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Category: Alumni

Alumni Spotlight: Dan Hadary

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Dan is currently a diplomat based in British Embassy Berlin, and completed the Diplomatic track of the Civil Service Fast Stream in London earlier this year. Prior to this, Dan worked in a political consultancy. He completed the Patchwork programme in 2018. Dan remains active in the Patchwork alumni network, and volunteers at ORT UK to mentor sixth form students on their career aspirations.

 

What are you up to at the moment?

I’m currently based at the British Embassy in Berlin working as what’s called a ‘Second Secretary’, focusing on digital policy, after having finished the Diplomatic scheme of the Fast Stream. 

 

So what does your role entail? What does a normal day look like for you?

It might be a cliche, but there is no ‘normal day’. Days can vary from stereotypical office work where you’re answering emails, writing papers, or making telephone calls, to going to Ministerial events, travelling around Germany, and talking to lots of varied people. A big part of the job involves creating new contacts and trying to engage with and learn from people around you, which is a pretty amazing thing to be able to do. In short, the role is a mixture of things – talking to people, developing expertise in your area, feeding information back to London, and so forth. It’s a very varied profession and role.

 

How have you found the move to and working in Germany?

It was admittedly a challenge at first to move and settle abroad.  However, I am happy to say that I have really enjoyed it. It’s incredibly fun being somewhere new and trying out new things. Working overseas is a fantastic experience, which has come with more independence and excitement than anything I’m used to in London.

 

Lots of Patchworkers are really interested in diplomacy. What do you think are some of the key skills that you’ve used in the FCDO so far?

What I always say when people ask me this is to look at the competencies or behaviours the Civil Service publicises. I think from the outside they can seem a bit ambiguous and hard to decipher, but they give you a sense of the kind of thing the office looks for and what they would recommend is needed for specific roles. So things like communicating, delivering at pace etc – it can sound “office-y” behind the jargon there’s a lot of truth.

I think what’s great about the Civil Service and in particular the Foreign Office, is that it really tests your soft skills: your ability to work with other people, to think empathetically, to thrive through communication, and to think on your feet. They are the kinds of things that are useful in any environment so it will give you a good basis to thrive in any career. 

Consider how you communicate, how you deliver around other people. – Those sorts of skills will give you a good sense of what some of the skills required in diplomacy. 

And on top of that it helps of course to be a bit nerdy about policy, government, politics, and international relations!

Even though the fast stream is being postponed this year, there are plenty of ways to get into the Civil Service, be it through the Foreign Office or through other government departments. .

 

Lots of Patchworkers also want to live abroad. Do you have any advice on that front, both in terms of settling in a new country but also getting those opportunities.

I would say to people who want to live abroad – whether it’s with the Government or somewhere else – to first and foremost give it a good deal of thought. It’s a big decision. Consider whether it fits well with your personal circumstances. 

If you decide it is something that you’re in a position to do, I would also say it’s good to learn the language as much as possible. Even in Berlin where almost everyone speaks excellent English, it really is important to show some appreciation for another country’s language and culture. Ingratiate yourself in the country and it will pay off. 

 If you are interested and able to spend time living overseas, I would highly recommend it. It is a hugely exciting opportunity that will let you meet new people, consider things from different perspectives, and try new things you may never have thought to do before.

 

Why do you think it’s important for young people to be interested and involved in international relations and foreign policy?

I think different generations grow up with a different political and cultural atmosphere around them, and I think they all bring to the table a very different way of thinking. As a new generation, you will bring creative, innovative ways of thinking, which could make a real impact on policy decisions for the better. 

There are few employers like the Civil Service that give young people the chance to shape decisions, and to really make an impact on policy and tangible outcomes for people in the UK and abroad. For that alone I think it’s a really worthwhile career to consider. 

 

Why did you apply for Patchwork and what did you hope to get out of it?

What stands out most for me was being able to meet really incredible Patchworkers from such varied backgrounds. The opportunity to be in those rooms and learn from each other really grew my confidence and left a big impression on me. 

I think also what was very clear was that there wasn’t one ‘classic’ Patchworker – everyone had their own reasons for being on the programme. Being a part of that diverse community was so valuable.  Building relationships with and learning from others with such varied backgrounds encouraged me to view my unique background that led me to Patchwork as a source of confidence, not something to shy away from but something to embrace and bring with me whether I go. 

Amongst the alumni, I think what’s so special is that they aren’t encouraged to think the same way (quite the opposite!). There’s only one core mission to Patchwork: to get people through the door and get them involved. It’s interesting to see how people interpret that, and how they take that confidence in their own direction.

Personally, I often reflect on how my family would feel about me being in the rooms I am now in through Patchwork and the Civil Service, and the answer that often comes back from that is pride. I find that to be a useful motivator. So I would say to Patchworkers or those considering applying, what motivates you, not in spite of your background but because of it?

 

Alumni Spotlight: Asia Williams

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Asia Williams is the Waitt Institute’s Blue Economy Manager. In this role, she supports the Institute’s work helping nations design and implement sustainable Blue Economy strategies to support long-term ocean health, job creation and community wellbeing.

Asia brings extensive experience in project management and the Blue Economy sector. Prior to joining the Waitt Institute, Asia served as a Blue Economy Consultant for the Branson Centre Caribbean, supporting Blue Economy entrepreneurs to access grants, finance, and training opportunities to grow their businesses. As part of this project, she also worked in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank to assess how to diversify the tourism sector and make it more environmentally sustainable.

What are you up to at the moment?

At the moment, I’m in Jamaica working with the Waitt Institute – I’m their Blue Economy Manager. At the Institute we’re led by the 30-by-30 mission; to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. I’m working with the Maldives, Micronesia, Bermuda at the moment, with Fiji to come on board – to get them set up so that 30% of their EEZ, which is their exclusive economic zone, is a marine protected area, and also to do some marine spatial planning around the other 70% so that it is sustainably managed. 

I’m also a mum! I have a little baby, and it’s a lot of work, but I know people sometimes think ‘your career journey stops here’ and ‘it’s a lot to balance’, but I think getting the right support around you is really important. It’s really lovely as well – I hope my daughter gets inspiration from me as she grows up seeing me working in this space and getting a PhD and everything else that I’m involved in. 

Why is it so important we protect our oceans?

The ocean is a really vital natural resource that underpins all human life. The ocean acts as a ‘carbon sink’, so it absorbs Carbon Dioxide. Actually if we didn’t have the oceans the impact of climate change would be even more significant and the earth would be even warmer. We would have already exceeded the 1.5 degrees warming that is the Paris Climate Change Agreement target (at the moment we’ve exceeded about 1 degree). 

But as the ocean absorbs the heat caused by climate change and the Carbon emissions we emit, it becomes more acidic, and that acid erodes coral reefs and puts pressure on the biodiversity that lives in that ecosystem. The ocean hosts a wide variety of species that we are currently overfishing and dumping waste into. 

It really helps regulate the climate and acts as a carbon sink, as well as provides us with food, recreation, tourism, and other activities, but we are exceeding its capacity at the moment with our activities.

You’ve done so many projects around environmental sustainability – what inspired you to go down that road?

I was born in Trinidad and Tobago. I used to go back often even though I grew up in London, and my dad used to take me snorkelling and he got me certified as a diver as well, so I’ve always had this relationship with the ocean and saw the beauty from a young age, but also saw a lot of the reef die off. Now if I go back to the reef I used to snorkel on when I was a child, it’s mostly dead which is a real shame. 

