COMMUNITY FAIR – SUSTAINABILITY, CREATIVITY, FUTURES

Find out how creativity and sustainability come together at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) – from the here and now to future opportunities there’s fun for all the family!

Interactive stands you can visit in the Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS):

The air we breathe – lifelong learning for a healthier future

You would never drink visibly dirty water, but have you thought about the air that you breathe? Come and explore our UNESCO City of Lifelong Learning Partnership with Manchester City Council and learn more about how you can breathe healthier air. Prepare to get messy, but don’t worry, lab coats are provided!

Create the future: Microsoft, Minecraft, music and a greener world

Get ready for some gaming adventures and develop your digital skills with our strategic partners Microsoft. Using Minecraft, AI and other technologies, you’ll get the chance to help build environmentally friendly worlds, connect with communities and put your creative musical talents to the test!

Curious minds, creative futures

Our research platforms bring together people and ideas to create a greener, healthier and fairer future. Take part in a range of activities with Creative Manchester, Healthier Futures, Digital Futures and Sustainable Futures including: Make some noise and get creative together – have fun exploring sounds, rhythm, and music; Can you tell the difference between human made or AI; Take on the health Jenga – see what keeps us healthy and happens when support systems disappear; and finally plant seeds, pot plants, and take home something you’ve grown yourself.

How bad are bananas?

We all want to do the right thing for the planet, but what’s the real impact of each of the things we do and buy? Put your decision-making to the test with a carbon footprint game. Explore the surprising impact of real-life choices on the planet and find out what we can all do to create a more sustainable future.

All minds matter

Through hands-on activities, storytelling, and creative play designed to celebrate neurodivergent and disabled communities we’ll explore how research can be more accessible and welcoming for all.

What did the ice ages ever do for us? Learning from the mud beneath our feet

Explore the magic of mud, the secrets of sand and why tephra is so terrific. The information stored in these sediments help us understand the past. With each successive layer underground, we travel back further in time.

Mini graduations

A delightful opportunity for younger visitors to experience the magic of graduation day first hand. Don a mini graduation gown and pose for a keepsake photo – a fun way to spark imaginations and dreams about the future. Meanwhile grown-ups can find out what happens at a graduation ceremony at the University.

Access and success – a Uni-verse of possibilities

At the University, we are committed to improving the equality of opportunity for underrepresented key student groups to access, progress and succeed in Higher Education. Come and share future aspirations, play career matching games and share what university might have to offer you.

Your next career move starts here at the University

Great careers, right here in your city. Discover career opportunities at The University of Manchester – from professional services to specialist roles. Meet the team, explore what’s available, and get practical advice on how to apply.

Parents, Carers, and Guardians Network

Help us celebrate families! With interactive games and creative activities for younger visitors and useful resources and advice for parents and carers. Whether you’re juggling work, study, or caring responsibilities, come along to connect, share experiences, and discover the support available at the University for staff and students.

Meet Manchester University Press

Pop along to our bookstore showcasing titles published by Manchester University Press, with a particularly focus on the books about the University, written by our academics and books about Manchester.

Leap into languages

Leap into multilingual art and crafts workshops, exploring languages from around the world and find out how learning languages can enrich lives, bridge gaps between diverse communities and foster a more inclusive and cohesive world.

Exploring the Uyghur language

Uyghur is a Central Asian Turkic language spoken by 10–11 million Uyghurs inside of China. Previously a ‘lingua franc’ language – a mutually understood language used for communication between people who speak different native tongue – Uyghur is now considered an endangered language. Find out why and what this means by exploring the Uyghur language, objects and culture.

The future of global development charity is solidarity

What if we built a new giving system together? For decades, billions of pounds have flowed through the global aid system in the hope of ending poverty and yet the communities closest to the challenges are still often the furthest from the power and resources meant to address them. What if the problem isn’t generosity – but the system we’ve built around it? Meet the One World Together team responding to these challenges through new forms of solidarity.

Playing the RoundView

How can we design things differently, so that nature and people can thrive? Come and play the RoundView – using three-dimensional games, pictures, word puzzles and wooden jigsaws build intriguing images and poems as you explore environmental challenges and discover creative ideas for a more sustainable future.

Think like Susan Stebbing: sharp minds for everyday life

Discover Susan Stebbing, a pioneering 20th-century philosopher who believed clear thinking could help ordinary people make better sense of the world. Through fun, practical examples, explore how her ideas about critical thinking can help us question bold claims, spot muddled arguments, and make wiser everyday decisions.

Learn here now – The Universally Manchester Festival Learning Trail (11am-2pm)

Learning happens everywhere – in daily routines, small discoveries, and shared moments. When we connect what we learn to real life, it becomes more meaningful, memorable, and fun to explore together. Check out our festival learning trail and share your own learning moments and stories as you interact with festival activities, people and places.

Chinese arts and crafts for the environment (2pm-4.30pm)

Join us for an afternoon of Chinese cultural activities themed around sustainability and nature. Make a pledge to protect something you love and have it written on a bookmark in Chinese calligraphy to create a special gift. Fold a panda bookmark out of paper using traditional paper folding. Play the chopstick game to make new friends.

Find the Alliance Manchester Business School on ourinteractive campus mapand check out ouraccessibility information guide.