MetMUnch is a global award-winning, student-led social enterprise based at Manchester Metropolitan University. Starting in 2011, at its heart is a passion for sustainable and nutritious food – and sharing that passion with students, staff, local businesses and communities. The MetMUnch team runs a whole range of sessions, from on-the-spot nutritional advice, to leading on fun, interactive activities and science focussed workshops.
The MetMUnch Team is diverse; made up of people from different cultures, generations and faculties from across the University. The team is multi-layered. At its core, it consists of two members of staff – Haleh Moravej and Dean Brookes from the Environment Team – and ten student leaders from across the University.
These leadership roles rotate – MetMUnch recruit students from every faculty in their first year and, when they graduate, they continue to get involved in events, as well as linking to companies and organisations they work for. Surrounding them is the Environment Team, which is at the core of everything MetMUnch do. As part of the wider Environment Team, MetMUnch work closely with colleagues responsible for travel, energy, recycling and student engagement. Beyond them are various teams across the University they engage with, including MMU Sport, Widening Participation, HR, Facilities and Catering.
MetMUnch offers a unique teaching, learning and peer-to-peer enterprise model as well as providing an innovative, creative environment for student learning. It’s also a successful model of collaboration and knowledge exchange between Manchester Met Services, academics, students, community and industry.
As a social enterprise, everyone in the MetMUnch Team is inspired to become active global citizens. By allowing students to take responsibility for the direction of MetMUnch, they are encouraged to find creative solutions to sustainability and social problems, whilst developing leadership, collaboration, resilience, commitment, determination and perseverance.
This collaborative approach is producing enterprising, innovative graduates who will go on to make their mark on the world. Critically, the way the MetMUnch Team works is scalable and replicable with applications in academic, public and commercial arenas. And alongside all this, everyone in the MetMUnch Team receives Carbon Literacy training, which enhances knowledge and employability.