When I was in secondary school in Pimlico, London, I was doing my Geography GCSE, and we were learning about climate change and the impact it was having on the coral reef. I started going ‘we need to solve this, because the reef is this beautiful thing that I’ve loved forever’. That led me to do a Geography degree at university, and then from that I did a Masters in Urban Planning and Sustainability on a scholarship. Afterwards I started working at a consultancy in the Environment Team, and then working with the Environment Agency and the Commonwealth Climate Change Network. Anything that was involved in Climate Change and the Environment I had a passion for, and I always wanted to connect with people who were in the space. The essential thing that moved me was the impact climate change was having on the reefs.

It’s easy to sometimes feel disheartened about the Climate Crisis. Do you feel hopeful in the work you do? 

I do. There are parts of the work where you do get disheartened. I used to go to the COP climate negotiations, and when you see the political barriers and the stalling, you do get a bit disheartened.

But then you work in organisations where you’re working with governments that are still prioritising ocean protection, and NGOs and individuals that want to implement projects and are getting financing for them. 

One of the big projects that really encouraged me to be more positive about the situation was when I was working at Branson Centre on their Blue Economy Programme. We were finding entrepreneurs who were using, for example, waste up-cycle or were making biodegradable plastics, or had social enterprises that were doing coral restoration, people who were really doing a lot of innovative things. Talking with these blue economy entrepreneurs and helping them with their access to funding and business planning – I know they thought I was helping them but really they were helping me, because I felt so much better knowing that there were people doing really great stuff to change the world. The news is usually quite negative, you don’t always hear about these things but it was really positive and it changed my mindset to ‘this is working and we can solve these problems’. 

What’s the biggest challenge facing the sector as a whole?

I think in the sector, there’s a shift towards sustainable financing, but the shift is slower than we need. There’s always this is argument point in the negotiations around who’s going to finance loss and damage and who’s going to finance mitigation, and whether we’re passed the point of no return so the finance should just be focused on adaptation . . .

There’s pots of money, but it’s sometimes limited and used inefficiently. I think that the sector needs to find a way to streamline the process. Climate change is a very pressing issue – people talk about it like it’s the future, but it’s the present. Even here in Jamaica every summer there’s a drought where if you don’t have a water tank you have no water. There are parts of the coastline where there are no longer beaches due to sea level rise. But the way the sector is structured means it takes a while for the finances to come through, and then the project development takes a while, and actually the need is much more pressing.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced personally?

It’s always been a challenge to pursue this work as a minority in this space, as a woman and an ethnic minority person. It has been a challenge to the extent that when you walk into the room you’re going to see very few people like you, and people will be a bit surprised that you’re the one doing the panel discussion or doing the work. I think that is changing, but the sector as a whole – as with many other sectors – needs to diversify and engage with communities on the ground. We as academics can read about this stuff in the books, but unless we really engage with people and communities then we don’t understand the day-to-day impact of these issues. 

So the biggest challenge for me is that I want to keep progressing in this sector as it’s something I’m very passionate about and I have my plans to keep climbing professionally, but I want to stay rooted in the day-to-day impact on individuals and make sure I have an impact.

What more do you think Governments can be doing to help protect the ocean?

First of all, they can commit to protecting them. Secondly, they can encourage renewables and find a way to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and to instead produce clean, local energy. Then they can prioritise education for the population, especially for the younger generation. You can see that younger people are more open to change – if they’re educated from a very young age it becomes part of their way of life so it’s easier for them, as opposed to having to encourage everyone to adapt to a new way. Reducing waste is also important – we waste far too much, especially in privileged or ‘developed’ countries, and I think how we handle our resources is a huge part of that. Funding more green and environmental jobs to encourage the shift in the sector and getting people retrained would also have a big impact. People who were oil and gas engineers, how do you train them to become renewable or solar engineers? Another bold step, that a lot of governments in the Caribbean have also undertaken, for example Jamaica in 2019, is to ban single use plastics, which in turn has encouraged entrepreneurship in the area of biodegradables.

What future projects are you hoping to work on?

I’ll continue doing the 30-by-30 work, and then I’m also really interested in climate change adaptation, because I do think in some cases we are past the point of mitigating. I think mitigation still has an important role to play because we are trying to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees celsius, as per the ‘1.5 to stay alive’ campaign, but at the moment we’re on track for 2 degrees, so we need to be prepared to adapt to these changes. A core part of that is still linked to my childhood passion; how do we adapt the reefs and build resilience for these precious ecosystems? We need to look at which corals aren’t withstanding the increasing heat and acidification, and how we can preserve those or look for more resilient species and increase the biodiversity in the area so the habitat is resilient to the changes. Because it’s not just that ecosystem. There are fishing communities that rely on it to sell fish, do boat tours and send their kids to school – there’s a whole community around that. That is my long-term aspiration, and hopefully I’ll be leading some sort of fund to make sure the finances go to the right places. I’m actually going to be starting my PhD alongside my work that will focus on this problem.

A lot of people are really interested in protecting the environment and combating climate change. What advice would you give a young person looking to get involved in that space?

I would say, what you do on an individual day-to-day basis is really important, and lifestyle choices can have a big impact firstly. 

Career-wise, I’d say often the environmental sector can be considered low-pay, especially when you start off. So you might want to think about – and I did this too – working two jobs; one that pays you more and then doing your environmental job on the side. 

I would also say network – networking is a huge thing, and I think that’s why often when you’re from a marginalised background you might get left out because you’re not in the network to know. I think that’s been a huge advantage for me moving to Jamaica, and meeting the right people and always going to events and talking to people. Even adding people on LinkedIn! One of my favourite environmental jobs I got through adding a woman through LinkedIn and then having this back and forth about my interests and then sending her my CV. They didn’t have an opening at the time, but then 3 months later she emailed saying they had an opening and to send over my updated CV. So being innovative with this kind of technology and finding ways to engage with people you have an interest in is really useful. 

And don’t give up! This work is really important and the world needs it, so if you have a passion, I’d say do it. I think in the long term, happiness and passion comes from doing something you enjoy, so it’s worthwhile taking the risk and you will excel. 

Why did you apply for the Patchwork Masterclass Programme?

I grew up in South-East London in Camberwell – I’ve always been interested in politics for various reasons, mainly environmental, but when I spoke to people in my area they weren’t that bothered about it. It was an interesting concept for me to be able to engage with these politicians face-to-face and ask them questions and understand why they do the work that they do, and their journey. I also wanted to meet other young people who were like minded, or even who had different opinions, because I’ve always liked learning new ideas and understanding different people’s backgrounds.

What advice would you have for young people?

I grew up in a council estate in southeast London, so I think it’s important to remember that life is complex but beautiful; you’re always going to face some barriers and challenges, but just keep going. Trust me, don’t get disheartened – you can achieve your goals with persistence. It might be a bit rough sometimes, and you might not have had the best start, but doors will open. 

You can connect with Asia on here LinkedIn here if you have any questions about the sector! 

Alumni Spotlight: Rabi Wilson

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation
Rabi is currently a Senior Project Manager for the Help to Grow Digital Programme at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. She is also the Joint Head of Policy and Culture for her department’s staff network Women Empowered, where she focuses on empowering women in the workforce and has recently set up a male allies initiative to encourage men in the department to partake in conversations around feminism and gender equality. In 2021 Rabi was named one Yahoo’s Finance Top 100 Future Women Leaders for her work around advancing Gender Equality. She holds an MA in Anthropology International Development and Human rights. In her spare time Rabi runs a small baby clothes and accessories business and loves to take up creative projects such as calligraphy and photography.

 

What are you up to at the minute?

