your support, enthusiasm and generosity in sharing your skills and intellectual rigour. Micah Liverpool has been doing great work for much longer than I have been around and as a relatively small charity, it just got on with the job in hand. Thanks to students interested in our work, we have slowly developed an evidence base for what we do and can shape our strategy and sustainability planning thanks to the expertise of curious students. At this point, I must credit Liverpool’s other universities, Hope and University of Liverpool as their students have also played a key role in researching different aspects of our work. Further proof of the importance of partnerships, I think! We will continue to offer opportunities to students in different disciplines to carry out research at Micah. It’s not just the research that’s enhanced what we do by considering the wider context with academic rigour, it’s having students and LJMU staff at our projects, sharing their expertise and time generously within the Micah community. You’ve made a big difference and enabled us to change the world in meaningful and measurable ways. There’s still some way to go but we’ve made progress beyond what we could do ourselves. Thank you.
So, for every individual graduating this week, we want to acknowledge the partnerships it has taken to get this far. The staff, the academics, families and friends who have all played their part. Our role as a charity partner has shown us that you have learnt in a supportive environment with fantastic resources and knowledge. For those who have partnered with Micah Liverpool through their work or studies. Thank you and congratulations! We wish you well and hope that your partnership with Micah, however brief, will be something that stays with you as a formative experience that moulds and shapes your future achievements, multiplying those working in the world for a more just and fairer world.