This Is Us Volunteer Digital Champions

As a volunteer Digital Champion, you will help people and organisations across Manchester preserve and share the stories that matter to them. Supporting This Is Us: Tracing Manchester’s Histories, you’ll be working with local communities, cultural organisations, researchers, and sector practitioners as part of a community-led storytelling project dedicated to preserving and celebrating Manchester’s diverse histories.

Your role will support people to contribute their stories, capture memories, and record oral histories for sharing on our growing digital platform. Your contributions will play an important part in the platform’s long-term sustainability and help create an accessible and inclusive historical record that recognises the people, places, and communities that have shaped this city.

Whether you’re passionate about local histories, heritage, or content creation, this is an opportunity to develop new skills while gaining valuable experience in digital storytelling, oral histories, recording techniques, and community engagement.

Before volunteering begins, you’ll take part in a free training programme delivered by professionals from across the heritage, cultural, and community sectors. This 9-session programme is designed to give you the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to become a Digital Champion.

The programme combines interactive workshops, discussion, and practical activities, covering topics including:

Oral history principles and interviewing techniques
Digital storytelling and audio recording
Ethical practice and inclusive storytelling
Community engagement and participation

Training will take place every Saturday at the Manchester Histories Hub (located in Manchester Central Library) from 12 September to 7 November 2026.

To help you get the most from the programme, we encourage volunteers to attend all sessions where possible before beginning their volunteering role. Please consider your availability before applying.