I’m currently working on a programme at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which is the Help to Grow digital programme. It’s looking at how to boost productivity of UK SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). There’s a launch date in a couple of weeks, and the programme should be going live so it’s lots of mobilisation work, implementation work, working with delivery partners, and looking at the forward planning as well. I guess by default I’m a project management professional, so I’m involved in looking at how the project delivery works across the next three years. It’s exciting, but ultimately very, very busy!

Why did you join the Civil Service?

I first worked in local government. I worked for Kensington and Chelsea council as an intern in their Children’s Department, so essentially I was a project support officer there working on the implementation of the Children and Families Act. I was there for about a year and I just felt that it wasn’t for me. It felt like if I was to continue I might get stuck, and that frightened me a little bit, so I thought ‘what do I want to do next?’

I ended up going to South Africa for three months to volunteer through the International Citizens Service. That sparked my interest in international development, and I thought that this was definitely the sector I wanted to be in. So I ended up coming back to England and applying to some entry level roles. A lot of people were like ‘your application is great but you don’t have a Masters’. That’s when I realised that international development has this barrier in that your entry level is not your standard entry level, it actually starts at a Masters-and-years-of-experience level. 

I started to look at central government roles, and luckily there was an internship with the Cabinet Office, so I managed to get through on that, and that was my ‘in’ to seeing how central Government works, and whether it was a space I would like to be in. But I think from the beginning it was clear that the public sector, and actually working in policy – whether it’s in the implementation or the development – was something that was of interest to me. My experience of the Cabinet Office was great. Then the opportunity came to work in the Department for International Development, which worked out well, because once I was in that role, I was able to also do a Masters part-time. So it went hand-in-hand – I got the experience that I needed to show that I’d worked in the international development space, and I also got to complete my Masters at the same time.

International development is still something I’d like to move into, or at least have a role that encapsulates or incorporates that, but I definitely think I’ve always had this calling for the public sector, looking at policy, things that impact people, and I think that’s what led me to the Civil Service.

What’s the best thing about working in the Civil Service?

I think the best thing about the Civil Service is just how wide-ranging the work you do is. You might be working in a specific area, but no one day is the same. I’ve worked across different policy areas and different projects, and with so many different people. You can move into different policy areas and engage with different things, and just learn. Having that flexibility to chart your career in the way that you want to is also great. I could, in the next couple of months, see something and think ‘that is the space that I want to be in’, and I have the opportunity to say ‘I can make this happen within the organisation that I’m already in without having to necessarily leave’. The wealth of opportunities are essentially endless.

You were recently named one of the #FutureLeaders on the 2021 HERoes Women Role Model Lists, which you got for your work with the BEIS Women Empowered Network. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

I sit on our Women Empowered Committee, which is our women’s network at BEIS, as one of the joint Heads for Policy and Culture. Essentially I look at policies that are coming through the department that impact our membership and staff, and the culture in BEIS; how can we ensure that women have the space to progress, are comfortable within the department, and feel like policies don’t detrimentally impact them? So I’ve been doing a lot of work looking at flexible working policy, the impacts of Covid on women in the workplace and career breaks such as for domestic care reasons. I specifically also look at work around allyship as well – engaging allies in understanding gender equality and in discussion with us about how we support female members in the workplace.

So there are so many different things that come across the policy and culture space, and it’s really exciting because you get to engage with different groups, stakeholders, senior Civil Servants, Champions and HR. 

Why did you join the Network?

When I joined BEIS, I’d been part of networks before as a member, but I’ve never had that push to be in a committee role. Coming to BEIS was a fresh start for me, and I was very keen to do something that would allow me look at policy but from a gendered perspective. So this was about upskilling myself. I was very conscious that if I wanted to work in gender policy, I would have to make those opportunities happen, because the role that I was going into didn’t necessarily have that. I spoke to my line manager and I was just like, ‘if there’s an opportunity to do gender policy then I’m going to make it work for my role.’ I think there’s something about making those opportunities for yourself. 

The Civil Service gets a lot of praise for the work it has done around diversity and inclusion, but also some criticism for how far it still has to go in places. What more do you think still needs to change within BEIS to make sure it is a place where women can thrive?

Of the departments I’ve been in, BEIS does really well in terms of the gender divide across grades. In senior positions, it’s close to 50/50 male SCS to female SCS. I think what we want to focus on is around how we support the pipeline grades such as HEO and SEO, and I think that’s where the work needs to be done. How do you progress junior grade members of staff that are willing into those senior grades? I don’t think it’s ever going to be an issue in terms of having women spread across different grades, but I think there’s something about ensuring there’s a suitable pipeline, and ensuring that there is diversity amongst the women who are moving up – how does social mobility fit in to that, how is disability displayed in that? There’s still room for improvement.

I also think it’s something that always needs a progressive push, because if you take your eye off the ball it’ll just go backwards. How do we sustain this progress?

What advice would you give to Patchworkers interested in joining the Civil Service?

My advice for Patchworkers would be that there’s not one conventional route. I feel like a lot of people see the Fast Stream and think it’s the only way in, but that’s not the case. I would always say get your foot in the door, get in at any grade or any level that you feel you can, and then make your own Fast Stream. So I started off as an EO on my internship, and quickly was made permanent and made into an HEO.

I do think the Fast Stream is great for providing guided development and support in terms of your career trajectory, but you can do the same thing without having to be part of the Fast Stream. Make your own training and experiences. I know a lot of people apply to it and don’t get onto it, and it’s easy to feel disheartened and think that you’re not good enough, and that’s just not the case. The opportunities are endless and the world is your oyster. 

What advice would you have for women more specifically at the start of their careers?

Don’t ever underestimate yourself. I think there tends to be this thing where women, especially younger or junior women, know they’re really good at the stuff that they do, but don’t speak up about it or have confidence in that. I don’t know if it’s the fear of coming across as having an ego, but I would say take faith and take pride in what you do, and shout more about it. I found that I was always coming into things with low confidence. I was always really good at delivering work and being able to progress and excel, but I’m not sure I even truly believed it myself, so I think there’s something about taking faith in yourself and working out ways to boost those confidence points as well. 

Just feel like you can be yourself and just do you. I feel like we think that if we want to get into leadership positions you have to change yourself, or you might have to become what ‘standard’ leadership is seen as, and I’d say no, just be your authentic self. One thing that one of my mentors told me is to not take lessons in authenticity from anyone else, just do what’s right for you. Leadership styles don’t come in one facet. Make it work.

I’d also say, try to do stuff outside of work as well. I set up a baby clothes and accessories business with a friend of mine two years ago. I would say if there’s anything that I’ve learned from that it’s the importance of expanding your horizons. Things that might be scary, just do them. 

Why did you join Patchwork? 

I wanted to join Patchwork because I think at that point in my career, I knew a lot about the Civil Service, but I don’t think there was ever that point where I felt that I fully immersed myself in the political sense. So I thought this was the opportunity for me to actually engage a lot more in politics and understand that space a bit more.

But I was also at a point where I was very junior in my career, so I thought this would definitely be something that would push me out of my comfort zone, allow me to develop new skills, and also to expand on my networks as well. Of course, I already knew a few people who had gone on the Masterclass Programme, and they just kept on recommending it! So I decided to take the plunge and I’m glad I did because it has opened up a whole new world of engagement with people and understanding of the wider political system, as well as just understanding why or how things are the way that they are. 

What have you gained from your time with the organisation?

It has humanised a lot of ministers for me. What Patchwork does is that you get to see ministers or senior political figures as people, and how they’ve all gone on a journey of building their careers. It’s nice to see what makes them the people that they are, what makes them wake up in the morning, and what motivates them to make the decisions they do.

And you meet so many amazing people, and that’s not just in terms of the senior people you engage with – I’m talking about the cohorts as well. I think that’s an important part of the Programme, that you’re with people who are similarly minded to you, but maybe have different political standpoints. It all comes together to allow great conversations and engagement to happen. I learnt so much from just the lines of questioning that some people would come up with or some of the viewpoints in the more informal conversations that we had. I think it’s important to broaden your focus out from our friends and family to people you might disagree with and come to a point where you can listen to each other and see where they’re coming from. 

Do you have any advice for anyone thinking of joining Patchwork?

Don’t feel like you have to be an expert in all things politics and have to be very well rounded in politics to have to apply for Patchwork. I think one of the great things is that that will come in time as you engage with the process, as you engage with the Masterclasses, as you engage with people, so I think as long as you have that small bit of inquisitiveness and dedication to the Programme, it’s worth applying for and giving it a go!

Alumni Masterclass with Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the UK Environment Agency

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Attending the Masterclass with Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the UK Environment Agency, arranged by the Patchwork Foundation was an utterly eye-opening and an inspirational experience which I can take into my future. The Masterclass on Thursday 2nd September 2021 consisted of an amazing introduction into Sir Bevan’s work, prepared questions that he answered and an incredible open Q&A session to end the event, all providing us with extraordinary insights. I found the Masterclass to be targeted towards those of us at the early stages of our careers and I am very much excited the implement all this advice into my daily life.  

 A few pieces of advice Sir James Bevan imparted particularly resonated with me. Such comments were:  

  • Build the Right Culture in Your Organisation: As a leader within an organisation, this is something you can invest in and will affect how everyone behaves. He also spoke around the topic of the difference between an Alpha and Alpha Plus leader, where an Alpha leader is someone who improves an organisation when they join, but an Alpha Plus leader is someone who creates a company culture where the company continues to improve after they have left. These words personally inspired me to reflect on how I can implement these habits into my life as an Alpha Plus leader. 
  • Keep on Learning: No one ever achieved a new insight by being accepting of the knowledge that has come before them. It is necessary to challenge the conventional way of thinking as it is often wrong. The magnitude of this is more prevalent than ever. As we innovate to solve the world’s mounting and challenging problems conventional thinking has to be challenged as a catalyst to this success. 
  • Be Kind to Yourself: As potential leaders of the future, whatever we decide to do will be tough. Therefore, looking after yourself is of utmost importance by avoiding working too hard and managing your energy instead can help to avoid the effects of burnout. From my experience, this could take many forms such as daily meditation or self-care. 
  • Have a Support Network: These close people in your inner circle will support your success at each stage of life and are indispensable in order to lift you up upon the occurrence of failures and mistakes. 

In addition, James shared the massive impact of different experiences on his career to date, from having spent time in Zaia, Angola, where he uncovered that educating girls is a single magic bullet to improve all the other parts of a country, to his mother handing him the job posting for the UK Environment Agency. Further to this, he spoke about the future trajectory of the UK Environment Agency, describing it as an exciting place to work which was of a great interest to me as a current civil engineering student.   

To round up the session, we had a fruitful conversation on how we can incentivise large corporations to push their sustainable habits to the forefront of their operation, over profits. 

Overall, I highly enjoyed the Masterclass delivered by Sir James Bevan and I was personally impacted by his endless optimism. I would personally love to work in the UK Environment Agency in the future, and I am looking forward to further exploring the work of the organisation.

 

Written by Jasmine Brittan, Masterclass Programme Participant

Alumni Spotlight: Ross Hills

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation
Ross first interacted with Patchwork whilst studying dentistry in London as he was interested in learning more about use of social policies to alleviate oral health inequalities. After graduating from King’s he moved home to Leicestershire where he put what Patchwork taught him into action after being elected as a County Councillor. Alongside being a councillor and a dentist, Ross is the Association Chairman for Bosworth and is the Deputy Chairman of the LGBT+ Conservatives.

 

You’re currently a councillor! What does that job entail? What are the best parts and the worst parts?

There’s no specific description, but the job entails being a vocal representative for the area that I live in. It’s so varied, because I could get questions about safeguarding issues at the school, I could get questions about speeding matters, I could get questions about rubbish not being collected – I think that’s one of the most difficult things about it actually.As it’s varied, you’re expected to know a little bit about everything. You’re thrown in the deep end and there’s not a lot of training, so you have to learn on the job.

But I think the best thing about it is that people really appreciate it. As long as you do your best everyone appreciates the hard work you put in even if you don’t actually get the result they wanted at the end. People want to feel listened to. You also get invited to lots of local events! Yesterday I was at a dog show and got to judge the ‘waggiest tail’. We’ve done litter picks, village lunches, all sorts. 

 

Do you have any political campaigning tips for anyone aspiring to be an elected official one day?

My tip would be, if it’s a local election then stick to local issues. Let the national party policy speak for itself. I stuck to small, local issues I knew I could change as a local councillor back in May. So things like increasing the opening hours of the waste centre, getting a school crossing installed, more frequent cleaning of roads. Sticking to local issues is also good because it takes the heat out of the debate. So if you knock on the doorstep and say I want to do XYZ for our village, a resident will rarely come back and have an argue. Why would they want to have a go at you for wanting to sort the weeds out?

Whereas if you knock on the door saying ‘I’m a Labour or Conservative candidate’ they start to get antagonistic if they don’t like Boris or Keir or whoever it may be. Keep it local.

 

Do you find any big differences between local and national politics?

Local politics has less rhetoric. You don’t have to stick to party lines quite as much because everyone is there to represent the people and get the best results for them, so a lot of the toxicity has been taken out of the work you do. Most of the time on the doorstep, even if people don’t vote for your party they still appreciate the time that you put in to go and ask them questions. When it’s local most people appreciate you’re not a full-time politician, and so it’s more gentle.

 

Why did you want to be a councillor, and how did you get involved?

The time I got involved in politics initially was when I was at university doing dentistry. I moved from Leicestershire to London, and in London there’s much greater health inequality. What surprised me was that I’d be seeing the same patient profile again and again; it would be young kids 2 to 4 years old having all their teeth out, and you’d see them walk out of surgery and their parents giving them full-sugar coke and things like that. And I thought, there’s got to be a better way upstream to help my patients. So I got involved in the Policy Institute at King’s and started looking into things like water fluoridation and then got involved in Patchwork, and it kind of spiralled from there!

The reason I got involved in local politics after moving home from university was because I felt appreciated and valued in my local association. It won’t surprise anyone that there are many more older members than younger, but my local group recognised this and we’re actively seeking a more diverse range of members. I was lucky as this meant I was given a lot of support and encouragement to stand for election and also guidance on campaigning. 

 

Your day job is as a dentist. Do you see a connection between dentistry and politics? Do you think that one has informed the other in your life?

When I was at university I was disappointed because there was no overlap, but there really should be. I think like most professions, dentists don’t ever seem to be a fan of the government in power regardless of its colour and are always saying ‘we need better pay’, ‘we need more structure, ‘we need better patient access’, so there’s a lot of criticism going on. But actually when you step back and ask what have you done to advocate for dentistry, how have you gotten involved, have you written to your local MP, have you attended local NHS trust meetings – the answer is always no. 

Combining both careers does help each one though. Working as a dentist, I see patients for 15 minutes for a check up and I have to immediately build a rapport with them, because there’s nothing worse than a standoffish dentist. So I’m constantly seeing new patients, new patients, new patients, but actually that’s the same as canvassing on the doorstep – I’m knocking on the door and talking for five minutes, next door five minutes, next door five minutes. You’ve got to quickly build up that rapport with your residents and act like you’ve known each other for years. So those communication skills have come in really handy.

The background in health has been handy as well. Being elected during Covid, I’ve been able to contribute to health initiatives and specifically how advice is communicated with residents. As a dentist, you do interact with County as well with things like safeguarding. If I had a patient I was worried about I could make a safeguarding report to the County who picks it up and leads on it. 

 

What advice would you give to people who didn’t study politics or don’t have a strong political background for getting involved?

Something Matt Hancock said when he was talking to Patchwork during the pandemic stuck with me. He said ‘politics belongs to those who turn up’. Now as an association Chair, I put on events, host canvassing sessions, policy debates all sorts, and rarely do people actually engage. I can struggle to get 10 people to come knock on doors with me and our MP, but then people complain afterwards that they’re not engaged in local causes. You’ve got to put the legwork in first of all because no one’s going to do the work for you, but if you do put the effort in, there will be many people there to support you.

Also don’t be worried about not having a background in politics. I personally think it helps you! That’s why when I was considering doing politics at university, in the end I chose dentistry because I thought ‘let’s get some real life experience and a job’.  You’ll be able to contribute to the debate much better if you’re bringing experience with you. 

 

Why did you get involved in Patchwork?

I got involved the first time because I was socially awkward believe it or not! I’d always wanted to go to the national Conference, but I had no political friends, none of my family are political, I didn’t know anyone going and I thought I’d never have the guts to go to Conference on my own for 4 days without knowing anyone there.

Then the Party Conference Programme came up on Facebook, and it said ‘come to Party Conference with Patchwork and a cohort of other students’, and I thought well there’s 10 friends, that’s not as awkward is it?

So I signed up and did the Programme, and absolutely loved it. I really appreciated that the Programme was there for your development. It wasn’t just a ‘meet and greet with a politician, take a picture, isn’t that good fun?’. It was actually grounded in ‘what are you going to get from this, what skills do you want to learn and how are you going to use them?’, which really impressed me. Then I did the Masterclass Programme after, and it just went on from there.

 

What have you learnt from your time with us?

I think the best thing I’ve learnt from Patchwork is the importance of writing a good thank you note. It can’t be beat and I still write them to this day! When I was elected as a councillor the first thing I did was  order some fancy headed paper with my name and contact details on. After I did my first event, which happened to be at the church in my village, I wrote to them thanking them for inviting me to talk with them over coffee and the letter has been pinned up on the church notice board! They all appreciated it. 

You can’t beat a good thank you note.

 

What would you like to be doing in 10 years time?

I’ve got two possible routes. One route is working in parliament and contributing to health and social care debates. The other route is to go back to school and do a public health masters, concentrating on health communication. I was fortunate enough to do a summer studentship in the states as part of my degree and found the different approaches to public health between the US and UK fascinating. I’m sure whatever path I take the learning I have gained through Patchwork will help me.

Alumni Spotlight: Zahra Latif

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

What are you up to at the moment?

I’m actually on the tail end of my maternity leave, but I’ll be returning to the Civil Service soon, and I’ll actually be in a new role. I’ll be Head of Policy for the Windrush Compensation Scheme in the Home Office.

I really want to do a job where I was benefitting real people  I’ve had some really interesting roles in the centre of Government which I feel have given me an understanding of the system, but I was missing that sense of direct impact. What drew me to this role is the people who have suffered as a result of the Windrush scandal, which has impacted a lot of people’s lives in many negative ways; people not being able to see their parents, not having access to the NHS, literally going on holiday and not being able to come back home despite living here for decades. You can’t make up for that in the sense that you can’t undo it, but getting people an amount of compensation which enables them to have a transformative impact on their lives, that’s really driving me. So that’s what I’m hoping to achieve.

Why did you want to join the Civil Service?

I worked in the NGO world before I joined the Civil Service. When I left uni, I was like – I want to change the world for the better, and have some kind of positive social impact, but I didn’t really know what to do. At the start of my career I worked in a charity working on conflict resolution in communities, mediating between communities and local government and police, and I found that really fascinating. Then I worked at the National Union for Students, where I worked on faith and belief issues as well as liberation issues, so campaigns for female students, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students, and Black students. Alongside all that was my work with helping to establish Patchwork.

So I loved that work and I was passionate about all of it, but the thing that I really felt was how much power Government has to shape the landscape. Government decides where the funding will go and what the big agendas of the day are, and I felt like if I wanted to have impact at scale, then I need to impact national policy and be at the table in that way. That’s why I wanted to join the Civil Service; I wanted to impact national policy and make it more reflective of the experiences I had, and also the things that I was seeing at the grassroots.

You mentioned having worked at the centre of Government – what was it like working at Number 10?

In Number 10 I was Private Secretary in the Policy Unit. I worked with the Director and Deputy Director to coordinate the unit on their behalf, and also got involved with some policy myself, specifically around domestic abuse policy and clean air. One of the things I got to work on and that I’m really grateful for and proud of, was securing a Government commitment to provide accommodation-based services to survivors of domestic abuse.

Being at the centre of Government was fascinating. It was really interesting to see just how hard it is to be Prime Minister. I think there’s a lot of glamour associated with it, but I was in Number 10 during Theresa May’s last year and a half, and she was trying to manage her party, Brexit, and so much more – it’s really, really difficult.

What did you learn from the experience?

It taught me the skills that help you in terms of the way you communicate and the way you present yourself in that environment, but also to question whether that’s how you want to operate. I think in that sense, it was an environment that personally really made me self-reflect a lot on who I am, what I want to be, what I want to be known for, and how I want to be. It reaffirmed for me that actually the things I value, even if others don’t value it, is being kind, and gentle, and a listening ear. I think in the end those qualities also make you more effective.

It also taught me how important it is not to assess yourself according to external features. It’s very easy to think ‘oh I’m working at Number 10, I must be doing pretty well in life’ but it doesn’t mean anything in the deepest sense of what it means to be human. Your character and how you really are often completely separate from the place you happen to find yourself in at this moment in time. I think, particularly in places with a lot of prestige associated with them, it’s easy to lose yourself if you’re not clear on who you are and what you’re about.

What are the best and worst parts of working in the Civil Service?

I think the best thing about being in the Civil Service is that if you’re in the right role for you, you really are at the table contributing to the decisions that impact a lot of people. When everything lines up – when you have the political will, the money and the finances, and you have enough, good people – you can actually do good stuff that impacts people through national policies, and that’s awesome. I think the worst bit is when those things don’t line up, and you’re not really having the impact you wanted to have.

What would you change about the Civil Service?

In terms of big changes, I think it’s really hard to say, ‘oh if only this thing was different or that thing was different’, because trying to govern a country is actually really complicated! I think it’s really easy to critique, but it’s much harder to go ‘this is the way to do it’.

I guess the thing I’d change is to have more people in senior leadership and decision-making roles who don’t come from a middle-class background, alongside increased gender diversity, racial diversity, diversity of sexual orientation, and having people with disabilities. There’s an impact that your class has, what socio-economic background you come from, and I’d like more people in senior leadership and decision making roles to just be more diverse in all the ways, including how wealthy they have been and are.

You were one of the founding members of Patchwork and used to be our Chief of Staff. Why did you get involved and what did you learn from the experience?

Patchwork grew from not seeing myself or the people I knew reflected in politicians or political decision making. I think I’ve always had this strong sense of wanting to contribute since I was very young, but simultaneously feeling like there wasn’t a space for me. ‘People like me don’t get to do that kind of thing’ was the kind of way I felt, and Patchwork just offered this really exciting opportunity to try to change that, to try and bring more people into spaces and places that seemed so out of reach.

On a personal note, I really looked up to the others. I was one of the youngest, and I was the only woman, and in some ways I looked up to these guys so much that I didn’t realise at first that I could contribute and I had valid ideas. I was just going with the flow. There was a personal growth to it too, going from this quieter woman in what at times felt like quite a lad-y atmosphere, to Chief of Staff, and growing into that and getting used to authority.

What advice do you have for people hoping to join the Civil Service?

It’s something I still struggle with, but I think it’s really important to know yourself and own yourself. What I mean by that is: know what your strengths are, know what your weaknesses are, know what makes you different, and just accept all of it and be okay with all of it. When you have that kind of acceptance, there’s just this authentic quiet confidence that comes from that which is very powerful. I think sometimes if you’re a bit ‘different’ – for me it’s that I might be the only brown person in that space or room, and almost definitely the only person who’s visibly Muslim – sometimes you’re so concerned with what people think of you and wanting people to think well of you, when really the thing to focus on is ‘what value can I bring’. 

Helen MacNamara who was the Deputy Cabinet Secretary told me ‘Zahra you have the power to make the weather wherever you go’ and I thought that was so interesting – what she meant was that you can go into that space and you can decide whether it’s a sunny day or not just through the way we are. I think we all have that power, to influence those around us, and you don’t have to be extroverted and a really great talker, you can do it in your own way in your own style.

Alumni Spotlight: Lipa Nessa

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Lipa Nessa is the Co-founder of a sports podcast, formerly a semi-professional footballer and now a grassroots coach, sports activist, and National Youth Board member for several sports boards. Lipa wants to facilitate change and continues to challenge herself and engage with ethnically diverse communities. Lipa’s dream is to ‘change the world with a hijab on her head and a ball at her feet’, and has already become a trailblazer and a powerful voice for positive change in the sector.

What drew you to sports advocacy?

What drew me was my negative experiences within the sporting sector. Being a minority, being a Muslim woman, being a woman generally, it’s a tough world, especially in the world of sport when you’re told what you can and can’t wear and everything else between the lines. When I was younger, I went through a very negative experience, which made me take a step back and think, how can I challenge this in the right way? Can I be that representation that I didn’t have when I was younger? So I went through the representation pathway. If you can’t see it you can’t be it, so let me be that person that everyone can see. 

As I grew older and went to university, I realised that I had the representation in the bag, so how could I influence the sector even more? So I went into coaching and decided I’d coach girls’ football within the local area, as I knew there were more Muslim girls and Muslim families in the area.

I then decided to join the Youth Sport Trust Youth Board, and where I realised how much power a young person holds, and it all grew from there.

What are you up to now?

I’m a Trustee at Muslimah Sports Association, a local charity that was established in 2014. They’re all to do with Muslim women in sports and creating a safe space for women who look like me to celebrate their sporting achievements.

I’m also a Trustee and the Chair of the Youth Board at the Youth Sport Trust. This is a space that I literally never thought I’d get. Before joining Patchwork it wasn’t even on my radar to achieve, but afterwards I thought you know what, I’ve got the skills, I think I can do it. Through curiosity I decided to give it a go, and I got the position! I’m really chuffed with that, and it’s on a national level. I’ve got a lot of work in September when school starts again, but it’s okay because I did say I wanted to change the world!

I’m also on the social media scene. For instance, I’ve done a recent campaign with Adidas ‘All About Your Body’. It was about championing the body and talking about the pandemic as well. I was able to showcase change through a difficult period, where mental and physical health were challenged repeatedly.

Why do you think sport is so important?

It’s important now more than ever! You might have seen during the pandemic, the PT and dietician Joe Wicks started to blow up with his exercise videos and I just thought this is great for sports and for PE, especially the way he engaged not only with children and young people but also their parents. There was also Captain Sir Tom Moore, who before he passed away had his daily walk which fundraised millions for the NHS, just showing that no matter your age, where you come from, where you are in the world, sports can bring people together.

In this day and age, there’s so much trauma and mental health struggles, from children in primary school to their teachers to the elderly. There are so many people, especially key and frontline workers, who haven’t had the chance to just stop and look after themselves. 

I think sports and PE is that artistic form to allow one to express themselves. No one actually thinks about its like that, because at school you’re just told to get changed, to go outside and play netball in the cold. No one sees it as an artistic form of communicating and expressing yourself, and that’s where I think we’ve gone wrong with this.

As a nation we’ve already seen how much sports and PE can do, all the way back to WWI when soldiers put down their weapons to play football. History already told us that sports brings people together, so how come after all these years we’ve forgotten that, and instead we’ve made it a barrier? I think every child has the right and every person has the right to PE and physical activity whoever they are. Just enjoy yourself while you’re expressing yourself. 

What would you do to change that?

If I was in power, I would make sure that PE holds an important place in the curriculum in school. I’d try to spread it across to NHS services, frontline workers, and key workers to make sure they’re ‘getting their steps in’, no matter how they do that, whether it be jogging, walking, jumping on the trampoline. You’re not too old to do anything, even just running out in the rain – I think lots of people have put that barrier in from of them before they’ve even begun.

This is, of course, the year of the Olympics – how have you found Tokyo 2020?

Stressful! I think I’ve got grey hairs under my headscarf!

I’ve just been screaming at the telly and challenging people, especially when it comes to clothing, one example being the backlash towards the gymnasts from the German team who chose to wear the longer-legged unitards. And then there was the Norwegian team during the European Beach Handball Championships recently who didn’t want to wear bikini pants, they wanted to wear shorts and the European Handball Federation gave them a fine for it. So men can wear longer trousers and they don’t need to show their muscles or contours of their bodies, whereas women are sexualised into wearing revealing clothes. It took me back to my own sporting roots when I decided to wear a headscarf and the negativity around that period was really toxic for me, so imagine that at a that level of competition. I just feel for them. 

But at the same time, I’m looking at these younger Olympians coming through and all these new sports – like skateboarding, so cool! – but seeing all these younger people come through and absolutely bossing it is so great to see. Hopefully one day this argument will come back in the future, but instead of arguing everyone will laugh at it and everyone will be like well why didn’t we allow women to just cover up if they want to cover up.

Going back to mental health, too, one of the USA gymnasts, Simone Biles, pulled out of her finals. Everyone thought it was a physical injury, but when she came out and said no it’s actually my mental health, everyone was giving her stick for it, but no one actually realises that in sport you need your brain as much as your body. So her doing that shows that even at such an elite level at such a pinnacle point in her career, you can say no actually, I’ll lead but I’ll lead from the back today. There’s a lot there we can take as people and even into the political scene – how much saying no is okay and how setting those boundaries early is so important.

If you could participate in any Olympic sport, what would it be?

Football. Then again, it might be archery! That’s one sport I’ve been trying to get into! It’s just so much fun and historical within the sporting scene. It’s like any track event in the Olympics, it’s very ancient, so going back to the roots of where sports came from is something I like! 

Football was also an ancient sport – instead of football it was actually the heads of prisoners . . . but we just kind of forget about that!

Why did you apply to the Patchwork Masterclass Programme, and what did you get out of the experience?

I saw it as an opportunity to advance my skillset and to have a greater understanding of what governance means within the political sector, and what I learned could be transferred to my sector.

But the main reason I wanted to join Patchwork was because it scared me and it was out of my comfort zone. It gave me a little feeling of being unsure, of not knowing what’s ahead, of being nervous because you’re not sure. Every time that happens, it leads to something good. It always has. So I applied because I was scared basically. 

It was one of the best things I did during the pandemic. During the pandemic I was able to enhance my skillset and learn about different things going on around me in the political scene and governance sector. Going back into the ‘real world’ and seeing of what I learn in Patchwork take form in the sporting sector has been fun!

There were a lot of people that I couldn’t relate to directly, but indirectly I could, and I took the bits that I could relate to and I applied it to my pathway and my journey, starting with my trustee roles, just jumping in head-first like I did with Patchwork.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to pursue their passion?

If it’s something you’re think about for too long and you don’t pursue it, might be a regret you think about forever.

Alumni Spotlight: Mustapha Ogun

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation

Mustapha Ogun is a Patchwork Masterclass 2019 Graduate. Mustapha is passionate about social mobility and transforming the lived experience of our future generation. He is now a member of the Patchwork executive team and recently became a trustee at African and Caribbean Diversity (ACD). ACD is a charity focused on improving the academic attainment, career prospects and social mobility of black students, aged 14 – 18, from London state schools. Mustapha currently works at Deloitte within their Risk Advisory practice.

 

What are you currently up to? 

I am currently an Assistant Manager at Deloitte, working within the Risk Advisory practice. We provide advisory or implementation support to our clients in the financial services industry undergoing strategic or regulatory change; helping to resolve their specific business challenges. I enjoy the dynamics of my working structure, both in terms of clients and colleagues, as well as the opportunities to make an impact. Outside of my role at Deloitte, I am also a trustee at African & Caribbean Diversity, a charity focused on improving the academic attainment and social mobility of black students.

You mentioned you’re a trustee, can you tell us more about that?

Before becoming a trustee, I was fortunate enough to participate in the organisation’s mentoring and enrichment programme. During the earlier stages of my development, ACD granted me access to resources that enabled me to build life-changing connections and improved the perspective I had of my overall educational attainment. My history with the organisation made my transition to trustee fairly straightforward. I was invested in the organisation and made myself available for opportunities to support others in the way that I was supported in my formative years. In my capacity as a trustee, I oversee current initiatives such as upgrading the organisation’s internal software and accounting systems and work with the organisation to develop new strategies focused on achieving our objectives.

What is a cause or subject you’re particularly passionate about?

Homelessness is a cause that I am particularly passionate about. The future is unpredictable, and the possibility of being homeless is one that not a single person can evade. There are several reasons why a person may end up on the street, but everyone deserves a second chance; the support to reintegrate into society to fulfil their full potential should be a basic provision. Homelessness can be a vicious cycle, one that is challenging to escape, but with the right support and opportunities to take positive steps in the right direction, the journey to re-establishing independence can begin. I regularly volunteer with Crisis, the national charity for homeless people, particularly during the Christmas period, and I often complete challenges to promote and raise money for this charity. Raising awareness about homelessness and what can be done to help is vital to ultimately eliminating this issue in the future.

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years’ time?

In 10 years, it will be 2031 and I will be 37. Professionally, I would have established myself in a senior position within my industry – or perhaps I would have retired to undertake a passion project abroad. Personally, I would have successfully mastered the art of a work-life balance! Also being happily married – perhaps with a child or two… I’ll still be involved leading and supporting various volunteering initiatives (including Patchwork). Most importantly, I hope to be able to look back on the 10 years prior, knowing that I have made a lasting impact on the lives of others.

Why did you apply to Patchwork and what did you get out of the experience?

I became aware of Patchwork through a friend who previously participated in the Masterclass programme. My friend spoke passionately about Patchwork and the opportunities it provides to learn about British politics in a practical way. I thought this sounded interesting, so I had to apply!

I have always had a deep theoretical and ideological understanding of politics – I studied politics during my A-levels and went on to complete my undergraduate degree in Politics and Philosophy. However, before I participated in the Masterclass programme, I never really got involved in politics. The Masterclass changed my perception of politics in the UK and helped to bridge the gap between my theoretical understanding of politics and what we experience in our everyday lives.

Through the Masterclass programme, I have been able to gain an insight into the lived experience of various political figures, gaining an in-depth understanding of the roles they play on the political stage. I do not believe that I would have had this access outside of the Patchwork programme.

What advice would you give to this year’s Patchworkers?

Firstly, keep the soft skills in mind. In addition to a deep insight into British politics, Patchwork provides the opportunity to develop soft skills like building confidence, chairing meetings, and public speaking – make the most of this!

Secondly,  network. There is a lot you can learn from the people in your cohort and perhaps build life-long friendships! With the variety of participants, aged 18-30, you will engage with individuals who are at different stages of their life and have a wealth of experience to share.

Alumni Spotlight: Nicholas Thompson

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation
Nicholas Thompson is a Patchwork Foundation Masterclass 2020 Graduate. Nicholas is passionate about community projects and has been Head of Finance for the Octagon Theatre’s Youth Board funding free theatre tickets and organising the Switch Cultural Diversity Festival. Having achieved a Merit in his Masters in Classics (Latin and Greek) at the University of Nottingham, Nicholas is now studying for the Postgraduate Diploma in Law at BPP University.

 

What are you currently up to?

I am currently studying the Postgraduate Diploma in Law with BPP University. This term, I’ve been learning about Contract, Tort, Company, and Public Law. I find Public Law the most interesting aspect. The Patchwork skills session with Hogan Lovells on Judicial Review and the Rule of Law last year first interested me in public law. I am fascinated by the intersection of the legal and political spheres and look forward to exploring this further as my studies progress.

 

What’s cause you’re particularly passionate about?

I am passionate about welfare and support provisions for young people, especially those aged between 14 and 18. I personally struggled during this period and found that services offered by schools are not sufficient to support people going through this increasingly challenging age bracket. I am a volunteer with the Scouts and am a National Ambassador for Top Awards with the Queen’s Scouts Working Party. Our aim is to publicise the awards framework within Scouting; including the Duke of Edinburgh’s, Chief Scout’s, and Queen’s Scout Awards. It is important that award frameworks are flexible and able to adapt to the often-unforeseeable challenges faced by 14-18 year olds. At that age, I found the structure of working towards small, achievable goals, which contribute to the final award, a helpful way of channelling my efforts towards a positive purpose. If one more young person finds these awards supportive then my efforts will be worthwhile.

 

What do you hope to be doing in 10 years’ time?

In 10 years’ time, I hope to be working as a solicitor in the public law sector. I intend to still be volunteering with the Scouts and Patchwork having made a recognisable impact on the wellbeing and outlook of young people. In an ideal world, my working and voluntary life would be aligned in achieving these goals.

 

Why did you apply to Patchwork and what did you get out of the experience?

I applied to Patchwork without any expectation of success. I had read about the scheme on-line and it sounded like a fantastic way to improve my understanding of UK politics and further my personal and professional development. My experiences prior to Patchwork had involved small groups and Patchwork’s cohorts offered me an opportunity to experience working with larger teams. None of us could have expected the pandemic or its impact on working practices. Without Patchwork, I would have been rudderless for the last year, especially after my Master’s studies came to an end. It was wonderful to make new connections as the rest of the world was shutting down. Patchwork demonstrated to me that I have an aptitude to be a lawyer. I had not previously thought I could be a lawyer but the skills sessions offered during the Masterclass Programme gave me an understanding of some of the realities of legal scenarios. I found the tasks intriguing and ‘within my wheelhouse’. My main benefit from the Masterclasses is that they have given me the direction for the next stage of my life.

 

What advice would you give to this year’s Patchworkers?

Enter every session with an open mind, having done your prep. You cannot foresee where the programme will take you when you start so don’t try. Leave your preconceptions behind, inspiration will come from the most unlikely of places. If you see a session advertised and don’t think it’s for you, go for it! Enjoy the experience and be open to every opportunity as it comes your way, what you find will surprise you!

Alumni Spotlight: Noreen Niazi

Posted on by Patchwork Foundation
Noreen is the co-founder of Muslim Women Connect and recently launched ‘The Inbetween’, a podcast and space for people navigating the messy middle. She’s a community builder and has worked in the not for profit sector for several years.
First of all, what are you up to at the moment?

I was working as Programme Manager at a Foundation that helps young people start their own businesses. I worked on establishing a range of exciting programmes to support young entrepreneurs including mentoring programmes and pitching events. It was really exciting to see how resilient and innovative young people are and the potential of entrepreneurship to transform lives, especially during the current climate.

I recently got made redundant as a result of the pandemic (it has basically annihilated a lot of the charity sector) but this setback led me on to a new journey. I’ve just launched a project called ‘The In-between.’

 

Can you tell us a bit more about The In-between?

The In- between is currently a podcast for those who are navigating the messy middle. We talk to people who are going through it and draw inspiration from their journey. People always talk about the ‘end goal’ and ‘making it’, but it’s very rare that you catch someone when they’re in ‘the middle’ – when they’re figuring things out, when they’re applying for jobs, when they’re the most vulnerable and have no idea what they’re doing with their life, and actually I think that’s when all of the growth happens.

For a lot of people, it’s a really isolated, lonely time. They dread when people ask them what they’re doing, because so much of our worth is attached to our salary and our job titles. In the near future I want to develop the In-between into a community space where people who are navigating the ‘in-between’ can come as they are, connect with others and dream again.

 

This isn’t the first organisation you’ve created. You also co-founded Muslim Women Connect – can you tell us more about that?

I started Muslim Women Connect not long after I graduated from the Patchwork Masterclass Programme. For me, it was about creating an organization that I needed at the time. I felt like I couldn’t find anyone who looks like me, who had the specific challenges that I have. These women existed, and there were women working in media and politics, but it felt so disconnected. My friend and I were literally in a restaurant one day and we were just like ‘why don’t we create it?’ So I think for us, it was just like, let’s start something which is really impactful that just does a really simple thing, which is connecting people. The easiest way we could do that is by starting a mentoring scheme, and by being the in-between people who could connect people together.

We started that four years ago, and we did a range of things, from a 6-month mentoring problem to a TEDx-style series for school. The impact that we saw from it was amazing. So many of the mentees that were on it ended up getting really incredible jobs and even wrote parliamentary reports. Being able to see the growth of the organization and all the people who’ve been a part of it has been really incredible.

 

You’ve done so many amazing things in your career and been part of so many projects that focus on empowerment and creating change – what is it that drives you and your career choices?

It’s such a millennial clichéd thing to say, but since I was quite young I’ve always been really interested in doing work with a purpose. When I was younger I was really involved in campaigning and helping out groups that were doing something for the community. It was in doing those small roles – whether it was volunteering at a farm or a refugee centre – that I found a lot of meaning and purpose. That energy and knowing that you’re creating something that is actually making a difference, that’s what I wanted to feel at the end of the day when I was looking for new jobs.

That being said, I always say it’s more important to know what you don’t want than what you do want. I don’t think it’s about ‘finding the perfect job’, it’s just about trying lots of new things and seeing what gives you energy, and that’s what’s been a guiding light for me.

 

What would you say has been your proudest achievement so far?

It would be starting Muslim Women Connect. There’s something about starting something from scratch, with no funding, and being able to see it grow so much.

For me, it was also that when I stepped down last year after four years, I could leave and it was able to continue. When we started, we knew we didn’t want to be those leaders who stay in something just for the sake of it, clinging on to the fact that we were founders.

When you start something, and – especially when it’s voluntary – you end up doing so much work from pure passion, it’s inevitable that that passion will eventually go somewhere else or you’ll want to move on one day. So, for me what I’m most proud of is being able to start something, step away from it, and see it still standing. I’ve also become a mentor for the programme, which felt like a very full circle moment.

If we didn’t have the right people in place, we would never have felt comfortable giving it to just anyone, but the way that the team grew over the past four years was perfect and we were elated when someone within the team accepted the position as director, because we knew they would do an incredible job. It felt like everything aligned. It feels good to know that you have a team that aligns with the values that you set out with.

 

What are some projects you’d like to explore next in your career?

The last few years have led me to see how impactful things like mentoring are, and how business and innovation can help people get out of poverty. In the future I’d love to start up an incubator programme for women in developing countries.

But for now I’m really excited to see where ‘In-between’ goes, because I think it could be a really incredible space for minds to come together. Over the last seven years I’ve realized I really love connecting people and building communities. Seeing two people who I think would be good together, or for example seeing somebody who’s amazing at tech and then someone who’s got a really good idea for a charity, and connecting them and seeing the magic that happens – I think there’s something really special about that. Just creating a space where people feel more comfortable being themselves, and not feeling like they have to constantly be defined by all these pressures around us.

 

Why did you join Patchwork, and what did you gain from it?

At the time I was really interested in creating social change through politics. I had studied history and politics at university, and for me it was really important to be able to be in the same room as people who were quite senior. Even being around the calibre of people who were on our programme was really important for my growth as well, and seeing the different career trajectories they were taking. The meaningful connections that you make and finding people who are passionate about the same type of things is really important. The network is really high quality, and you can find of lots of people who are doing really amazing things in it.

 

In 2019 you were accepted onto the Patchwork International Visitor’s Leadership Programme with the US Embassy. How was that experience?

I think the IVLP was the best part of my Patchwork experience. It was a really life-changing opportunity for me and I met people on that programme who are still really good friends of mine, and who are doing amazing things and who inspire me every day. It was amazing being able to see community groups in America and how small communities grow, as well as how nuanced politics are.

Throughout this whole journey, I’ve realized that while I think politics are important, the path that I’ve taken is ‘how do you make the most impact you can make locally?’, and that’s the route I’ve chosen to take. When I first left university, I worked at a global charity, and it was all about alleviating poverty and understanding the root causes of all the different issues in the world. I think that’s so important, but I also think that you can get so bogged down by thinking about all these huge problems, and that becomes really paralyzing. What America taught me was that if everyone just concentrated on one thing, we’d be in such a better position. Because we’re constantly fixated on the huge stuff, we think that the small things will never lead us to fixing those big issues, but that’s how change happens. It’s so easy to overlook the small, consistent community building and grassroots work. It taught me to focus on something small and build, and not to be so afraid of failure.

 

What would your advice be to fellow Patchworkers about making a difference?

Don’t overthink it. The biggest barrier facing most people is the fear of failure, not starting things because you’re scared of them failing, or it not working out, or it not being big enough, or it not gaining that much traction. I think especially with social media and everybody watching your every move and waiting for you to fail, it’s so important just to keep your intentions pure. Focus on something you care about, even if it’s just one thing, and figure out how you can make the most impact with what you have. Start where you are, with what you have, and see where it goes.

It’s up to people who have good ideas, who do things differently, and who are passionate about things to just do it!

 

You can keep up to date with The In-between here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-in-between/?viewAsMember=true and first podcast episode here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JPoC8jCJbSnRYLGcGBVAc